Careers Strategy 2024-26

Garth Hill College careers strategy aims to prepare students for an increasingly changing work place with a programme designed to build employability skills.

Objectives of the programme

• To help pupils build, identify and apply key skills
• To give pupils an understanding of potential careers
• To help pupils identify appropriate career choices by matching their skills and qualifications to job requirements

The programme

The key cornerstones of the programme are:

• To help students build, identify and apply their unique key skills
• Using the Gatsby benchmarks as a guide to the key deliverables
• Ensure current knowledge of the local and national job market and key skill requirements
• Link into the school development plan and curriculum
• Engage local business community

Key Skills

Having looked at LMI (Labour Market Information) and skills for employability both locally, nationally and globally, Garth Hill College believes that the current focus should be on:

• Using initiative, resilience and being self-motivated; problem solving skills
• Organisational skills
• Team work, communication and interpersonal skills
• Valuing diversity and difference
• Numeracy and IT skills

The World Economic Forum suggest a focus on leadership, analytical thinking, creative thinking, artificial intelligence and big data, curiosity and lifelong learning.

 Careers Map

Careers Map - Summer 2024

Careers Map - Autumn 2024, Spring 2024 & Summer 2025

Over the next 18 months, Garth Hill college staff, Governors, Parents/Carers, Students and the wider school community will continue to work to achieve the following with the intention of meeting all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks:

BENCHMARK 1: A stable careers programme

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• Having an embedded programme that is known and understood by students, parent/carers, teachers, governors and employers.
• Publishing and regularly evaluating the programme.
• Having an appointed careers leader who is a member of SLT, Careers Co-Ordinator and a named Governor link
• Offering CPD to relevant staff.
• Supporting the Pastoral curriculum to enable students to make informed decisions.
• Undertake termly Compass evaluations with TVB.

BENCHMARK 2: Learning from career and labour market information

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• Students and parent/carers having access to good quality information on study options and LMI.
• Renewing appropriate software licenses and resources.
• Regularly updating information on school website.
• Engaging with the wider school community including employers and parent/carers.
• Engaging with apprenticeship providers.

BENCHMARK 3: Addressing the needs of each pupil

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• Targeted advice to meet individual needs, at transitional times including relevant student events.
• Continue to buy in external careers guidance to support internal provision.
• Allocate 1-2-1 support via needs analysis, concentrating on SEND, PP, LAC.
• Continue developing a record of individual advice and guidance which is available to students, staff and parents/carers as relevant.
• Raising aspirations and challenging stereotypical thinking; valuing diversity and difference.
• Using student destination data to create an alumni network to showcase all pathways post 16 and 18.
• Exploring opportunities to extend the business insights programme.

BENCHMARK 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• Continuing to audit careers learning within the whole curriculum and taking relevant actions to ensure all departments have a robust and relevant careers provision.
• Working towards all subjects having careers information which is used regularly.
• Engaging with the wider business community to ensure that all students understand the benefits of the different STEM and STEAM subjects and their relevance for future career paths.
• Publicise relevant resources to teachers.
• Introduce students in years 7-9 the idea of transferable skills and portfolio careers, further building on this through KS4 and KS5.
• Encourage teachers who have moved into teaching from other jobs to share their previous experience.

BENCHMARK 5: Encounters with employers and employees

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• Giving students multiple opportunities to engage with employers and employees, e.g. Careers Conference, National Apprenticeship Week events, Careers Week events.
• Produce a regular Careers Focus Bulletin.
• Inviting local employers to speak to pupils in assemblies, PSHE sessions, workshops etc.
• Building an alumni network to support the careers programme and other whole school events
• Continue to offer enrichment events for all year groups.
• Create and maintain a record to log all student encounters with employers and employees and audit regularly to ensure that all students meet the requirement to have had at least 7 encounters by the end of Year 13.

BENCHMARK 6: Experiences of workplaces

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• All Year 12 students to complete a minimum of 20 hrs work experience in an appropriate and suitable placement.
• Provide Business Insights, Professional mock interviews and feedback, Employee Insights, External careers guidance interview to encourage and support KS4 students to investigate opportunities.
• Log workplace encounters on Unifrog and audit regularly to ensure that all students have had at least one experience by the end of Year 11 and two by the end of Year 13.
• Networking with local EBPs, LEPs, Careers and Enterprise Company and employers to facilitate workplace opportunities.

BENCHMARK 7: Encounters with Further and Higher Education

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• All students in Years 7-12 (year 13 by invitation) to attend the careers fair.
• Advising and encouraging all Year 11s to visit at least one further education establishment whilst investigating their post 16 options.
• Through directed time and interaction with external providers at the careers fair, taster day and targeted assemblies. Dates of open events and taster days for local providers given to Years 10 & 11. P18 options and providers information regularly provided to Years 12 & 13.
• Support and arrange for KS4 SEND, PP and LAC children to visit further education establishments.
• Engaging with FE and HE providers, apprenticeship providers and actively arrange in-house workshops, assemblies etc.
• Encouraging all students and parent/carers to explore a range of pathways by providing up to date information via email, social media, noticeboards, planned PSHE and pastoral sessions and assemblies.

BENCHMARK 8: Personal Guidance

This will be demonstrated by the following:

• Continuing to buy in external careers guidance to supplement internal provision.
• Maintaining a record of all Learning To Work guidance interviews and action plans, making it available to appropriate school staff, students and parents/carers.
• Providing external careers guidance opportunities for students and parent/carers during transitional times.
• Offering lunch time drop in sessions for students.