The careers, skills and labour market expertise of the National Careers Service has never been so important in these unprecedented times and is here to support customers through COVID-19 and beyond.

Are you concerned about job security; need support with building your skills, employability and resilience to overcome short term challenges; or to consider what future opportunities may look like?

The National Careers Service has additional flexibility to support individuals, groups, partners, employers and stakeholders in Liverpool City Region, Cheshire & Warrington or Lancashire during this period.

This support is available for:

• Furloughed workers (including Self Employed in receipt of Income Support Scheme)
• Pupils whose examinations have been cancelled. National Careers Service advisers can disseminate information provided by Ofqual, offer support, encouragement and inspiration to students who will be concerned about their future.
• Parents / Carers seeking careers information related to the pupil they are responsible for

Whilst our face-to-face appointments are suspended, we are still here to support you through these challenging times, our local services are still accessible through telephone and digital.

To book a telephone appointment in Liverpool City Region, Cheshire & Warrington or Lancashire, please contact us on the following e-mail address:

schoolsinfo@careerconnect.org.uk

What are Gatsby Benchmarks?

The eight benchmarks are a framework for good career guidance developed to support schools in providing students with the best possible careers education, information, advice, and guidance.

They were established as part of Sir John Holman's research into what pragmatic actions could improve career guidance in England, and lay out what a world-class career guidance system looks like. The Benchmarks form part of the careers strategy, launched December 2017.

The information below is how Launchpad Tuition Services are implementing the Gatsby Benchmarks to ensure that all students have access to careers guidance which will help support the transition to life after Tuition.

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 pupils, parents, teachers and employers.

How we implement this:

We have a well-established programme of college visits, Connexions interviews, keyworker sessions and review meetings.

2.  Learning from career and labour market information

Every pupil, 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.

How we implement this:

Every pupil has a dedicated keyworker who can guide them towards the correct information. If parents have any queries they can contact their child’s keyworker who will provide them with the details of the relevant agencies. We organise marketplace events for parents to collect information from outside agencies.

3.  Addressing the needs of each individual pupil

Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.

How we implement this:

Each pupil’s keyworker will arrange regular meetings and offer individual guidance when required. The career’s advisor will provide individual support to each pupil.

4.  Linking curriculum learning to careers

All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.

How we implement this:

All staff link their subjects to real life examples and how it relates to different careers. This is further enforced through the Life Skills, Business and PSHE curriculum.

5.  Encounters with employers and employees

Every pupil 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.

How we implement this:

Through the Life Skills, PSHE and Business curriculum, pupils learn about what employers are looking for. We are currently building relationships with different enterprises to support our students.

6.  Experiences of workplaces

Every pupil 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

How we implement this:

Due to the complex needs of our pupils it is difficult to arrange work placements. However when possible, this has been achieved with certain students.

7.  Encounters with further and higher education

All pupils 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.

How we implement this:

We arrange a variety of visits to different colleges in the local area. These visits range from tours of the building to taster sessions where pupils can experience different subjects first-hand. We have also arranged visits to Liverpool and Edge Hill Universities.

8.  Personal guidance

Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers 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. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

How we implement this:

All pupils have regular contact with our Connexions careers advisor. Pupils who need extra support will be allocated extra time with the careers advisor until they have made a decision on their future. Keyworkers liaise with parents throughout this process.

The Life After Tuition work pack is designed to give Y11 students some understanding of what will be expected of them when they start applying for jobs. It will give the students the opportunity to reflect upon their own skills and qualities as they prepare a CV, a covering letter and for an interview. Click on the link below to download.

Here at Launchpad Tuition Services we collaborate with Career Connect to help prepare our students for post 16 educations.  

Career Connect is a charity who is passionate about providing high quality independent careers advice, bridging the gap to learning and employment and better life chances for young people and adults.

Our Careers Adviser at Tuition offers impartial one to one personal guidance for all students and aims to achieve results for individuals through inspiring and motivating students and raising aspirations. Our Careers Adviser is committed to supporting individuals to take an active role in their career planning and helping them to navigate the necessary transitions effectively.

As part of the Career Connect purchase, all Launchpad Tuition students have access to the 'Connected Portal' at www.careerconnect.org.uk  Students can register an account by clicking on the key icon and using portal code 81983. This site contains a range of resources including leaflets on ‘Post 16 Options’, ‘Explore Your Future’, ‘Make Decisions’, ‘Make it Happen’, ‘Higher Education Degrees’, ‘Careers Quiz’, ‘CV Builder’ and a careers database of ‘Job Profiles’.

Joanne Patten

Careers Adviser

Office: 0151 443 2610

Career Connect, 7th Floor Walker House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3YL

Charity number: 1141077