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Throughout the year guest speakers and local employers from a range of different organisations will come into school to provide the students with advice, inspiration, and information of professions and careers that students aspire to work in, or that they might not have considered previously.
Programme of Study
Throughout the year guest speakers and local employers from a range of different organisations will come into school to provide the students with advice, inspiration, and information of professions and careers that students aspire to work in, or that they might not have considered previously.Students take part in a wide range of career activities such as, enterprise events, STEM activities and visits.
In addition to these activities there are a wide range of free resources available in school that students can take advantage of. These can be found in a number of different formats, e.g. displays, online information, booklets and post 16 prospectuses. University prospectuses are available in the sixth form area.
Drop-in sessions with Mrs Adams are available to all year groups.
Key Stage 3
Our Employability programme begins in Year 7 with an introduction to careers and employability and progresses into developing and learning about the skills, qualities and expectations of employers. In Year 8, students are introduced to the range of available post 16 options along with information on part time work whilst still at school.
The Employability programme develops further in Year 9 when students are introduced to the Building my Skills programme. This award winning, yearlong employability programme consists of guidance sessions delivered by different business guests who provide an insight into their world of work, valuable employability skills and their career path. The guidance sessions support the completion of checkpoints – components of students ‘employability portfolio’. Support is available to assist students with their option choices.
Local businesses support our employability programme with ambassadors delivering assemblies to Year 7, 8 and 9 students about employer expectations, progression routes and options for the future.
Key Stage 4
Students prepare for, and participate in, our highly successful work experience programme where they gain first-hand experience of the world of work and employer expectations. Students identify their choice of career sector and placements are matched accordingly. Employability lessons along with a range of employability assemblies assist in developing key skills needed for the world of work and enable students to gain a greater understanding of, budgeting, enterprise, exploration and decision making. Students will also be advised and encouraged to undertake an element of independent research into all aspects of post 16 provision.
During Year 10, students take part in our highly successful Work Ready Day which consists of a number of different employability workshops on a range of employability topics, all planned and delivered by employers. Students are 'matched' to employers and are given the opportunity to experience a mock interview with personalised and detailed feedback.
Towards the end of Year 10, students complete a questionnaire about their career interests and aspirations and this helps to provide them with individualised, comprehensive and impartial advice and guidance in Year 11.
In Year 11 students benefit from a wide range of guest speakers who provide information relevant to their particular career sector.
Year 11 students and their parents are invited to Ulverston Victoria High School’s own post 16 Career Fair where there is the opportunity to speak to a large number of local employers, colleges, training providers and universities about post 16 opportunities such as 6th form, apprenticeships, vocational courses and undergraduate courses. Additional presentations on labour market information and student finance are also available to Year 11 students and their parents. Students are also made aware of open evenings for other colleges.
Students intended destinations are tracked and supported. Students are also guided and supported with career planning and the completion of application forms, personal statements and CV’s. Preparation for interviews are also guided and supported.
Throughout our employability programme, students are encouraged to reflect on what they have learnt and how they will put this new knowledge into use.
UVHS measures and assess the impact of the Employability Programme through student, provider, parental and teacher questionnaires/feedback. This process is ongoing throughout the academic year. The effectiveness of the programme is also sought through analysis of post 16 destinations.
For a more detailed overview of our programme of study all year groups please click on the links below.
YEAR 7
Autumn Term 1
Introduction to careers/employability (Careers Street)
- Understand there are lots of jobs out there not just the ones you see around you each day.
- Consider the types of jobs that are out there.
Autumn Term 2
Defining Skills and Qualities/Personality Quiz
- On-line quiz
- Identify your strengths
- Identify behaviour/personality patterns
- Identify starting points for thinking about future careers
Spring Term 1
Skills and Qualities
- Employability research
- Investigate other people’s experiences of work and working life.
Spring Term 2
Skills and Qualities.
- Matching task.
- Identifying the skills and qualities you use.
Summer Term 1
Skills and Qualities
- Identifying qualities in yourself and others
Summer Term 2
Diversity and Inclusion
YEAR 8
Autumn Term 1
Part Time Employment Whilst Still at School
- Permitted and prohibited workplaces
- Work permit/application form research.
Autumn Term 2
What are my options?
- Raised participation Age
- An introduction to self-employment and Entrepreneurship
Spring Term 1
Self-employment
- Advantages and disadvantages to being self-employed.
Spring Term 2
Entrepreneurship
- Qualities shown by Entrepreneurs
- Successful young entrepreneurs
Summer Term 1
Further and Higher Education
- Introduction to college and university
- Assemblies delivered by university and college staff.
