Career Programme

Lambeth College Careers Programme sets out the college’s career development offer in line with the “Careers strategy: Making the most of everyone’s skills and talents” published in December 2017 and the statutory guidance for governing bodies, school leaders and school staff published in January 2018.

About us

Lambeth College is a general further education college situated in the borough of Lambeth in south London. The college has campuses in Clapham and Brixton. Just over 40% of the college’s students are resident in Lambeth, with around 30% of other students resident in surrounding London boroughs. Lambeth College joined the LSBU Group on the 30th January 2019 following special designated status from government, one of three national pilots bringing FE and HE together. The unique LSBU Group model is based on a family of education partners – the University Engineering Academy and South Bank University UTC which are part of the South Bank Academies, Lambeth College which is a wholly owned subsidiary of South Bank Colleges and the London South Bank University. Lambeth College as part of the LSBU Group is building a local education model that has technical and applied learning at the heart of its educational philosophy.

Discover careers

• Career Development services on offer to learners

  The Career Development service sits within Learner Services and is managed by the Head of Service, Laura Ryan and overseen by the Careers Leader, Philip Cunniffe, Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Learner Services.

  The College CEIAG service was rated as good in the latest Ofsted Inspection report - ‘Career guidance is strong and supports learners’ career plans and progression well. Support for learners applying for HE is good’- which was borne out by the Matrix assessment review.

  The Career service is Matrix accredited and impartial personal guidance is delivered by a Careers and Progression Coordinator who holds a Level 6 Diploma in Career Development and Guidance and an MSc in Occupational Psychology. The Career Coordinator is a CDI (Career Development Institute) member and Registered Career Development Professional. This means she has achieved at least a QCF level 6 qualification and has committed to uphold the CDI Code of Ethics and to completing 25 hours of CPD a year.

  Learners are supported through a wide range of CEIAG interventions and have access to the following career related initiatives:

  1. Lambeth College Annual HE fair which takes place every year in October and hosts an average of 30 universities. Learners are prepared before the event and are encouraged to reflect on what questions to ask and carry relevant research prior to the fair.
  2. Lambeth College Annual Work experience fair which takes place in the first term and is aimed at encouraging learners to proactively find work placements to complement their studies and gain a competitive edge in the world of work.
  3. Lambeth Big Careers Day which takes place at the end of the academic year. This event offers the opportunity to meet employers and career experts and get help with apprenticeships, becoming an entrepreneur, going to college or university, full and part-time work opportunities.
  4. One to one and group CEIAG sessions from Monday to Friday, including a weekly drop-in service.
  5. Weekly Learner Development Coach tutorials focusing on the development of skills for career success and progression options including university and apprenticeships.
  6. HE sessions delivered by partner universities, Career Coordinator and Learning and Development Coaches. Topics include: Why going to university; How to apply through UCAS; Personal Statement; Student Finance; How to reply to offers, Extra and Clearing; University life and how to make a successful transition; University support services to promote achievement and retention; and Study Skills. Learners attending L2 and L3 courses are targeted before they reach their final year to ensure that they start researching their progression options early on in their learning journey.
  7. Personal Statement surgeries available on a weekly basis from October to January delivered by the Career Coordinator and partner universities.
  8. Apprenticeship Seminars, including Higher and Degree Apprenticeships.
  9. Internal Apprenticeships opportunities through the Employer Engagement service.
  10. Workplace and University visits to open days, taster sessions, external HE fairs e.g. UK University & Apprenticeship Search Fair.
  11. Weekly Career Development news and updates, key dates and deadlines related to UCAS applications, apprenticeships, school leaver opportunities, information on bursaries and career-related competitions. These are communicated through the Learner Newsletter sent out on Mondays and the use of plasma screens. News and events are regularly promoted through social media.
  12. Career Ready UK Internship programme which is targeted to Level 3 Year 1 learners who are able to benefit from four main activities: a mentoring programme, a masterclass series on employability topics, workplace visits and a 6 week paid summer internship at prestigious companies. Learners also have the opportunity to attend networking events and celebrate their success at the final Career Ready graduation event. The programme is well structured and provides learners, mentors and employers with clear principles, guidelines and career material to reflect on.
  13. Lambeth College Ambassador Programme which provides learners with the opportunity to gain valuable customer service experience, positively represent the college and be recognised as role models.
  14. Ernst & Young ‘Our Future’ programme which gives learners the opportunity to gain a Chartered Management Institute Level 2 Management qualification, two week paid work experience in a variety of roles, 1–1 support from a careers mentor throughout the programme and networking events.
  15. Delivery of the Aim Higher Look to the Future programme whose vision is to create opportunities for LACs (Looked After Children) to have equal access to Higher Education. This is an engaging and inspiring initiative which allows learners to visit several universities, gather relevant information, attend conferences, participate in mentoring programmes and become empowered to make aspirational choices.
  16. Targeted career development support for Lone parents delivered in collaboration with the College nursery through the organisation of a Parents Motivational Conference and follow up career appointments. The event includes a transformational Transferable Skills and Visioning session which uses creative team building, mini-interviews in a speed-dating format and a clear focus on resilience.
  17. Careers talks and employability masterclasses throughout the academic year and specifically for International Women’s Day, Black History and LGBT month. Speakers are sourced through the college support network, Inspiring the Future and Speakers for School.
  18. STEM week activities aimed at raising awareness of the importance of STEM subjects, related career opportunities, benefits and positive impact of STEM careers.
  19. Use of the Career library including universities prospectuses and guides

• Employers Links

  Alongside our existing Work Experience programmes, Lambeth College provides a portfolio of enrichment activities, designed to enable learners to boost their employability skills and network:

  • Pop Up shop to facilitate young entrepreneurs with a space where they can market and sell their products and ideas.
  • Visiting speakers from a variety of employers from numerous occupational areas addressing learners directly.
  • A defined Employer engagement structure
  • As part of the Employer Engagement structure, Lambeth College has participated in Career Cluster events, partnered with Lambeth Council and London South Bank University. This project has been ongoing since 2016 and incorporates three key Employer Engagement elements:

  a) Lambeth Ambassadors Ambitions Programme
  This programme was introduced in January 2016 and in the three years since, we have trained over 50 Apprentices. This bespoke programme is delivered annually over five weeks and is focused on personal and professional development including building confidence, how to prepare and dispatch powerful presentations, personal branding to success, determining personal and professional goals for further success along with conference preparation. The sessions had a primary objective of promoting apprenticeships as credible post-16 pathway to peers from the seventeen clustered schools in the borough and Lambeth College, whilst developing the apprentices to consider their own apprenticeship pathways for personal and future success. Participation in the programme resulted in the apprentices being ready to lead on the Lambeth Apprenticeship Ambitions Conference, held during Apprenticeship Week. Critically, these events served to support the project outcome: ‘a greater number of young people being enabled to apply for apprenticeships’.

  b) Lambeth Apprenticeship Ambitions Conference
  This is partnership between London South Bank University (LSBU), Lambeth Council and Lambeth College to promote apprenticeships to businesses and young people in Lambeth and the surrounding boroughs through the Lambeth Ambassador Apprenticeship Programme (LAAP). The event gave over 200 Lambeth school and college students, plus employers and training providers the opportunity to hear about the benefits of apprenticeships, the latest developments relating to earning while learning, and the different levels of apprenticeship from entry level through to higher and degree apprenticeships. In the latest conference fifteen Apprentice Ambassadors delivered presentations and spoke about their experience in transitioning from education to the work environment through apprenticeships. Each of the Apprentices had their own unique story to tell.

  c) The Big Careers Day incorporating The Big Apprenticeship Day – 4 July
  The Big Careers Day is an event held in July in partnership with Lambeth Council and London South Bank University (LSBU), as part of the Clusters Project. Currently in its third year (the next event is 4th July 2018), the event in 2017 attracted in excess of 50 employers offering live opportunities including apprenticeships, traineeships, internships, full & part-time work and volunteering. In 2018 we expect to have in place 70 plus employers and companies including Battersea Power Station Development Company, Chartered Insurance Institute, Compass Group, Guys and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, Higgins Construction, Mencap, Merlin Entertainment, Moorfields NHS, Mencap, Royal Navy, Tideway and Westminster Homecare.

  The aim of the event is to promote career pathway opportunities and to provide contacts and a forum for learners to gain experience and knowledge. The event in 2017 attracted a footfall of 720 including school leavers and college students. The event is also dedicated to promoting apprenticeships and opens with the Big Apprenticeship Conference. This is the culmination of another joint initiative between Lambeth College, Lambeth Council and LSBU. Employers attend this Conference and participate through questions and answers, with the Ambassadors leading the session.

  Lambeth College has established a number of further links with employers through the Career Ready UK Internship programme. Examples of strong relationships with employers who offered paid internships to our learners include Citi Bank, CME group, McKinsey & Co, BP, Cundall, Guy’s & St Thomas Hospital, ADS Aerospace, Defence and Security, Arc and Ofgem. These companies have provided and continue to provide transformational experiences to our learners who emerge from the programme with higher confidence and positive self-belief. Additional employers from BT, Accenture, RBS, University of Law, Lloyds Banking Group, Cushman & Wakefield, Moody's Investors Service Limited and others work with Lambeth College as part of the Career Ready Local Advisory board and mentoring programme to help embed employer engagement within the college.

• University Partnerships

  External partners including universities allow Lambeth College to add value to their career development and progression services. This is reflected in improved access and awareness, responsiveness and integration, enhanced learner satisfaction and improved outcomes. At Lambeth College we regularly review and evaluate partnerships to understand whether our university network is effective in meeting the needs of learners and key stakeholders. One general criteria of evaluation would be judging the contribution partners make to learners lives and careers.

  Lambeth College and LSBU have a unique partnership and this provides a highly achievable route into a graduate career. Lambeth College provides University Access courses which offer a supported path to higher and provide learners with priority access and reduced entry tariffs to LSBU courses.

  Thanks to this new partnership LC learners have priority access to:

  • Personal statement support and general application information session
  • Guaranteed places at subject experience days – these days are run by academic departments and will feature multiple subjects
  • Guest lectures for many of the subject areas taught at both Access and BTEC level
  • Reduced tariff offer

  LC has also strong links with a wide range of Higher Education institutions. Partnership work is well developed and ensures the LC Career service is influencing direction for the benefit of learners. Strong relationships with universities and other external agencies ensure learners have a full understanding of the higher education options available to them including university, higher and degree apprenticeships and school leaver programmes.

  We currently have relationships with the following HE institutions.

  • London South Bank University
  • Birkbeck University of London
  • St Mary’s University
  • Brunel University
  • Brighton
  • Buckinghamshire New University
  • City University London
  • University of the Creative Arts -Fashion & Textiles
  • Fashion Retail Academy
  • Goldsmiths University of London
  • University of Kent
  • King’s College University of London
  • Kingston University
  • Anglia Ruskin University
  • London Metropolitan University
  • Middlesex University
  • Ravensbourne
  • University of Roehampton
  • University of Sussex
  • University of West London
  • University of Westminster
  • University of Hertfordshire
  • St George’s, University of London

• Equality and Diversity

  Equal access to the career provision is ensured for all learners who are encouraged to align career choices to their interests, strengths and skills. Our service is designed and delivered to challenge a wide range of stereotypes and this is achieved through high quality guidance and enrichment activities including a programme of guest speakers and weekly tutorials. Student with SEN will be supported by a 2025 coordinated care plan to set goals and provide direction. E&D informs several employability programmes, such us Aim Higher and Career Ready UK which encourage widening participation values and STEM careers.

• CEIAG Roles and Responsibilities

  • Careers Leader – Assistant Principal
    The Career Leader leads the college careers activity and is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the college career programme so that the college meets the eight Gatsby Benchmarks by the end of 2020.
  • Head of Learner Development
    The Head of Learner Development manages the Career Development service and its careers plan so that the college meets the eight Gatsby Benchmarks by the end of 2020.
  • Careers and Progression Coordinator
    The Careers and Employability Coordinator coordinates and delivers the Career Development service presented above.
  • Learning Development Coaches
    LDCs are responsible for the delivery of the tutorial programme which incorporates career development and employability themes.
  • Employers Engagement Team
    The Employers Engagement Team is responsible for the Work Experience programme and Apprenticeships
  • Curriculum and Teaching staff
    Managers and teachers integrate careers into the curriculum, provide industry links and engage with Careers and the Employer Engagement Team.

• Monitoring and Evaluation

  Key CEIAG staff meets on a regular basis to develop, monitor and evaluate CEIAG across college. The quality of the Career Development service is determined through the Matrix assessment process, our Quality Assurance processes including self-assessment reports, professional observation, feedback, course reps, focus groups, surveys, Student Union and other Learner Voice and Talkback mechanisms.