Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

St Aidan’s pupils are employable, confident, and ambitious young men with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their chosen career.

Careers Programme:

We deliver a stable and embedded careers programme that supports the aspirations of all our pupils; it allows exploration and reflection so that informed decisions can be made at key transition points. We believe that effective careers education and guidance not only contributes to the well-being of individuals but also to the well-being of their families, the communities to which they belong, wider society, businesses, and the economy.

We work with stakeholders to ensure that the careers programme is robust, impartial, and current. The North East Ambition Careers Hub supports the careers team to ensure the Good Career Guidance Benchmarks are delivered in line with the statutory guidance and that careers outcomes are improved for all pupils.

The careers programme is designed to meet the 8 Good Career Guidance (Gatsby) benchmarks:

A stable career programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking careers to the curriculum
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

Careers Programme intention:

“Career describes our journey through life, learning and work. We need actively to develop our careers to make the best of them. This process of career development takes skill as well as knowledge and the right attitude. Individuals need to work on their career development skills throughout their lives.

A ‘positive career’ will mean something different to everyone, but it will typically include being happy with the way you spend your time, being able to make a contribution to your community and being able to have a decent standard of living.

Career development skills are the learning outcomes that career development programmes and interventions should be aiming to bring about. They need to be developed alongside academic skills and knowledge and employability skills (the skills that you need for work and employment).”

Career Development Institute (CDi)

The CDi Career Development Framework

The CDi Career Development Framework describes the skills, knowledge and attitudes that pupils need to have for a positive career and is aligned to the careers programme (Yr7-Yr13). By following the CDi Career Development Framework pupils will:

be equipped with the tools to grow throughout life by reflecting on themselves, their background and identifying their strengths
know how to explore the full range of possibilities open to them and learn about recruitment processes and the culture of different workplaces
understand how to manage their career actively, make the most of opportunities and learn from setbacks
create opportunities by being proactive and building positive relationships with others
understand work life balance, how to balance their life as a worker and/or entrepreneur with their well-being, other interests and involvement with family and community
see the bigger picture by paying attention to how the economy, politics, and society connect with life and career.

Implementation:

Career lessons are built into the Personal Development curriculum for each year group, following a sequenced and progressive framework that complements the careers programme. Curriculum departments link their subjects to careers and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), subject teachers also highlight the relevance of STEM subjects, Maths and English for a wide range of future career paths.

Partners from Higher education, further education, local training providers, employers, alumni and other stakeholders deliver in school workshops and assemblies as part of the careers programme. The careers programme also offers a range of exciting employer encounters, work place visits and experiences of work in partnership with local businesses and employers; introducing all pupils to the world of work, building their knowledge of the local labour market, post 16 and post 18 learning pathways and strengthening the regions talent pipeline.

Every pupil will have the opportunity to experience the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks. By the age of 18, or before the end of their study programme, every pupil will have had at least one experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time jobs they may have. Experiences of the workplace can create social capital for pupils with more limited networks and to give pupils the opportunity to develop essential skills for the work place. All pupils are expected to source, secure and attend a work experience placement.

The academy recognises that it has a responsibility to ensure all registered pupils at the school are provided with the opportunity to access impartial IAG (Education Act 1997, section 42a) whenever significant study or career choices are being made. Personal guidance helps pupils to consolidate and reflect upon their vocational identity, career decision making and self-efficacy. It is a focal point for making sense of the vital ingredients in the careers programme including encounters with employers and higher education, experiences of workplaces and career learning in subjects. All pupils should have at least one such interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for a further interview by the age of 18.

Together for Children (TfC) Careers Service provides independent, impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to pupils aged 13 to 18 who are identified as belonging to a ‘vulnerable group’ and to those between 19 and 25 with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), to enable schools to meet their statutory responsibilities under the Education Act 2011. This targeted support is aimed at ensuring that the most vulnerable young people are supported into employment, education or training at post 16 or as they make the transition to adult life.

Progress

Pupils will progress by:

understanding of self-reflection, heritage, identity, values, and strengths
understanding that learning, skills, and qualifications are important for a career and being aware of the main learning pathways (e.g., university, college, apprenticeships and technical qualifications)
identifying common sources of information about the labour market education system and being aware of the range of jobs, and being aware of the range of ways that organisations undertake recruitment and selection
understanding the concept of entrepreneurialism, self-employment, and leadership
understanding the concept of work-life balance
understanding the rights and responsibilities in the workplace and in society and recognising the injustices caused by prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination in learning and workplaces
understanding that trends in technology and science have implications for career
understanding the relationship between career and the natural environment
understanding the relationship between career, politics, and the economy

Careers Programme Overview Yr7-Yr13

KS3, KS4 & KS5 ‘I can’ statements

Impact

The impact of the careers programme is measured by: