Careers Information, Advice and Guidance
The Careers Leader at Attleborough Academy is Mr Grant Martin (Head of Key Stage 4). Mr Martin can be contacted at gmartin@attleboroughacademy.org.
The Careers Adviser and Work Experience Co-ordinator at Attleborough Academy is Mrs Marianne Foster. If you would like to arrange a careers guidance appointment or have any questions about careers or Work Experience, please email Mrs Foster at mfoster@attleboroughacademy.org
The Careers Programme at Attleborough Academy
Our Careers Programme is based on the Gatsby Benchmarks which provide the framework for our careers provision. The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Careers Guidance are:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
We review and evaluate our careers provision on a yearly basis by using destinations data, parent/carer questionnaires, student feedback and the compass assessment tool.
Year 7
- Enterprise Co-ordinator Seminars
Year 8
- Year 8 GCSE Options Evening (where future progression routes are discussed with students)
- Enterprise Co-ordinator Seminars
Year 9
- Careers Fair and Workshops
- Norfolks Skills Festival
- Enterprise Co-ordinator Seminars
Year 10
- Careers Fair and Workshops
- Norfolk Skills Festival
- Work Experience
- 1:1 Careers Guidance Meetings
- Enterprise Co-ordinator Seminars
Year 11
- 1:1 Careers Guidance Meetings
- Collaboration with Norfolk County Council as well as training and education providers to monitor students' intended destinations post-Year 11
- Parents' Evenings (where planned progression routes are discussed with students and their parents or carers)
Year 12 and Year 13
- 1:1 Careers Guidance Meetings (Careers Adviser available for meetings each week)
- Tutor responsible for overseeing support and guidance throughout the students' time in the Sixth Form
- 1:1 guidance and support relating to future and opportunities from members of the Sixth Form Team
Meaningful Encounters with Universities
- Assembly speaks from Lincoln/NUA/UEA/Essex/Gonville & Cauis with topics including:
- Medical degrees
- Student life
- Student finance
- Applying to a University
- Choosing a University
- Actuarial Science
- User Experience Design and Design degrees
- Visit to UEA Higher Education Fair
- