At Abbey College, our aim is to help our students plan their route through education, in order to make well informed decisions about their futures.  We strive to support our students to see the links between what is learnt in the classroom and the outside world.  We hope this will motivate them in lessons and help them to understand that what they learn at the College will prepare them for an exciting and ever changing world. 

All students take part in an inspiring and nurturing careers programme, which will help students to make decisions about what they might like to do in their future careers.  We believe it is never too early for our students to start thinking about their futures. Attached to this page are our plans and outcomes for all year groups. All students from each year group 7 - 13 are entitled to a 1-1 Careers Guidance meeting with Ms Pollard who is a level 6 fully qualified careers guidance advisor, this can be arranged by either coming to the careers hub or emailing the careers team at .

Our careers programme is monitored and evaluated on a regular basis to ensure it meets the needs of our students. We do this by requesting feedback from students, employers, partners etc... following each of our events.

Good News!

We are delighted to be awarded the prestigious Quality in Careers Standard, which is the national award that recognises excellence in the careers provision to all our students.

To receive this, we had to provide evidence of our commitment to providing outstanding impartial, independent careers education, information, advice and guidance delivered at all key stages. Our partnership working with businesses, further and higher education providers, ensures our students are made aware of the opportunities available to them, raises their aspirations, thus achieving their full potential to make well informed decisions about their future.

Parental/Carer Support:

Please see the attached document on this page to give a few guidelines on how you can support your child's future decisions.

Also please keep your eye out for our newsletters issued throughout the academic year.

Unifrog is an online platform that supports secondary schools to deliver their statutory duty to provide students with impartial and independent guidance on the full range of post-school options. The platform is particularly helpful because it is the only place students can compare every undergraduate university course in the UK as well as international opportunities. Additionally, the Unifrog platform allows students to access FE courses and the most comprehensive list of apprenticeships available across the country, including higher, SLP and degree apprenticeships.

Once students have explored their interests and compared the full range of pathways available to them, Unifrog provides one place for students to draft all materials needed for applications such as CVs or Personal Statements.

All students in Years 7 - 13 now have access to this website, in keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing their next step after school.

If you would like more information on Unifrog please visit their website here. www.unifrog.org

Alumni:

We would like to encourage all former students of our school to stay in touch with Abbey College. It is our hope that the alumni can inspire our students and broaden their aspirations for their future. If you would like to be involved with working with our young learners please contact:

Points of Contact.

• Ms L Pollard RCDP, Careers Leader 
• Mrs C Wilson, Careers Coordinator
• Contact:  - tel: 01487 812352

THE NEW CAREER DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Careers provision at Abbey College is linked to the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks for good practice and the CDI (Careers Development Institute) Career Development Framework.
The CDI’s Career Development Framework describes the six career development skills that people need to have positive careers.
These six skills are the learning areas that career development programmes and interventions should focus on, with individual having the opportunity to engage with all of these.

Click here for more information.

Employer Engagement

PAL Legislation:

The update provider access legislation (PAL) - (please see the attached document (Careers guidance and access for education and training providers)has now been enacted. It specifies schools must provide at least six encounters with approved providers of apprenticeships and technical education for all their students:  

• Two encounters for pupils during the ‘first key phase’ (year 8 or 9) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend 
• Two encounters for pupils during the ‘second key phase’ (year 10 or 11) that are mandatory for all pupils to attend 
• Two encounters for pupils during the ‘third key phase’ (year 12 or 13) that are mandatory for the school to put on but optional for pupils to attend 

This new legislation will become a key mechanism to further help learners understand and take-up, not just apprenticeships, but wider technical education options such as T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications.  

As well as working with Growth Works, the following organisations have also supported us in recent years by attending a variety of our careers events to help our students prepare for their futures.

We are also interested in hearing from any employers who are able to help or support including parents and carers i.e. Work Experience, Mock Interview Days, Careers Talks and Careers Fair (CIAG Event) - Please see the attached Employer Engagement Strategy.

Please contact us using this email address.

Below are a few pictures from our past events:

Post-16 & Post-18 Options:

We would like to make you aware of the Employer Services offer from the County Council that may be of support for those students and their parents/carers who are not looking to go on to further education.

Please see the link below to the Learn Together site and local Post-16 job vacancies that provide training as per the Raising the Participation Age (RPA).

All vacancies are up to date and can be filtered into sectors via the spreadsheet into businesses etc so that preferences can be prioritized.

The site is updated everyday and is secure within the County Council system.

Local Job Vacancies for 16+ and Apprenticeships Information - Learn Together (cambslearntogether.co.uk)

For more information about T-Levels, Apprenticeships, A-Levels, Traineeships etc.... please follow the link below:

 Post-16/Post-18 Options

Labour Market Information (LMI):

What is LMI?

LMI effectively describes the world of work – ranging from descriptions of different careers, their entry routes, promotional prospects, salaries paid, skills and qualifications needed, etc. Crucially for young people, LMI also covers future demand – what kinds of jobs will be in demand after leaving school and what kinds of skills will be needed?

Why is LMI Important to Young People?

‘It is vital, in an environment where new industries are emerging and many of the most important jobs of the future don’t yet exist, that individuals have access to high-quality labour market information and earnings data to underpin their choices’. Anne Milton MP

Please use the links below for useful websites regarding LMI locally and nationwide:

Local:

Greater Cambridge & Peterborough LEP Report

Cambridgeshire Insight

Nationwide:

Careerometer

LMI for All 

Please click on the image below to see LMI for our local area.

Other Useful Websites

There are many useful websites that will help with your childs future and career choices, please see the attached document for a full range.

Please also see the attached document with the update to date websites for other Local Further Education and 6th Form Colleges.

A few more useful websites for you to try.

https://www.theskillsservice.co.uk/schools/information-sheets-for-schools/

Suitable for students in Year 9 and above, Youth Employment UK have created a free downloadable booklet which contains tips and activities to boost skills, knowledge and confidence with topics such as ‘Choosing a Career’, ‘Pathways’ and ‘Volunteering’.

https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/free-skills-careers-activities-booklet-for-young-people/

Suitable for all years, The Buzz “animal” quiz is a quick and fun way to better understand your strengths and how these can relate to your career choices.

The quiz is free and takes just 5 minutes: https://icould.com/buzz-quiz/

T-Levels:

With new T-Levels coming in we have attached a document to explain or please click on the following link for more information:

T-Level Information

Open Events: 

Careers Fair on 19^th October 2023 5:30-7:30pm

Details will be added as we receive them.

Resources

Students have access to a well-resourced careers library in our Careers Hub, with a wide range of current publications and prospectuses, and they can be accessed each school day at break and lunchtimes.  There is also careers computer software which can be accessed from any of the school’s networked computers.  If students have a query or want to talk to someone face to face, then they can call at the Careers Hub and see Ms Pollard or Mrs Wilson. We use the website Unifrog for students to research and build their careers plans. 

CEIAG Event

Each year we organise a CEIAG (Careers education, information, advice and guidance) event, where students can find out about a wide variety of careers and ask questions on a one-to-one basis.  The CEIAG event can provide many ideas for possible careers and should ensure that when students are choosing their GCSE options later in the academic year, they will have some idea of the qualifications they require to pursue a chosen career path. 

If you require any further information in regard to the Careers Provision please contact:

• Ms L Pollard RCDP, Careers Leader 
• Mrs C Wilson, Careers Coordinator
• Contact:  - tel: 01487 812352
• Review date: 1st January 2024