CAREERS EDUCATION, INFORMATION, ADVICE & GUIDANCE (CEIAG)

Careers education and guidance programmes play a major part in helping young people choose programmes that suit their interests, abilities and individual needs. A robust careers programme helps avoid disengagement, puts school learning into a wider and more relevant context, and helps raise aspirations.

The Alternative Provision Service is committed to providing a planned programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance for all students referred from mainstream school in Years 7 to 11. The programme is guided by the Gatsby benchmarks for ensuring best practice. The Alternative Provision Service is keen to work in accordance with the Government’s recommendation that “all schools should work towards a quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance as an effective means of carrying out a self-review and evaluation of the school’s programme.”

Our service also provides a range of opportunities which encompass the vocational sector, naturally linking education and industry. Our aim is to work in partnership with a provider of independent and impartial advice to explore growth sectors in the region, as well as raise awareness of opportunities in the current labour market and preparing students for these career experiences.

Rob Vaughan Head of Provision Tuition Services has coordinated a programme with Careers Connect to work across the three bases at Tuition, KS4 and KS3. This will include a range of opportunities including careers interviews, mock interviews, apprenticeship days, employability skills and meaningful employer encounters as well as exploration of careers within the curriculum for years 7-11. Work on careers is also supported by targeted work within PSHE, where students have the opportunity to produce their own CV’s, research and explore a range of careers as well as develop individual employability skills. They are also supported through presentations, employer visits, work placements, workshops, careers fairs, college and university visits and 1:1 impartial and independent guidance. 

Our Careers Adviser Jo Patten supports, informs and inspires students so that they are able to make well informed and realistic decisions about their future. She works primarily with Year 11 with their final preparations towards Post 16 Education. A programme of group sessions in line with Gatsby Benchmarks is also delivered to support KS3 and Year 10 students. 

The Gatsby Benchmarks were set up by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and have brought together the best national and international research to ensure high quality CEIAG provision.

These are in the form of eight Benchmarks, as set out below.

 The 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 students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.
2. Learning from career and labour market information. Every student, 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 student. Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. 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. 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 student 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 student 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 students 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 student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career 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.

The careers programme is designed to meet the needs of the students within Alternative Provision Service. It is differentiated and personalised to ensure progression through activities that are appropriate to the student stages of career learning, planning and development.

Senior Management and all teaching staff have responsibility to contribute to CEIAG within their designated roles. Specialist sessions will be delivered through Career Connect and supported by additional agencies such as St.Helens College.