Careers & Work Experience
We provide a Careers, Employability and Work Experience Curriculum which is taught to learners from Year 10 onwards.
The course provides access to online programmes which provide independent careers guidance and advice on a range of careers. This runs parallel to the provision of further independent and impartial careers guidance for young people [Education Act 2011] provided by Medway Youth Trust.
Georgina Moorcroft is our Specialist Careers Advisor having previously worked as a SEN Careers Advisor. Georgina holds the Level 6 Careers information advice and guidance qualification. The overall aim of effective careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) provision is to enable students to become effective career decision makers, leading to increased participation in education, training and employment.
Careers Information provides access to up-to-date impartial information and information relating to educational and training opportunities, to inform career planning and management.
Careers Advice and Guidance is about providing impartial student-centred advice and guidance, to assist in making appropriate career decisions and choices, which are informed and well thought out. It enables students to apply their knowledge, understanding, skills and experiences to manage their career and make informed decisions about their education, training or employment.
As part of the Employability course students take part in a 1:1 careers interview where we discuss the choices which the students have and their ideas of what they would like to do as a career for their future, creating a C.V, qualifications and entry requirements onto particular courses, Qualities and Skills, mock interviews etc.
Work experience is organised from Year 11 (for those learners who are ready for this opportunity) in collaboration with parents for out of school opportunities, and within school, all learners have opportunities to learn about a range of administrative, teaching and learning, land-based and garden, construction and maintenance projects and careers.
The Careers & Experiencing Work Short Course Curriculum covers seven modules of study which are titled:
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Self-Development
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Career Exploration
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Career Management
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Considering Higher Education
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Considering Apprenticeships
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Preparing for the Workplace
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Being at Work
The flexibility of ASDAN’s Short Courses means they can be carried out in a variety of settings, over a time period to suit the individual or co-ordinating centre. Challenge descriptions can be interpreted and adapted according to the situation.
Students all work towards their Employability and Occupational Studies qualifications from Year 10 at ELC, Level 1 and Level 2 according to their own personal progressive pathways.
Independent Advice and Guidance
The school utilise the expertise of CXK to provide independent advice and guidance to our students through one to one sessions scheduled throughout the year with their special educational needs trained careers advisors.
CXK is an organisation dedicated to transforming the lives of young people and adults across the South; providing support, advice and guidance to help them find work, or move into learning or training, and in doing so improving their life chances.
Individual action plans are produced for each student following their 1:1 meeting with the career’s counsellor. These are collated by the careers teacher and made available to parents/carers so they can discuss options with their child at home.
Unifrog
In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing their next step after school, we will now be using Unifrog; an award-winning, online careers platform. All students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 now have access to this excellent website.
Unifrog brings into one place every undergraduate university course, apprenticeship, and college course in the UK, as well as other opportunities, such as School Leaver Programmes, MOOCs and every college at Oxford and Cambridge. This makes it easy for students to compare and choose the best university courses, apprenticeships or further education courses for them. They can also explore exciting opportunities further afield by looking at English-taught undergraduate programmes available in Europe and the USA.
Additionally, the platform helps students successfully apply for these opportunities by using Unifrog to write their personal statement, applications and CVs and guiding them through the process, allowing teachers to give live feedback.
Students access the platform by logging into Unifrog using their school secure email address and password and they can do so from any computer, tablet or smartphone. We would encourage you to use the platform with your child so you can support them through the process of deciding their next step.