Introduction

Careers education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG) plays a crucial role in supporting our students, helping them make informed decisions and plans for their future, especially as they transition to post-16 and post-18 options.

To provide the best support possible, we have developed a comprehensive career and employability strategy in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks that offers a tailored, inclusive approach to careers education for all, to ensure our students are provided with the knowledge, skills and support needed to take their next steps.

The Gatsby Benchmarks

The eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:

1. A stable careers programme

2. Learning from career and labour market information

3. Addressing the needs of each young person

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 aim to:

• Provide clear, comprehensive information and advice
• Support students’ aspirations and progression
• Promote equality of opportunity and challenge stereotypes
• Respond to the individual needs of each learner
• Develop strong skills in reflection and action planning, helping students manage their next steps
• Equip students with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their future

Summary

Our 'Careers @ Cardinal' careers programme is designed to help our students make informed choices and improve career readiness and employability by offering multiple, variable and targeted experiences throughout their education journey.

We start this journey at the beginning of Year 7. Firstly, we introduce and inspire our new students to a vast number of careers and career pathways. This leads to opportunities for investigation and exploration through career-based activities, workshops and guest speakers. Our students are then given the opportunity to apply and demonstrate their skills during KS4 by undertaking mock interviews and completing two weeks of meaningful work experience. 

Delivery

We deliver our careers programme through various activities during the academic year, including but not limited to; assemblies, industry days, guest speakers, subject trips, careers fairs, employability interviews, advisory meetings and during key events within the careers calendar, such as National Careers Week and National Apprenticeship Week. 

Each week, we dedicate one morning of form time to explore the different career options available via MYPATH, helping to broaden students’ horizons. We cover topics such as, 'What are my interests?', 'What are employability skills?' and 'What are my options after KS4?' . In addition to this, our careers programme is also part of our whole school Curriculum for Life which the students experience at various points throughout each year.

We are committed to helping students make well-informed decisions, offering opportunities to connect with industry professionals and providing guidance for a successful and fulfilling career path. You can view photographs of our latest careers events by clicking here. 

Additionally, all students and their parents/guardians have access to the Unifrog platform, a useful tool for comparing university courses, apprenticeships, and further education options, along with support for the application process. Click here for more information. 

Impact

We continually strive to improve our careers education. We do this by assessing the impact of our careers program through termly evaluations via Compass+, annual audits, student aspirations, staff, students, and parent voice, employer feedback and destination data analysis. 

Resources 

For additional resources, including links to various careers websites for students, parents/guardians please click here.

Careers & Provider Access Policy

To view our Careers and Provider Access Policy please click here.

Feedback

If you would like to share feedback on the careers education we provide or would like to get involved with our careers program, such as offering work experience or being a guest speaker to share your own career insights, please feel free to contact me on the below.

We welcome your involvement and look forward to hearing from you!

Joanne Roberts

Careers Lead
Phone: 0151 235 1430
Email: careers@cardinal-heenan.org.uk / joanne.roberts@cardinal-heenan.org.uk