Careers Leader: Lewis Thomas
Email: lthomas@theaspireacademy.org.uk
Telephone: 01905 455422
Feedback: we welcome any feedback regarding our careers strategy
Careers Strategy
Purpose and Aims
The Aspire Academy is fully committed to ensuring that all of our pupils acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to manage their learning and career progression.
The Aspire Academy has already established a range of effective careers guidance activities which we hope will guide support our pupils to achieve positive destinations such as A ‘levels, Higher Education, Apprenticeships, Technical routes or Employment.
Our careers strategy sets out The Aspire Academy key approaches internally and externally to enhance the current careers guidance activities and participation opportunities already available to our pupils. The aim is to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for and informed effectively about their next steps and can therefore aspire to achieve their full potential. We want to ensure that our pupils have both the aptitude and interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and add value within the workplace.
High quality careers guidance is a crucial part of improving social mobility. Young people make choices based on what they know and what they think is available to them. If our young people are made fully aware of the career pathways and opportunities available to them, they will be more able to make informed choices about which qualifications and career pathways which will enable them to achieve their goals.
The strategy includes measures to further develop and improve the current provision on offer to pupils and will ensure that The Aspire Academy will meet the requirement to meet and maintain the eight “Gatsby Benchmarks”, set out within the Department for Educations’ careers strategy.
This strategy outlines our whole school approach to delivering careers guidance to all of our pupils throughout their journey through education. Careers activity will therefore take place across years 7 through to year 11 as part of the mandatory requirements set by Department for Education and contained within the Gatsby Benchmarks (an overview of this careers learning from year 7 can be found in our Careers Strategy document below)
Speak to Aimhigher Plus
Aim higher have now released their new online platform, to help students with advice about university or general career support.
Raising the participation age
The age of when all young people in England are required to continue in education or training has been increased and has been introduced in two stages:
- pupils who left year 11 in summer 2013 had to continue in education or training for at least another year until June 2014
- pupils who left year 11 in summer 2014 or later have to continue until at least their 18th birthday
This does not mean young people must stay in school. They will able to choose from:
- full-time education (eg at a school or college)
- an apprenticeship or traineeship
- part-time education or training combined with one of the following:
- employment or self-employment for 20 hours or more a week
- volunteering for 20 hours or more a week
When making the decision you need to consider the following:
- What career you want to do in the future – some jobs need you to choose certain routes to get into them
- Your predicted grades
- How you want to learn – you might enjoy school, and might like to continue; you might prefer more hands-on ways of doing things, so you might want to think about an apprenticeship.
Further Education
Ahead of leaving The Aspire Academy you will need to decide what you want to do next, this could be to study A levels, or gain a BTEC, or to obtain extra GCSE’s.
For someone leaving school in the Summer, having an idea of what you want to do is important, that is why the local Colleges and Training Providers hold open evenings to give you a bit more information about what you want to do.
You can also use career quizzes to help you find a career that suits you.
www.educations.com/career-test
www.mycareerquizzes.com/job-quiz
www.careercolleges.com/career-assessment-test
By doing these tests, you will be able to see what qualifications are required for the jobs suggested.
Apprenticeships
Being an apprentice gives you the opportunity to gain a recognised qualification and develop professional skills, while earning a salary.
What are Apprenticeships? guidebook.
Apprenticeships can be applied for online through websites listed below:
http://worcsapprenticeships.org.uk/
There are three levels of Apprenticeships available for those aged 16 and over.
1 – Intermediate Level Apprenticeships
- Apprentices work towards work-based learning qualifications such as a Level 2 Competence Qualification, Functional Skills and, in most cases, a relevant knowledge-based qualification.
2 – Advanced Level Apprenticeships
- Apprentices work towards work-based learning such as a Level 3 Competence Qualification, Functional Skills and, in most cases, a relevant knowledge based qualification.
3 – Higher Apprenticeships
- Apprentices work towards work-based learning qualifications such as a Level 4 Competence Qualification, Functional Skills and, in some cases, a knowledge-based qualification such as a Foundation Degree.
Who can I go to for additional support?
Within the Academy, Mr Rainbird-Hitchins will be available to meet with all year 11 pupils who will be leaving the academy in that academic year to ensure that an appropriate post-16 destination is in place, prior to leaving the academy. We are also working in partnership with colleagues from the Heart of Worcestershire College to develop a transition programme for our pupils, from year 9, to include regular meetings with college staff in school and visits/taster sessions at college, and leading to practice interviews, preparation interviews, application support right through the whole of KS4 and beyond into the start of year 12.
