Careers information, advice and guidance at St Michael’s.
The aim of careers information, advice and guidance at St Michael’s College is to provide all of our students with the skills and knowledge that they need to ensure access to future careers and appropriate educational pathways in line with their needs, interests and aspirations. In this way, careers, advice and guidance works to complement the college’s core aim of ensuring that all students receive a rich provision of classroom and extra-curricular activities that develop their skills to participate and enjoy life fully as adults.
Principles:
- St Michael’s is committed to embedding careers guidance within a clear framework linked to outcomes for students in years 7-13. This aims to reflect the ethos of the College and meet the needs of all students and all statutory guidance. We are guided by the following principles:
- Independent careers guidance for all Year 7-13 students is secured to help students develop high aspirations and consider a broad and ambitious range of careers.
- Students are inspired by real-life contacts with the world of work to help them understand where different choices can take them in the future.
- Students have access to a range of activities that inspire including employer talks, careers fairs, motivational speakers, colleges and university visits, STEM activities, coaches and mentors. The provision of high quality mentoring develops the character and confidence needed to build a successful career.
- The College has strong links with various organisations including employers who help to boost young people’s attitudes and employability skills, inform students about the range of roles and opportunities available and help them understand how to make this a reality.
- High quality work experience and internships that properly reflects individuals’ studies and strengths, and supports the academic curriculum are provided
- Access to advice on options available post-16, for example, apprenticeships, entrepreneurialism or other vocational routes are provided alongside traditional A levels and university routes.
- Partnerships provide other post 16 providers opportunities to access and engage students, both on and off-site
- Face-to-face advice and guidance is tailored for individuals and groups to build confidence and motivation. A independent careers professional is employed by the College to support students as one element of a varied careers programme.
- Through partnership work with the Participation, Education and Training Team within the Local Authority vulnerable young people, including those with special educational needs and those at risk of not participating post-16 are identified along with the services that are available to support them.
- Information is provided to students about the financial support that may be available to help them stay in education post-16.
- We consciously work to prevent all forms of stereotyping in the advice and guidance provided ensuring that students from all backgrounds and diversity groups consider the widest possible range of careers, including those that are often portrayed as primarily for one or other of the sexes.
Careers information, advice and guidance at St Michael’s: Provision by year group:
NB: During the period March 2019 – July 2021 many of the careers opportunities were provided remotely due to Covid Health and safety guidance.
The following opportunities were provided remotely:
Year 9
- April 2021 – Virtual Careers and Enterprise fair with Southwark Business Alliance – Companies such as, Wordbank , Boodle Hatfield, Global Generation , J.P. Morgan , BAJ. July 2021 – Virtual careers fair and workshops with the ‘Just a Guy Foundation’ – a wide range of diverse companies and businesses giving presentations on how to get into different types of careers and professions whilst giving an account of their own trajectories to success
Year 10
- January 2021 -June 22 – JP Morgan MFL mentoring programme
- July 2021 – Virtual careers fair and workshops with the ‘Just a Guy Foundation’
- July 2021 – Southwark Business Alliance – 4 day Careers and Enterprise work experience for all Y10 working with a variety of companies and businesses.
Year 11, 12 and 13
- July 2021 – Virtual careers fair and workshops with the ‘Just a Guy Foundation’
- July 2021 – Southwark Business Alliance – 4 day Careers and Enterprise work experience
A professionally qualified independent Careers Advisor is employed to provide independent, impartial advice and guidance across the school on a one-to-one and group basis; concentrating on key transition points and providing targeted, intensive support for vulnerable students. During the lockdowns, this support continued to be provided remotely.
Key Stage 3 Careers Information
Year 7: During Careers and Enterprise week, all year 7 students experience an introduction to careers session led by the independent careers advisor, as well as taster sessions for subjects offered at GCSE and A level.