Summer Term 2
Apprenticeships as a Career Path
- Understanding apprenticeships
- Assembly delivered by local employer/provider
YEAR 9
Access to individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Autumn Term 1
Exploring career options
- Identifying favourite subjects and exploring available career routes.
Autumn Term 2
ESH/FESP Building my Skills
- My pathway
- Exploring future careers
Spring Term 1
ESH/FESP Building my Skills
- Personal finance
Spring Term 2
ESH/FESP Building my skills
- Online appearance
Summer Term 1
ESH/FESP Building my skills
- Writing a CV and Cover letter
Summer Term 2
ESH/FESP Building my skills
- Preparing for interview
Summer Term 2
Exploring Career Options/Researching Work Experience Placements
- Different career/work placement options.
- Potential areas of career/work placement interest.
YEAR 10
Autumn Term 1
Introduction to payslips
- Understanding the purpose
- Deduction
- Case study
- Ways of payment
Autumn Term 2
Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Preparing for Employment/Work Experience
- Health and Safety
Telephone skills
- Preparing to make a formal telephone call
- Case Study
- Preparing to telephone work experience
- Telephone log
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Spring Term 1
Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Preparing for Work Experience
- Writing a formal letter
- Completing the work experience booklet
- Phone call to work experience employer
- Preparing for work experience assembly
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Spring Term 2
Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Work Experience Takes Place
- Work experience reflection and evaluation
- CV update
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Summer Term 1 and Summer Term 2
Engaging with a Range of Employers, Training Providers, Colleges (exploring careers and career development)
- Guest speaker application form
- Applying for a job vacancy
- Writing/adapting a CV
- Writing a covering letter
- Interview practise
- Work Ready Day
- Assembly from an employer on writing job applications
- Assembly from an employer on interview skills
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
YEAR 11
Autumn Term 1
- Finding information
- Action planning
- On-going programme of assemblies delivered by employers/colleges/training providers
- On-going programme of guest speakers from business/colleges/training providers
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Autumn Term 2
- Completing application forms
- On-going programme of assemblies delivered by employers/colleges/training providers
- On-going programme of guest speakers from business/colleges/training providers
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
- Careers fair
- Labour market information
- On-going programme of assemblies delivered by employers/colleges/training providers
- On-going programme of guest speakers from business/colleges/training providers
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Spring Term 1
- Preparing for interview
- On-going programme of assemblies delivered by employers/colleges/training providers
- On-going programme of guest speakers from business/colleges/training providers
- Individually tailored mentoring sessions, delivered by businesses, for identified students.
Spring Term 2
- Continued guidance from Miss Herrington as required.
Summer Term 1
- Continued guidance from Miss Herrington as required.
Summer Term 2
N/A
SIXTH FORM
Careers Guidance at UVHS Sixth Form: At a glance
The UVHS Sixth Form leadership team measures itself against the government’s statutory guidance and the Gatsby Foundation’s eight benchmarks to deliver a well-developed and carefully crafted programme of career guidance to all our students, taking into careful consideration the “push and pull” factors identified by Sir John Holman in the Gatsby Foundation’s report.
The programme includes:
- Initial surveys of students’ aspirations at the beginning of Year 12 in order to establish appropriate career guidance and work experience opportunities.
- The provision of a dedicated Sixth Form careers advisor on a weekly basis to provide guidance to students and arrangement of appropriate work experience placements.
- Weekly ‘tutorial’ sessions for students in Year 12 and Year 13 incorporating visiting speakers from a variety of higher and further education institutes and the world of work, including former students.
- Sessions where students access to the Careers Planner programme, designed to offer students a wealth of advice and material linked to career opportunities and where students’ activities and understanding of potential pathways is tracked.
- Visits to an HE convention and specific university towards the end of Year 12.
- Disadvantaged students’ needs are assessed as a priority upon starting Sixth Form with early appointments with our careers advisor encouraged and progress in understanding careers guidance monitored.
- Successful student engagement with ‘Dream Placement’ initiative.
- A regular programme for those students considering applications to Oxbridge and Medicine including mock interviews, visiting speakers and personal statement workshops.
- The VESPA programme, timetabled weekly sessions for students to improve mindset and productivity in Sixth Form with clear links to career guidance initially and throughout the year.
- A form time programme linked to career guidance and, when appropriate, UCAS applications and one-to-one discussions with tutors about career options.
- A wealth of careers resources for Sixth Form students in the school library.