Careers and IAG

Careers Policy Statement  This policy statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer.

Staff 
Mr S BurbageAdvisor


At Academy@Worden we are dedicated to supporting our pupils in making decisions about their next steps after leaving school and their future careers.

All pupils have access to impartial careers advice and guidance from our fully qualified Careers Adviser, Mr Burbage.

Mr Burbage is in school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is based in our well-resourced careers room. He can be contacted by email: burbages@wordenacademy.co.uk  or by calling the school on 01772 421021. 

As well as arranging one-to-one careers guidance interviews for individual pupils, Mr Burbage can meet with individual pupils and their parents/ carers and produce a careers action plan to support career decisions and next steps.

Through the school leadership and in partnership with the Enterprise Co-ordinator and Enterprise adviser we develop excellent links with local employers, community and voluntary sectors, this facilitates work experience, our annual careers fair and employer led work in the Academy. During these sessions including group work, assemblies and presentations, pupils are enabled to identify key and life skills developed within the curriculum required to face a dynamic, vibrant and ever changing economy. The Academy has received recognition for its excellent fund raising record for St Catherine’s Hospice.

The CEIAG provision is evaluated annually and links all learning to the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks

The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks
1. A stable careers programme
Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
2. Learning from career and labour market information
Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.
5. Encounters with employers and employees
Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
6. Experiences of workplaces
Every pupil should have first-hand experiences* of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
7. Encounters with further and higher education
All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.
8. Personal guidance
Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.


College Websites
Colleges
Runshaw CollegePreston CollegeCardinal Newman College
Myerscough CollegeBlackpool & Fylde CollegeHutton Sixth Form
Blackburn CollegeSouthport CollegeWigan & Leigh College
KGV CollegeMoor Park Sixth Form  

Useful Links
  • A Careers Guide for Parents Steering your teenager toward a job and career.
  • Success at School's Subject Guides - During National Careers Week and National Apprenticeship Week, you can view the Success at School Subject Guides free, and without the need to register.
  • The Careerpilot website aims to provide 13-19 year olds in the South West with National information on the full range of choices available at 14, 16 and 18, including apprenticeships, colleges, and higher level study. The website also includes information on job sectors, links to providers in the South West and, if users register (which is free, on the home page and takes 1 minute) they can save their choices of job sectors, providers and qualifications in Career Tools. Users can also save their results from the: Profile Builder and HE Skills Map (for post 16 students).
  • The Parent Zone provider parents and carers with answers to career related questions.
  • The National Careers Service website contains over 750 job profiles, and each of them gives you the essential information you need on what the job involves and how to get into it. The site also has a job market information section about the job situation in your local area and you can also talk to an adviser.
  • The Future Morph website is designed to show 14 – 18 year olds career routes that studying science, technology, engineering and maths can lead to.
  • Careersbox is a free online library of careers related film, news and information.
  • The Bright Knowledge site and the Student Calculator are designed to help students and young people manage their money and explore education and career options.
  • Target Careers Information:TARGET Careers is a free service to schools, parents and students which helps school/college leavers plan for their future in multiple ways and develops their knowledge of the different options available after school.
    Target Careers Future Wise - A Guide to your Future: a comprehensive information guide to employers, universities, apprenticeships and school leaver programmes for school and college leavers.
    Target Careers Future Wise - Focus on Construction, Engineering and Property.
    Target Careers Future Wise - A Parent’s guide to Professional Careers - taking the first steps and exploring different paths.
  • Practicereasoningtests.com is a careers coaching and interview skills improvement website designed to educate candidates applying for their next job. There are articles on topics such as Psychometric Tests, Aptitude Tests and Numerical Reasoning Tests and even a range of test practice our users can use to prepare before interviews.
Information on post 16/18 training opportunities
  • Gov.uk information and links for 14 - 19 year olds includes information on apprenticeships, training, money and how to find an apprenticeship.
  • notgoingtouni provides information on the opportunities available after school and shows vacancies for apprenticeships, employment and sponsored degrees.
  • Career Camel A site for students, graduates and school leavers offering jobs, internships, advice and courses. The site also offers an online CV Builder.
  • Sorted is a guide to Apprenticeships andTraining Providers in Lancashire.
Information on progression to university
  • UCAS is the organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK. Not only do UCAS process more than two million applications for full-time undergraduate courses every year, but they also help students to find the right course.
  • Unistats is the official website for comparing UK higher education course data. It includes official data on each university and college's satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey, jobs and salaries after study and other key information for prospective students.
  • UK Course Finder is a good site to look at you have no idea what you might like to study. It has a subject’s interest questionnaire which provides degree subject suggestions based on your answers. You'll then be able to search for university courses relating to these subjects. You can also search for unis by the number of UCAS points.
  • The Which? university guide has lots of information and filters to help you find a course to suit your needs.
  • The Guardian University Guide has information on every subject taught at universities in the UK ranked in league tables, also has subject profile information.
  • Studential.com provides in-depth information about choosing and going to university and the application process involved.
  • Graduate Prospects is the UK’s leading provider of information, advice and opportunities to students and graduates. They publish a wide collection of journals and directories, as well as provide an extensive graduate careers website.
  • DFE Official Guide to Student Finance (direct download - 8.1MB ZIP)

Source: Sue Lewis at Bath University

Career Platforms

We work with the career platform ‘AllAboutSchoolLeavers.co.uk’ and ‘My Career Springboard’.

AllAboutSchoolLeavers is a platform for young people looking to figure out their next steps after they leave school. As well as advice on the different pathways available, it has live vacancies for apprenticeships and school leaver programmes.

MyCareerSpringboard is a career test that allows students to figure out their options based on their interests and personality. Explore more than 60 industries and 500 occupations, and apply for live job opportunities.

Start is a free, online careers platform designed to connect 11-18 year olds with their future career potential. It combines the most comprehensive source of information with a personalised experience and career planning tools, helping our students to make more informed decisions about their future study and career options, as well as developing their employability. Start includes:

  • A student profile: students build their profile and access personalised study and career information.
  • Modules: activities to guide students through the information on Start at the right time.
  • Up to date information: engaging content on what to study, where to learn and the world of work.
  • Locker: an online record of achievement to evidence skills for future applications and CVs.
  • Employability action plan: Students can set goals and stay in control of their career planning.
General Careers Advice for 13-19 year olds

Labour Market Information

As the world of work is rapidly changing it is important to be aware of where future employment growth areas lie for employment within Lancashire.Check out the Labour Market information (LMI) toolkit containing a number of really useful reports and easy to read fact sheets for each priority sector.

The new Sacu student LMI explore tool links LMI data to each career within a personalised career cloud.

In partnership with the National Careers Service and Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub.

All Careers related information for example, apprenticeships, vacancies, careers events, college and open events are posted on social media.

Please contact school via the school website if you can offer opportunities for pupils to engage with local business for example, work experience vacancies, assemblies, supporting our annual careers fair etc.