Padgate Academy - Careers Education Policy 2022-23

The Careers Leader at Padgate Academy is Mrs. J Leigh, who can be contacted on 01925 822632.

Through our robust CEIAG program at Padgate Academy, 98% of our students in the last Academic year progressed onto education or employment with training upon their graduation.  A truly outstanding achievement!  

We take our duty to provide students with high quality careers education, along with independent and impartial careers information, advice and guidance very seriously.  It is essential in preparing our young people for their futures, whether it be university, employment or an apprenticeship.

Research has shown that good CEIAG can:

• Inspire young people to succeed in their careers.
• Increase motivation, leading to improved exam results.
• Improve decision making by increasing pupils’ knowledge of the world of work.
• Reduce young people’s anxiety about the future.
• Help to improve social mobility.

The Gatsby Benchmarks

The Gatsby Benchmarks are a framework of 8 guidelines that define the best careers provision in schools.  Padgate Academy has planned and is developing its careers programme around them.

The eight Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

CEIAG is delivered through the curriculum, during tutorial times, dedicated guidance meetings and accessed by all students throughout the year.

Independent Careers Adviser

Padgate Academy employs an independent careers adviser.  Her main role is to hold individual careers meetings with Year 11 students, providing impartial information, advice and guidance.  He also runs targeted group work focusing on aspirations and pathways with all other year groups.

All students are entitled to book appointments and our adviser targets specific groups of students (Pupil Premium, SEND, pupils referred by pastoral leaders and those identified by the RONI report provided by Warrington Borough Council).

Targeted Careers Guidance

Throughout the year, different cohorts of students are targeted based on their year group. The careers adviser is also available at all parents’ evenings and open evenings throughout the year.

September to February: All Year 11 students have a one-to-one interview with the careers adviser to discuss suitability of options for the following year, which includes consideration of possible future careers. Follow-up careers interviews are arranged in those cases where it is determined that students would benefit.

March to July: Year 10 groupwork takes place, looking at pathways including further education, apprenticeships & higher education.  Targeted interventions also take place for students in Years 7, 8 and 9 aimed at raising aspirations and broadening horizons.

Certain cohorts of students are targeted at parents’ evenings, such as high level learners, early in their time at Padgate Academy.

Measuring the impact of the Padgate Academy careers programme

Padgate Academy completes the (CEC) Careers and Enterprise Company’s Compass benchmarking tool which evaluates careers provision against the 8 Gatsby benchmarks.

At the end of each academic year the findings from Student and parental surveys are used to measure the impact and inform planning for the following academic year.

Feedback is gathered form external providers and students following careers and enterprise events that take place throughout the academic year.  Examples of this being the annual careers fair, HE/FE fair, Mock employment interviews, enterprise days and 1 to 1 guidance interview.

Destination data is used to inform future planning and to establish whether careers provision is offering the right advice and guidance and to ascertain whether students are making the right choices when moving into education, employment or training

NEET Prevention and Destination Data

Data is collected throughout the academy based on the intended destinations of Year 11 students.  These are all reported to Warrington Borough Council.  Students at risk of becoming NEET are identified very early on, using the RONI report, and these students are given priority appointments with our careers adviser and where necessary additional interventions.

Review Date: October 2023

As a student at Padgate Academy, you are entitled to receive a programme of work related and career related learning, careers information and impartial advice and guidance, designed to help you to recognise and develop your skills and abilities, know what opportunities are available in the world of work and to make plans to help you achieve your education and career goals. 

At all Key Stages you can expect …

• access to a planned programme relevant to your year group
• access to a qualified impartial and independent careers adviser for personalised advice and guidance
• help to recognise your likes, dislikes, influences, strengths and preferences in relation to career decisions 
• information about the world of work and how the labour market is changing
• information about further and higher education, training and apprenticeships and employment routes
• to take part in activities which challenge stereotyping and raise your aspirations, no limitations will be imposed on your aspirations based upon your, gender, sexuality, social, economic or ethnic background
• to develop skills and qualities to improve your employability
• to develop enterprise skills
• to be well prepared for different transitions
• to develop and strengthen your personal presentation skills for selection processes
• sign posting to relevant up-to-date and impartial sources of careers information and advice

ALL STUDENTS WILL: 

By the end of Key Stage 3 you will: 

