Careers at Telford College (Please find our Careers Policy Statement here)
There has never been a time when careers guidance has been as important for young people as it is today. The landscape of education, training and employment opportunities that students need to navigate is more complex and more challenging than that faced by previous generations. While the economy is beginning to recover from the recent recession, levels of youth unemployment and under-employment are still high. The raising of the age for participating in learning means that young people face a wider range of choices of courses and places to study.
Qualifications such as GCSE and A level are changing, and opportunities in higher education extend now beyond the UK to other parts of Europe and further afield. Students need help to make choices and manage transitions: they need good quality careers education, information, advice and guidance.
Telford College careers plan sets out how the College intends to provide a fit for purpose careers programme with the available resources which will provide our students with the knowledge, inspiration and ability to take ownership of their own career action plans which will enable them to succeed in their chosen career paths.
Find your perfect career
The College Careers Plan is based on the Department of Education document "Careers Guidance and Inspiration in Schools" dated March 2015, and the new Gatsby Benchmarks.
Careers education does not just mean informing students about their options after college but also how their college career will affect their futures. It is our statutory duty to ensure that all students receive independent, impartial advice and guidance regarding all options within college and how they will affect their options after college and which careers pathways will become available to them. By helping students with decisions at crucial stages, informing them of all their options and introducing them to the world of work, we aim to prepare them for life after college whichever path they choose.
Student Entitlement Statements
- Students are given specific help with preparing UCAS/applying for apprenticeships.
- Sessions on understanding school leaver and graduate job markets and how to look and apply for jobs.
- Students should start to understand how world of work is changing and how it might affect individuals.
- Students learn how to manage a career in terms of progression, budgeting and planning for the future.
- Students are reminded of different options including higher education, jobs, gap years, apprenticeships etc.
- Students are encouraged to attend university open days, mock interviews, careers interviews and meet potential employers to discuss future options.
- Students have optional access to independent and impartial advisers via drop in sessions, with Independent careers advisors. They are also encouraged to use careers resources available and informed where to find out more about specific courses/careers.
- Academic and careers progress is recorded on Pro Monitor.
Contents
- Careers Service Goals
- Activities and Events
- Information & Self Help
- Careers Providers
- Stakeholder Engagements
- Staffing & CPD
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Leadership and Management
- Careers Service Evaluation
Careers Service Goals
Our Careers Service Goals set out the key areas where we will focus our efforts this year. These are the things that we have identified as being the most important to help prepare our students for their next steps after leaving college. We aim to achieve and further develop all the points set out in the DfE statutory guidance and focus attention on some specific goals.
| Goal | Description | Resources required | Success criteria | Target date |
| Provide a broad range of careers information | We will provide broad information sources for students to use which will help them choose their career plans. | Progression coordinator
Careers manager Independent careers guidance |
Students have up to date careers information to help them form their career choices | July 2019 |
| Effective leadership, management and promotion of Careers Education Information Advice & Guidance (CEIAG) | We will provide effective leadership management and promotion of CEIAG. | Roles and responsibilities of leadership team identified and regular management meetings organised | Sept 2018 | |
| Collect and maintain destination data for all student leavers. | We will collect and maintain destination data for all our student leavers and use this information to guide our long term planning. | MIS to create a report to collect this data – student services staff to contact all student leavers. | To have actual destinations for all our student leavers | Dec 2018 |
| Build a network of business contacts | We will work closely with local businesses, local enterprise partnerships, the LEP and business boards, these partnerships will benefit our students, communities and local area as a whole. | Meetings with the Business board; LEP, local employers, SME’s; Micro and large employers; support from Chair of Governors will ensure that we engage with the right organisations and respond to local LMI. | Ongoing | |
| Produce a number of careers engagements for parents and carers. | We will consult with parents, carers and students through online consultations, review, public forums and parent, staff and student surveys. | Set up questionnaires for parents, carers and students | Regular careers news emails. | Start – Oct 2018 – ongoing for the rest of the academic year. |
| Every student to be provided with a careers guidance action plan. | Through our college wide integrated careers approach we will ensure that every student is supported and inspired to develop their own careers action plan and that this is used as a key stimulus for their learning | Every student leaves the college with a detailed careers action plan. | Start Sept – ongoing. | |
| Provide additional careers guidance to vulnerable students | We will work closely with the foundation team to ensure that we have a good level of careers guidance | Vulnerable students are identified and receiving additional provision | ongoing | |
| Measure monitor and report on the quality of our career programme | We will measure, monitor and report on the quality of our careers programme so that we can demonstrate year on year improvements. We will use student surveys to evaluate our performance | Survey monkey – questionnaire | Useful measurements and feedback on careers service activity collected. | All year |
Activities and Events.
| Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | |
| Higher Education | ||||||||||||
| UCAS clearing - drop- in for advice and support | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||
| UCAS- Application support (Yr 13) | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Parents/student HE information event (Yr 12 and 13) | √ | |||||||||||
| UCAS Personal statement support (Yr 13) | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| HE event - Internal (yr 12 and Yr13) | √ | |||||||||||
| UCAS application checking (Yr13) | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | |||
| Student finance talks (Yr13) | √ | |||||||||||
| UCAS conventions (Stafford or NEC) (Yr12 and Yr13) | √ | |||||||||||
| University visits | √ (Yr13) | √ | √ (Yr13) | √ (Yr12) | ||||||||
| Progression event (Yr13) | √ | |||||||||||
| Events | ||||||||||||
| Fresher’s week (All) | √ | |||||||||||
| Careers advice at enrolment (All) | √ | √ | ||||||||||
| Tutorial careers inductions (All) | √ | √ | ||||||||||
| Employability and Skills event - National careers week (All) | √ | |||||||||||
| Apprenticeship event (All) | √ | |||||||||||
| Parents conference | √ | |||||||||||
| Enterprise event (Yr12) | √ | |||||||||||
| Employability | ||||||||||||
| Work experience - induction (All) | √ | √ | ||||||||||
| CV Workshops (All) | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||
| Interview Techniques | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||
| Mock interviews (Yr13) | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||
| JLR Visit | √ | |||||||||||
| Inspirational talks; Ex Students, Employers and student ambassadors. (All) | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||||||||
| Work experience induction | √ | √ | √ | |||||||||
| Students out on work experience | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | ||
| Careers Guidance | ||||||||||||
| One to one careers advice- appointments available (All) | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
Information and Self Help
A broad range of information sources are available on moodle. These resources are updated regularly and students can request additional resources, which we are happy to investigate and obtain if financially prudent. Students will be encouraged to visit the moodle site, meet with careers guidance, independent careers advisors, or the IAG team and they will be provided with guidance on the use of the resources where necessary.
Careers Providers
Independent Providers
The college will secure independent careers advice; this advice will include information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships, further courses at the college, university and any other vocational pathways. This should help inform a student’s decision about their 16-19 study programmes and beyond.
Stakeholder engagements
The service aims to provide a broad range of information and updates to students, parents, providers and the college leadership team throughout the year. The updates will help to engage the service with the wider college community and provide information about careers education, information, advice and guidance provided.
| Engagement | Description | Month | Students | Parents | Providers | Employers | SLT |
| Social media updates
|
Posting careers updates and success stories, to all social media | Ongoing | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Parent feedback
Form
|
Produce an end of year feedback form for parents | Ongoing | √ | √ | |||
| Student feedback form
|
Feedback forms to be completed after every careers event or activity | Ongoing | √ | √ | |||
| Destination data
|
Collection of all destination data for student at the end of their college course
|
May/Jun/ July | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Governors update meeting
|
Present draft careers plan governors. Review progress termly
|
Oct | √ | ||||
| Website careers
|
Regularly update the careers section of the college web site with updates and success stories
|
Ongoing | √ | √ | √ | √ | √ |
Staffing & CPD
Staffing
Every single staff member in the college is responsible for creating a positive learning environment where our students can prepare themselves for their future careers. Our lecturers are in no doubt about the role that they can play in inspiring students and developing their ambitions.
Staff Development
Staff training needs are identified as part of the college annual appraisal process. The college will endeavour to meet all training needs but individual staff are expected to carry out a degree of their own ‘self-learning’ to ensure they understand what they are expected to be able to contribute towards the college career plan.
Roles and Responsibilities
To maintain and run effective Careers service several groups and individuals within the college are identified along with their roles and responsibilities in order to provide support and guidance to the service.
- The governing body has a statutory responsibility to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the college and its curriculum in order to promote high standards of educational attainment (DfE, 2014a). Effective careers guidance contributes to raising aspirations, improving motivation and overcoming barriers to success.
- Ensure there is a named member of the SLT (senior leadership team) and a Governor who has primary responsibility for Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).
- The Board of Governors identified The Chair of governors as a link to local employers Ensure the annual Careers Plan is completed and signed off.
- Ensure that the agreed careers objectives are understood and implemented across the school.
- Ensure the Careers Leader is prepared for OFSTED inspections.
- Ensure the college meets and exceeds the statutory careers requirements.
- Provide support to the Careers Leader and ensure that the agreed resources are made available during the year.
- Review progress and achievements versus the careers plan and make adjustments as necessary.
Senior leader with overall responsibility for careers provision
- Ensure the careers programme is adequately resourced to deliver the agreed careers plan.
- Recruit, retain and support the careers leader.
- Chair monthly reviews of progress against the careers plan and ensure that any problems preventing completion of any elements are resolved.
- Act as the 'careers champion' to ensure that whole school acceptance of the careers plan is achieved!
Senco responsibilities
- Ensure that the careers plan complements objectives and activities set out in the college's special education policy.
- Provide support to SEN (special educational needs) students to help them generate their individual careers action plans.
- Review SEN (special educational needs) student career action plans with their parents to ensure they are engaged and supportive of the plans.
- Ensure the careers leader understands the schools statutory responsibility to students with SEN.
- Generate individual career action plans as part of the Education Health and Care plan (EHCP).
Careers leader responsibilities
- Prepare and deliver the careers plan.
- Recruit, retain and develop the support staff needed to deliver the careers plan.
- Report monthly progress to the SLT (Senior leadership team)
- Work closely with the governor with primary responsibility for careers to ensure they are able to support and guide you as required.
- Bring any issues that you are unable to resolve to the attention of the Director of Services to Students.
- Ensure you engage with all your stakeholders including, Local Authority, Local Colleges and Universities, SLT, teachers, support staff, governors, students, parents, local businesses and guest speakers.
- Put systems in place to ensure that you deliver measurable year on year improvements to the careers programme.
- Ensure you get best value from the agreed budget reviewing each of your annual contracts and other discretionary spend.
- Be the college expert on all matters relating to careers education and training and ensure the SLT are kept informed of industry or legislative changes which may impact their responsibilities.
- Ensure you are accessible to your stakeholders by as many means as possible.
- Conduct and report on annual surveys to measure stakeholder satisfaction with the careers programme and identify affordable improvements that can be made.
Careers information staff responsibilities
- Ensure a broad suite of quality, unbiased resource is available on all pathways.
- Ensure the resource suite meets the needs of all students.
- Monitor the usage of each resource type and explore if and how information sources can be improved.
- Research how and what the best school examples are providing.
- Ensure a broad suite of quality, unbiased resource is available on all pathways.
- Ensure the resource suite meets the needs of each age group.
- Monitor the usage of each resource type and explore if and how information sources can be improved.
- Research how and what the best school examples are providing.
- Ensure you are familiar with the college career plan and its objectives.
- Working with the Careers Leader provides additional support for the NEET risk group.
- Contribute towards the development of an atmosphere (within the college) of learning, confidence and ambition.
- Where and when you have the opportunity, encourage students to think positively about their career prospects and what they could be doing to enhance their life chances.
- Feedback specific student needs (or opportunities) to the Careers Leader.
Leadership and Management
Throughout the year, a number of meetings will take place to ensure the effectiveness of the service. Meetings will be arranged with college leaders and staff members to establish college expectations and evaluate the careers strategy. Well-structured operational meetings are recognised as a key function to running an effective careers service.
| Month | Meeting |
| Ongoing | Careers strategy meeting: Review careers plan against what actually happened, and agree improvements |
| November | Careers plan review: Review and sign off annual careers plan. |
Careers service evaluation
The college believes that it is important that robust measurement, monitoring and review procedures be put in place to provide a framework for on-going improvements. These will form the foundations for not only what we do, but how we do it and what we must endeavour to improve.