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CAREERS INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE

INTRODUCTION

 

At Kingsmeadow Community School we aim to equip the students with skills to face the challenges of the world beyond school and to make them aware of the part they can play in the wider community. The school’s CIAG programme exists to prepare students for choices, changes and transitions affecting their future education, training and employment. The Careers, Inspiration, Advice and Guidance programme is concerned with preparation for adult life and with the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills, which have relevance for the future whilst raising aspirations for all our students. 

 

Our careers programme involves all members of staff but is coordinated by Careers leader Mr G Dunlop. If you would like to get in touch with Mr Dunlop you can email gdunlop@kingsmeadow.org.uk or  telephone on 0191 4606004.

 

At Kingsmeadow we are working towards meeting all of the 'The Gatsby Benchmarks' as set out in the latest Government statutory guidance.  The Gatsby Benchmarks are a key measure of the effectiveness of career advice. 

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The eight Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:

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1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

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If you would like an appointment with our Kingsmeadow Careers Adviser, please email Mr Dunlop gdunlop@kingsmeadow.org.uk

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INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

 

Good quality careers education will raise the aspirations of all young people. It will increase motivation by linking activities in school with preparation for life post 16 and post 18. CIAG will, therefore, contribute to raising students achievement, help students focus on their longer-term career ambitions and ensure an equality of opportunity for all.

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At Kingsmeadow Community School, we provide a comprehensive CIAG programme to students in every year group and this includes aspects of work-related learning, enterprise education and option choices. Students in our Sixth Form are very well supported as they make their applications to University, apply for Higher Level Apprenticeships or other non-University posts 18 pathways.

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CV Writing

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In today’s competitive jobs market, it’s more important than ever to make a good first impression. This can often be your CV, so it needs to be putting across the right messages, with the right presentation, and no mistakes. When you have been in full-time education most of your life your qualifications will probably be your main achievement. If you don’t have a lot of work experience, try to make your coursework relevant to the skills you’d use in the job. For example, you probably use time management, research and IT skills every day. You may also be able to say you’re a fast learner, and are up to date with the latest equipment and techniques in your field.

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The most important thing is to take your time over your CV – make sure it’s the best it can be. You might want to leave it for a couple of days and then come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes. Get it checked over by several people to see if they can spot anything you can’t. When you’ve been working on something for a long time it can be difficult to see ways in which it can be improved. But with CVs, it’s easy to make the mistake, but very difficult to correct the damage done.

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ADVICE FOR PARENTS

 

Careers Advice is not just for Young People, Parents/Carers also need support to help young people make tough and challenging decisions. Career Alchemy is a website that has been set up by careers professionals and recommended by the UK Career Development Institute. ‘Careers Advice for Parents aims to give you an easy-to-read overview of all the essential facts on finding jobs and apprenticeships or choosing further and higher education courses which could make a real difference to your child’s future career prospects.’

 

The National Careers Service is also a good, reliable source of impartial advice and guidance.

 

 

iCould provide a range of good articles in one place that examines the range of choices available to young people at 16 and 18, these are specifically targeted at parents and carers.

 

Your Higher Apprenticeship Timeline

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INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS

 

Here at Kingsmeadow Community School we are always looking to build strong links with business and industry. We are proud to have forged a partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnership and have close links with many businesses including the Gateshead Health Trust. If you are interested in working with the school on any of the following projects please get in touch with our careers leader Mr G Dunlop at gdunlop@kingsmeadow.org.uk

 

  • Involvement in school careers fair

  • Mentoring classes/groups of students

  • Delivering industry workshops in school

  • Attending/running an after school club

  • Providing work experience for year 12 students

  • Providing industry information to our careers leader

  • Delivering assemblies

  • School visits into the workplace

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Experience of workplace days

 

At Kingsmeadow Community School, we are looking to transform work experience which is too often seen as dull and a chore for both students and potential employers. We want our students to gain experience and be inspired by what actually happens in a variety of workplaces and a variety of roles. Therefore we are looking for organisations that would be able to offer our students a one day experience of their workplace to larger numbers of students who would be accompanied by staff.

 

This could involve students being involved in small group carousels where they have the opportunity to hear from a number of different people on a rotation. It could involve more of a careers fair style activity. Or it could be designed in a way that fits your organisation best.

 

The problem that we face is that many businesses are finding it difficult to recruit students who are workplace ready and part of the solution is giving students the insight into a working environment. We hope that these 'experience of workplace days' can go part of the way to solve that issue. 

 

As a school we would love to hear from organisations that would be willing to support our students and hold an experience of workplace day or would like the opportunity to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

 

If you are interested in our 'Experience of workplace days'  to find out more information or to express an interest in holding an event please email Mr G Dunlop at gdunlop@kingsmeadow.org,uk.

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TEACHING CEIAG

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Below are some useful blogs, which you may be keen to read;

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The website of @careerdefender http://www.outstandingcareers.co.uk/

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There are a wealth of resources on https://nationalcareersweek.com/

 

Twitter can be a fantastic supportive resource for all things #careers and #careerseducation with lots of tweets about #careershub and #goodcareersguidance

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Bridging the Gap

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The link above takes teachers to a site, created in the first phase of the Gatsby Benchmarks Pilot. The site has been co-created with educators and industry professionals to look at how learning in the classroom can link to the word of work.

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