Step Beyond with Salford City Academy

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

United Learning Careers Intent

We want our students to leave school with high aspirations and make informed decisions on their next choice of destinations. Embedding careers education in the culture of the school from the outset, and providing a coherent careers journey, will allow our students to take responsibility for their personal development and make the most of all opportunities presented to them.

 

Salford City Academy recognises that there is an expectation to provide careers education in Years 7-11 and to give learners access to impartial and independent careers information, education and guidance, providing extra support as required for learners with additional needs, as outlined in the Gatsby Career Benchmarks.

A young person’s career reflects the progress they make in learning and work. It is part of Salford City Academy's vision and mission that all learners require a planned programme of activities to help them choose pathways that are right for them and to be able to manage their careers, sustain employability and achieve personal and economic wellbeing throughout their lives. All students from Year 8 will be exposed to a variety of careers provision from different pathways, including those that require apprenticeships and non-academic routes to careers that require university degrees, so that they can make informed choices Beyond SCA.

You can find our Careers Education, Information & Guidance Policy here.

Our Careers team consist of Ms Yvette Millin (yvette.millin@salfordcity-academy.org), and Ms Emily Gilson (Emily.gilson@salfordcity-academy.org)

Students begin to consider their career choices in Year 7 when they focus on Academisation during Citizenship lessons, looking at setting themselves challenges and setting aspirations for their futures. Students will also look at enterprise and living in the wider world. Students will also have careers and aspirations sessions during enrichment days from Year 7 and they will access careers lessons in form time once a half term, with an assembly once a half term too.

The topics covered by students in Year 8 include possible career pathways, built around making option choices in Year 9. 

In Year 10, the focus is on developing skills for particular careers, asking students to look at their skills thinking about options for continued education and preparation for work experience. Key activities include college taster days, work-related learning and this year a work experience programme in the summer term.

In Year 11, students consider a range of options, with a view to choosing the best one for them, whether that is continuing their education at a local college or applying for apprenticeships/Traineeships. We will make sure that students have access to information from all the local colleges and apprenticeship providers through face to face and online assemblies.

We measure careers through our Aspire Surveys, and Unifrog, an online platform that all students have access to.  Parents and carers will be given access to this platform too, so that they can see what activities their child has taken part in.

We review the Gatsby benchmark progress using the Compass Plus audit which is undertaken on a termly  with our enterprise co-ordinator (via GMCA), to ensure the findings are evidenced and reliable, and the action plan is reviewed annually every September, the latest review completed in March 2024.

We want all our students to be familiar with the levels of education in the UK and to use this knowledge to choose the right pathways.

 

 

Year 10 Regeneration Brainery Programme!

Careers Advice and Guidance Support

Careers Advice and Guidance Support

GM Higher
Working alongside GM Higher, we operate an extensive Careers programme that runs alongside all of the specific year group activities. All year groups participate in careers driven activities designed for their age range, including careers fairs, mock interviews and STEM activities. Students are able to experience lots of opportunities to speak to representatives from a wide range of career sectors, universities, colleges and training providers raising their future aspirations.

Helping your child begin their career journey - Success at School
A booklet produced by Success at School containing information on how to support your child into finding the appropriate career pathway for them. 

Click here to download the guide.                    

Careers Advice for Parents website
This is an online website designed to give you, as parents, 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. To link to the Careers Advice for Parents website, please click https://www.careeralchemy.co.uk/inspired-teenager.html#

The Parents' Guide to ...
This website offers a range of guides to help parents to support their children with their choices. Guides are available to download for various costs. Visit their website https://www.theparentsguideto.co.uk/guides

Apprenticeships publish monthly guidance for parents. See the latest here https://amazingapprenticeships.com/resource/parents-pack-march-2020/ 

 

 

What does CEIAG mean at SCA?

Salford City Academy is dedicated to ensuring that our students have meaningful encounters at school which best prepare them for their working lives.

Your careers education will be delivered throughout all subjects during your time at SCA. Dedicated lesson time will be provided through your form time and Citizenship lessons, but you will also gain valuable careers related experiences through a range of other events including;

  • Form time activities
  • Gender Inspiration Days
  • Enrichment days
  • Careers Days
  • School trips
  • University visits
  • CV preparation
  • Mock interviews
  • Networking events
  • Careers fairs
  • Careers themed assemblies
  • STEM activities
  • Employer visits
  • Work experience

 

Your first port of call for more information should be your form teacher. The Head of Careers at SCA is Ms Millin who is always available to offer careers related advise, as well as Ms Gilson.