• begin to develop an awareness of your individual skills, strengths and preferences in relation to post 16 pathways and future career goals.
• have the opportunity to hear from and speak to employers about different career opportunities
• be able to access careers resources via the ‘Futures Hub’ and via the Academy website
• understand which subjects support access to different career opportunities. Receive careers information and on-going support from staff such as your Tutor
• take part in the Year 9 Options event where you can access information about different curriculum areas and the implications of studying specific subjects in Key Stage 4
• have been given the opportunity to meet with a qualified, independent and impartial careers guidance advisor

By the end of Key Stage 4 you will: 

• be offered at least one individual appointment with a qualified, independent, impartial careers advisor
• devise an action plan towards your career goals
• have taken part in an enterprise activity
• have listened to talks on different careers
• have been given the opportunity to speak to representatives from various sectors of the world of work
• have produced and reviewed a Curriculum Vitae
• have written a formal letter, e.g. covering letter
• have been given impartial advice and guidance on post-16 education, employment and training and apprenticeship options
• have developed presentation and interview skills
• be able to access careers resources via the ‘Futures Hub’ and via the Academy website
• be offered the opportunity to take part in taster days at local colleges
• have visited or spoken to representatives of further or higher education institutions, such as universities, colleges or apprenticeships

Careers Research

This website is an absolute mine of information about different careers.  It includes lots of videos of people telling you what their job is like. It also includes lots of labour market information including what the job involves, qualifications you will need, what the wages are like and if there is demand for people to work in that job.  You can search for careers by job type e.g. engineering, animal care, education, environment, automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical, … so just pick something that interests you to find out about job in that area. 

You can search by subject so that you can find the jobs that use the subjects that you like.

You can also search by employer so if there is a particular company you would like to work for you can see the roles available.

https://icould.com/

National Careers Service

The Job Profiles section, on the National Careers website, allows viewers to learn about the knowledge, interests, skills and qualities needed for over 750 jobs.  Viewers can also research entry requirements, starting salary information and further career opportunities.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

Job Market Information 

For an overview of the types of jobs in your chosen industry, find out about the skills employers want, and learn about the employment trends in your region.

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/home

Careersbox

There are a number of ways to get an Apprenticeship.  You may need some qualifications, but more importantly dedication, commitment, hard work, attention to detail, an ability to sell yourself in writing and at interview.  Be prepared to apply for several apprenticeships, as competition is very high. On the National Apprenticeships website, you can register to receive updates and search current vacancies – 

http://www.careersbox.co.uk/

New Kudos

Students can access online software that aims to encourage, excite and inspire them to start exploring their future options.  A NewKudos Userguide is available. 

https://kudos.cascaid.co.uk/ 

National Citizenship Service 

NCS is defiantly something to get involved in during the summer when you finish your GCSEs, it is fantastic for your CV.

https://www.ncsyes.co.uk/

Apprenticeships are an excellent way of gaining qualifications and workplace experience. As an employee, you can earn as you learn and gain practical skills from the workplace.  

All employed Apprentices get a wage.  £3.40 is the national minimum Apprentice rate, for Apprentices under 19 or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship.  Note: some employers will pay Apprentices more than the National Minimum Wage.

Which Apprenticeship should I do?

There are three levels of Apprenticeships.  Depending on your prior qualifications, you can choose from:

• Intermediate Apprenticeships
• These are Level 2 qualifications: the vocational equivalents to GCSE Grades 9 – 4.
• Advanced Apprenticeships
• Level 3 qualifications: the vocational equivalents to A Levels.
• Higher Apprenticeships
• Level 4 qualifications: the vocational equivalents to Certificates of Higher Education 18+, Higher National Certificates, and Foundation Degrees.

How do I get an Apprenticeship?

There are a number of ways to get an Apprenticeship.  You may need some qualifications, but more importantly dedication, commitment, hard work, attention to detail, an ability to sell yourself in writing and at interview.  Be prepared to apply for several apprenticeships, as competition is very high.  

On the National Apprenticeships website, you can register to receive updates and search current vacancies. Please visit www.getingofar.gov.uk.

The Apprenticeships website explains all you need to know about apprenticeships, how they work, how to apply and what the different jobs involve. It also includes case studies of people who have taken the apprenticeship route. Please visit https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/.

Further Education

You will find links to the websites for all of the local colleges below.

Priestly College 

Warrington Vale Royal College

Cronton and Riverside College

Carmel College

St Helens College

Myerscough College

Higher Education

For people who want to look further ahead and start looking at Higher Education the links below will be useful.

UCAS

Unistats

Prospects

The Russell Group

Not Going to Uni