Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance
To develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to life in a rapidly changing world
Why our St. Damian’s Careers Programme is important for all pupils
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You will have the opportunities to learn about the world of work, employ-ability skills and the personal qualities that are valued in the workplace
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Our careers programme will increase your self-confidence of pupils and raise your aspirations
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It will help you make the right decisions at age 14 and age 16
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You will be able to make informed choices about further education and training, apprenticeships and future careers
High Quality Provision
We aim to give you the best experience possible. St. Damian’s has achieved Stage 2 of the Quality in Careers Standard and is working towards the assessment for Stage 3 of the Award. The College is also working towards full implementation of the Gatsby Benchmarks to ensure that careers provision is of the highest quality for all pupils.
The Gatsby Benchmarks are:
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A stable careers programme
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Learning from career and labour market information
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Addressing the needs of each pupil
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Linking curriculum learning to careers
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Encounters with employers and employees
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Experiences of workplaces
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Encounters with further and higher education
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Personal guidance
Overview of the Careers Programme:
As part of our Careers programme, you will:
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gain a better understanding of yourself, your personal qualities, interests, potential, weaknesses, limitations and areas for development
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complete modules of work relating to careers in PSHE lessons
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make choices about post-14 courses and learning programmes
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use careers materials to research information on possible future careers
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get independent careers advice and guidance from outside speakers who come into school
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develop knowledge of the workplace
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develop employ-ability skills
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look at range of information about employment and education options
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find out about jobs in the local area [labour market information]
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find out about entry requirements and progression routes to further and higher education
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have a one to one Careers interview in Year 11 and a personalised action plan for post 16 options
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Get information on apprenticeships
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Meet a range of providers on ASPIRE Day re: further education, training, university, work, finance
One to One Careers Interviews
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Our Careers Officer is Miss Patel, a qualified independent Careers Adviser from Positive Steps
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Miss Patel is in school every Thursday and can be found in the Careers room opposite R36
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You can refer yourself for a careers interview at any point via your Form Tutor, Head of Year, SLT. An appointment with the careers adviser will then be arranged.
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A careers interview gives you the chance to think and talk about your future plans and the sort of career you would like, the opportunity to find out more about apprenticeships, colleges, sixth form courses and work based learning as well as university
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During a careers interview you will be asked about your targets and your current progress, your interests in and out of schools, your skills. If you have a career in mind, you will be able to discuss your plans. If you do not know what you want to do, you will be able to look at some possibilities. You will be given useful web-sites and information so that you can do further research. You do not need to make any decisions at the interview. You can ask lots of questions
Careers Information
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Careers information is available through relevant displays, information sent to form tutors, Twitter / Facebook and the school web-site
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Careers Information can also be found in the Lower Library
Further Information
Please contact Mr D Healey, Careers Leader, for more information: careerprospects@stdamians.co.uk