During your time at SCA you will have several opportunities to meet with our careers advisor Emily Gilson, who is at the academy full time. You will also attend one to one meetings with Ms Gilson, at regular intervals, and she will provide you with independent and impartial careers advise.

In year 10 all students will have the opportunity to take part in work experience. We are dedicated to ensuring work experience is meaningful to our students and we will work closely with you to best match your skills and ambitions to your work experience. More information will be provided during assemblies and form time activities

Teachers should take the time to familiarise themselves with the Gatsby Benchmarks, which we are working towards receiving accreditation for. For information about statutory guidance towards careers and the Gatsby bench marks please see the following links.

All teaching staff will be given CPD this year on Post 16 pathways and the qualifications that are needed. This will ensure that staff are able to have meaningful conversations with students regarding their future choices. Staff will also be trained on Unifrog and will deliver half termly careers lessons in form time.

Careers provision will be taught in form time and throughout normal curriculum lessons, so that students understand the purpose of what they are learning.

Salford City Academy is dedicated to ensuring that our students have meaningful encounters at school which best prepare them for their working lives.

Your careers education will be delivered throughout all subjects during your time at SCA. Dedicated lesson time will be provided through form time and Citizenship lessons, but they will also gain valuable careers related experiences through a range of other events including;

  • Form time activities
  • Gender Inspiration Days
  • Enrichment days
  • Careers Days
  • School trips
  • University visits
  • CV preparation
  • Mock interviews
  • Networking events
  • Careers fairs
  • Careers themed assemblies
  • Employer visits
  • Work experience

Your first port of call for more information should be the students form teacher. The Head of Careers at SCA is Ms Millin who is always available to offer careers related advise. In addition, we have a careers advisor who works with the academy full time and offers the students the opportunity to ‘drop in’ on both lunchtimes. All students will also have schedules one to one meetings with Ms Gilson at regular intervals throughout their time at SCA, where they can discuss, map out and explore career opportunities. The advice and information offered by Ms Gilson is independent and impartial.

In year 10 all students will have the opportunity to take part in work experience. We are dedicated to ensuring work experience is meaningful to our students and we will work closely with you to best match your skills and ambitions to your work experience. More information will be provided during assemblies and form time activities.

All parents will be given a log in to Unifrog, so that they are able to track and monitor the enrichment and careers provision that their child will take part in at SCA.

If you wish to learn more about our careers programme, please contact Ms Millin. 

 

The Careers strategy at Salford City Academy is based on The Gatsby Benchmarks. Sir John Holman, a former Headteacher and founder of the National STEM Learning Centre, was asked by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation to undertake an independent, international review of career guidance. He visited six countries, analysed good practice in English schools and did a comprehensive review of current literature. From all of this, Sir John wrote the Good Career Guidance Report. In the report he identifies what 'good' looks like and outlines a framework of eight benchmarks that schools can use to improve their career guidance system. These Benchmarks are

The Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance

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

We value the relationships we hold with employers and hope to continue to build upon the network we currently enjoy. Should you feel that your company can offer invaluable advice, experience or information for our students, we would encourage you to get in touch to discuss how we can work together to ensure the best for our students.

Useful Websites

Visit Connexions for further information about the services they offer, details of their centre locations and lots of other relevant information.

Use UCAS Progress to search for courses, qualifications and training opportunities for 14-19 year olds in Salford.

Find information on apprenticeships and all of the latest opportunities via Apprenticeships.org

Here are some useful websites for parents too:

 

Useful websites for parents*

Helpful careers information for  parents and carers

www.parentalguidance.org.uk/

Skills and career assessment tools

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/skills-assessment

Tips for your child’s GCSE options

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zdswf4j

Explore University with your child (ages 10–14)

www.gameplan.ac.uk/

Bring your child to work day

www.employeesmatter.co.uk/bring-your-child-to-work-day/

16-19 Bursary Fund

www.gov.uk/1619-bursary-fund

Post 16 options and planning ahead

www.ucas.com/

University Open Days

www.opendays.com/

Thinking about University choices

www.discoveruni.gov.uk/

Apprenticeships Links Apprenticeships Newsletter
Amazing Apprenticeships https://amazingapprenticeships.com/app/uploads/2021/03/Parent-Pack-March-2021.pdf​ 
FindMyFuture Careers Find my future • Salford City Council

*Links to colleges (including open day dates), training providers and apprenticeship websites are available in those sections

 

United Learning comprises: United Learning Ltd (Registered in England No: 00018582. Charity No. 313999) UCST (Registered in England No: 2780748. Charity No. 1016538) and ULT (Registered in England No. 4439859. An Exempt Charity). Companies limited by guarantee. Registered address: United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB.

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