Grant Thornton Social Enterprise Project – All students in Year 7 participate in the Grant Thornton Business Enterprise project. This involves learning about the world of business, social enterprises and creating a pitch for their own social enterprise supported by staff from the Grant Thornton outreach programme. Students are chosen to develop their pitch into an actual business to be run at the college with profits going to a social enterprise voted on by students.
Year 8
During Careers and Enterprise week in the summer term, all year 8 students are provided with a structured session on career pathways delivered by the college careers advisor as well as taster sessions for GCSE and A level.
My BNK financial education programme – https://www.mybnk.org/ is delivered to all students in Year 8 to build their money knowledge, financial skills, mindsets and habits.
Year 9
The Year 9 Options Preparation: Informed Choices programme usually runs from March to April or as calendared. The options system is personalised to meet the needs of the individual students. Students and parents attend an options evening in order to speak to staff and find out about subjects first hand. Students have an options handbook which provides written information on all the subjects available to them. An options day carousel is organised for students so that they can experience taster lessons in those subjects that are not offered at KS3. Year 12 student leaders go into form time to speak to classes about how they made their choices – and this is followed up by one to one mentoring where necessary.
Students and parents have an interview with a member of SLT to discuss their choices and this includes conversation about plans that they may have for the future. Due to Covid guidelines these were remote and targeted for 2020 and 21). Staff conducting the options interviews are informed in detail about the students’ academic progress beforehand and have data on their progress in all subjects. Options forms are differentiated – not all students have access to the same set of option choices.
The Year 9 PwC Employability Programme provides professional training for three classes of year 9 students. PwC professional trainers and mentors provide workshops and support on identifying employability knowledge, skill and attitudes, CV writing in preparation for Year 10 Work Experience, self-promotion, office tours and meeting professionals in the workplace and developing entrepreneurial skills and spirit. Again, due to Covid this did not take place in 2020 and 21.
Careers Fair
The college holds a careers fair in the summer term during Careers and Enterprise Week providing students with an opportunity to find out and learn about different careers pathways and meet people doing a wide variety of jobs, including vocational careers. The Careers Fair is organised by 6th form student leaders, SLT i/c Careers and Enterprise and 6th from Enrichment and the college STEM careers lead teacher.
Additional Key Stage 3 Careers Information
Year 10
Year 10 Training (Students and Parents) – Work Experience in Partnership with Southwark The Year 10 Work Experience Programme involves an in-house training programme on work-search skills for each year 10 student and their parent/guardians. Training for both parents and students includes exploring the context of the working world, writing CVs, work search skills and attitudes, approaching employers via a range of platforms and interview tips and technique. The work Experience Programme enables each student in Year 10 to find and secure a high quality one-week placement. Placements are provided by leading employers including PwC and John Macaslan and Partners Architects. Links with teaching hospitals provide high quality experiences for those wishing to explore careers in medicine and related fields. Please note that in 2020 and 2021 work experience was provided remotely and returned to in person from summer 2022.
The Year 10 PwC Employability Programme provides professional training students in Year 10 students to build on their previous experience in Year 9. PwC professional trainers and mentors provide workshops and support to prepare students for applying to 6th Forms, University and assist them in building a successful career from GCSEs up. Content includes exploring careers pathways, jobs and salaries, ‘why GCSEs?’, as well as interview skills and practice. Again, in 2020 and 21this did not take place due to Covid legislation.
My Future Self Programme-This social mobility programme is offered by Hannah Awonuga, Link Governor for Diversity and Inclusion and Global Head of DEI Colleague Engagement at Barclays so that students from under represented backgrounds (FSM/PP/Girls) are offered the opportunity to take part in careers workshops with Business leaders and entrepreneurs. Those presenting share their career journeys and how they overcame barriers and challenges.
Year 11
IAG in Year 11 is completely personalised.
In Year 11, all students receive at least one IAG meeting with the college appointed independent careers advisor and are provided with post 16 courses and provider information so they can make informed choices. Reports are generated from these and shared with parents. The careers advisor liaises with both leaders of learning, SLT and the SEND department to ensure that advice is tailored to the specific needs of the students. Further meetings and support with writing applications forms are provided dependent on the needs of the individual student.
All Year 11 students receive, in addition to this an individual guidance meeting with a member of SLT: this provides an opportunity to identify student aspirations and provide support in terms of specific courses and pathways towards University or higher education courses. At this stage, students are provided with guidance on using the UCAS website as appropriate
Students once again have an individual guidance meeting on enrolment to the sixth form to ensure that they choose courses and pathways that match their strengths. The independent careers advisor is also available to students on this occasion.
Years 12 & 13
All students have access to one to one support in writing UCAS statements as well as to independent careers advice from our careers advisor.
Careers Fair
The college holds a careers fair in the summer term during Careers and Enterprise Week providing students with an opportunity to find out and learn about different careers pathways and meet people doing a wide variety of jobs, including vocational careers. Year 12 students have dedicated time at Careers Fair before embarking on their work experience placement. The Careers Fair is organised by 6th form student leaders, SLT i/c Careers and Enterprise and 6th from Enrichment and the college STEM careers’ lead.
Career Ready
The Career Ready Southwark Programme is run for a cluster of schools
The programme for the students involves professional mentoring, work place visits and masterclasses; and paid internships over the summer with partner firms. These include Citibank, British Land, The NHS and HFW
PwC Internships and PwC Classroom – Each year approximately twelve competitive internships are offered to Year 12 students interested in careers in finance and professional services. Up to five Year 12s and five Year 13s, chosen by the College, are offered a two year PwC training programme to ready them for applying for a school-leaver or university-leaver programme with PwC, another financial services programme/job or a related profession.
Work Experience – From June 2023 all Year 12 students will have an opportunity to complete a 1 week work experience placement to help inform post 18 choices. Students in Year 12 can also take up the offer to apply for a summer holiday internship through City Of London Business Traineeship, a one week work experience placement with Holman Fenwick William (HFW Law) and to apply for a range of other internships e.g. through The Elephant Group, PWC and the Commerzbank Vocational Trainee Scheme.
Southwark Schools Learning Partnership (SSLP) – Working in partnership with local state and private schools enables St Michael’s to offer sixth formers a series of careers talks and lectures throughout the year. These have included Overseas University Opportunities, Inspiring Women in Health & Finance, Careers in Medicine, NASA night and Stem Day Lectures.
Apprenticeship Introduction and guidance on applications provided through ASK, from the Educational Development Trust.
University, Work and Apprenticeships Evening; The College hosts a Progression Evening for year 12 students and their parents. This involves speakers from a representative range of universities presenting on: The UCAS process and writing a university application, as well as student finance and apprenticeship pathways.
UCAS preparation: All students have one to one support with the UCAS application process. Oxbridge, medicine and dental applicants are given thorough preparation involving model interviewing and mock testing. Where students are interested in applications for work or apprenticeship, or where students appear vulnerable in not achieving their offers then one to one independent careers advice is put in place for them using the College’s in-house consultant.
Summer University Fair visit: in late summer term, students in Year 12 visit a UCAS exhibition (or fair) in a local university. These typically feature over 100 universities and work and apprenticeships providers, including The Forces and the Fire Brigade.
Provider Access Policy:
The College is fully compliant with new careers legislation and the Provider Access Policy can be found on the College website
Monitoring & Evaluation
The college works with an Enterprise advisor and uses Gatsby benchmarks as an evaluative tool to inform careers planning across the college.
Success will be reflected in higher numbers progressing to apprenticeships, universities – including selective universities, traineeships, and other positive destinations such as employment or a further education college.
Questionnaires are completed by students following their careers guidance meetings and outcomes shared with the member of SLT with responsibility for careers. Feedback from these informs future opportunities and careers development.
Destination measures data published by the Department for Education will be used to assess how successfully students make the transition into the next stage of education or training, or into employment.
