We believe that having an experience of the work place is invaluable to our students. It will enable them to gain an insight into the world of work, meet new people, develop their interpersonal skills and also create valuable employer contacts. All students in Year 10 will have an opportunity to complete either a face to face placement or a virtual placement. Students will be able to sign up to Speakers For Schools. This is a charity which has been set up specifically to support young people to gain valuable access to employers, inspirational speakers, and virtual work experience placements with many of the top employers in the country. Students can sign up to Speakers for Schools by using the link https://www.s4snextgen.org/

Click the ‘Simple Steps’ guide to securing a work experience placement.

During Year 11, all students will have an opportunity to meet with our Careers Advisor. Helen Bartlett is a hugely experienced, independent careers advisor. Students will have a 1:1 meeting with her, where they will be able to share their future careers ideas, what they have done in terms of planning their next steps after Year 11 or to talk with her about their concerns regarding their Post 16 options. To find out more about how Careers South West can support students by using this link. 

We know that one of the concerns that students have when applying for their next career option is how to create an effective CV. This process can be quite difficult for some students and therefore we will support Year 11 students in offering opportunities to attend CV writing workshops. Another aspect that students tell us that they find particularly daunting is preparing for an interview. That is why we offer Year 11 students the opportunity to take part in mock interviews. We have many employer supporters who would be willing to offer our students a mock interview and also provide them with feedback.

We believe that giving our students the opportunity to visit local employers and businesses will help them understand what career opportunities are out there for them. We create opportunities for students to make contact with employers, to find out more about their organisation, their job opportunities and also their application process. Enabling our students to visit employers we feel helps to raise their aspirations and gets them thinking about their future.

We recognise that being able to meet and talk to a range of local employers is invaluable for students. To help students engage with employers and local businesses, students will have the opportunity to attend careers fairs, where employers, FE colleges, the armed forces, training providers and apprenticeship providers gather together to share their course information, careers opportunities and application processes. Future dates of careers fairs will be shared with students when available.

During the year, we plan a number of careers and enterprise days which will take place in school. Our vast network of employer supporters are invited in to work with students in order to give them an insight into their organisation, their job role, their own career journey, along with engaging students in completing mini projects. We believe that giving students the opportunity to meet employers and inspirational people as early as possible in their career learning journey is vital in helping students think about their career aspirations and what they need to do in order to achieve them.

Next Steps South West (NSSW) is a collaboration of universities and colleges in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. As part of their ‘Uni Connect’ programme, they offer our students the opportunity to attend events and activity days designed to educate and inspire them to think about going to University. As part of these events, students have the chance to talk to student ambassadors about Uni life, visit the University campus, have a go at using some of the facilities and equipment and also attend course taster sessions. Gaining an insight into Uni life and the courses and opportunities that it offers will enable students to identify at an early stage what they need to achieve in their learning in order to be able to apply to University in the future.