Careers

Careers at Kents Hill Park

A young person’s career is their pathway through learning and into work. All young people need a planned programme of activities to help them make choices that are right for them, and to help them to manage their careers throughout their lives.

Schools have a statutory duty to both provide careers education in Years 7-11, and to give pupils access to careers guidance. However, Kents Hill Park School is committed to providing a planned programme of careers education for all pupils in EYFS to Year 11, including impartial information, advice and guidance (IAG).

Careers guidance refers to a coherent programme of activities that inform, inspire, and motivate young people, preparing them for work and helping them to understand where different education and training choices could take them in the future.

Gatsby Benchmarks

The Careers Programme is designed to meet the needs of its pupils and is differentiated and personalised to ensure progression through activities that are appropriate to pupils’ stage of career learning, planning and development.

The school endeavours to fulfil its statutory duty by adhering to the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks, namely:

A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

Gatsby Benchmarks

Visit the Gatsby website for further information.

Work Experience

All pupils will be given the opportunity to experience the world of work during Year 10. The school encourages pupils to arrange their own placements wherever possible.

The Work Experience programme is an essential and valuable part of a pupils’ curriculum. The placement gives pupils the opportunity to work with others in a non-school environment, learning important personal and social skills for later life. It helps them to prepare for the world of work, and to reflect on possible future career options. Specific details will be discussed with pupils and relevant correspondence sent out to parents outlining the process and requirements.

Work Experience Explained

Work experience is time spent in a workplace learning about a job role, a company or a career sector. Companies are starting to develop ‘virtual’ placements using digital technology, without having to go in to the workplace.

A guide to Work Experience

Benefits of Work Experience

Work experience gives you the chance to:

Try out career ideas
Find out more about what’s involved in a job and see if it’s for you
Learn new skills or build on those you already have
Meet new people and grow network of contacts
Boost confidence
Get back into a work routine if you’ve been out of work for a while
Show employers what you can do so they consider you when a job is available
identify any reasonable adjustments you need because of a disability or long-term health condition

Types of Work Experience

There are lots of different ways to get work experience. Some might be more useful or only available at certain points in your education or career. They include:

School or college work experience placement: Usually 1 or 2 weeks in year 10, 11 or 12. School or college staff may help to organise it or you might have to fix it up yourself
Placements on work-related courses: Courses like T-Levels, BTECs and some degrees include work experience as part of the course. It might be one day a week over a few months or full time for a few weeks. You may have a placement officer or tutor who can help you to find work experience during your course
A traineeship: A traineeship is a course with work experience that gets you ready for work or an apprenticeship. It can last up to 12 months
Work shadowing: A chance to watch someone doing a job for a day or a few days. You could do this to find out about a new job. If you’re in a job, you could use it to explore opportunities for personal development or promotion within your company. It gives you an idea of what might be involved in a job rather than hands-on experience
Internships: Paid periods of work experience lasting around 2 to 3 months in the summer. Mostly aimed at undergraduates and newly qualified graduates with some opportunities for school leavers. You can get information from your university careers service. There may be internship schemes dedicated to students at your university
Year placements: This is a paid year in the workplace as part of a higher education course. You apply for these in the same way as graduate jobs. University careers services can help you to find opportunities relevant to your course
Insight events: Usually organised by companies or careers organisations -you spend a day or a few days finding out about a specific sector such as finance, law or IT. It could include networking, career presentations and hands-on activities
Gap year and year abroad experience: Gap year and work abroad experiences can be organised by commercial organisations and charities or something that you set up for yourself
Virtual work experience: Sites like Accenture’s Skills to Succeed, Academy and Barclays Lifeskills can help to develop skills to deal with situations in the workplace, without having to go out on a placement. FutureLearn has a virtual work experience course for exploring the work of a vet. You can search online for other online work experience, virtual internships and insight-into-work opportunities

Other ways to get Work Experience

There are other useful ways of gaining work experience, like:

Volunteering
Part-time jobs
Going to company events, real and virtual and open days
Helping friends or family with a business
Setting up your own small business
Entering competitions and skill challenges like World Skills

Next Steps

For more information and help with work experience, take a look at our advice on how:

Success at school: Arranging your own work experience

Success at school: Helping your child gain work experience

Success at school: How to find volunteer opportunities for my child

Further and Higher Education

Parent Advice and Guidance

Parents are integral to successful careers support and provision, and therefore will be regularly informed about activities in school via email and resources issued directly that are designed to assist them in supporting their child. Additionally, information events for parents are held in school at key decision points.

Below offers further help and support for parents related to various careers aspects.

Options at 16

As Year 11 approaches, pupils will need to start thinking about their options when they leave school at 16. Parents/carers will discover a range of choices relating to education, training or work.

Precisely what’s on offer depends on where you live. You could start your search at GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/browse/education/find-course) where you’ll find out more about qualifications, apprenticeships and post-16 financial support. This article focuses on options available in England.

Post-16 Options and the Law

The raising of the participation age in England means that, whatever your child’s next step, some form of study or training is compulsory until at least the age of 18. They won’t have to stay in full-time education, but they will need to opt for some part-time learning if they choose to work or volunteer. Elsewhere in the UK, students can leave education at 16, although there are many benefits to continuing with post-16 learning or training.

Whether your son or daughter is aiming towards a specific career, aspires to a leading university, wants to go straight into work or keep an open mind, there should be something to suit. From nursing cadetships and apprenticeships in space engineering to university technical colleges and studio schools, there are many exciting opportunities to explore.

The first step is to discover which options could suit them and their future plans. Start by helping them to consider how they prefer to learn. Are they happiest learning in a classroom, do they prefer to apply their learning to real-life problems or do they learn best through doing?

If your son or daughter is happy to spend some or most of their time in a classroom, take a look at school sixth forms, sixth form colleges or further education colleges and training providers.

Sixth Forms and Colleges

As a rough guide, sixth forms tend to focus on academic qualifications for under 19s, with further education colleges offering vocational options to students aged 14 or 16 and over. So a sixth form might offer qualifications in Physics and Psychology, while a further education college might offer Engineering and Health and Social Care. You will find some crossover between what’s on offer and it’s always worth a visit to get a feel for the place. Post-16 students won’t necessarily be in lessons every day, leaving time for independent study and the opportunity to develop a range of skills through other activities.

New Educational Options

University technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools are newer options in the 14 to 19 education landscape. They offer academic qualifications and practical activities combined with contributions from businesses and the feel of a workplace. Studio schools use enterprise projects to support learning, while UTCs offer technical education sponsored by a university.

Apprenticeships and Traineeships

Young people who prefer to learn through doing a job might favour an apprenticeship, finding work, setting up their own business or volunteering. The most common option to learn through work is an apprenticeship, where formal learning is combined with work. Apprentices earn a minimum of £3.50 per hour (April 2017), with some earning substantially more. It is a popular option and entry can be competitive, although the opportunities are growing in number and in the range of job areas available.

To cope with an apprenticeship, your son or daughter will need to be mature enough to work nine to five and follow the rules of the workplace. They’ll also need to have a career direction in mind, at least for the next year or two. If they need more experience, confidence or additional skills to find an apprenticeship or a job, then a traineeship might help them to prepare.

Finding the Right Fit

The main consideration when making post-16 choices is about finding the right fit for your child so they end up somewhere they will thrive. You can help them to work out what they would enjoy, what would suit them, and how their choices fit in with any future plans. Talk to the staff at your child’s school about how they can support with this process.

If you want to know more, read the articles on apprenticeships and traineeships, choosing A level subjects and what to expect from a further education college

Parents/carers can find out more about post-16 options using the following websites.

GOV.UK

University Technical Colleges

Studio Schools Trust

Find out more about options after Year 11 by clicking here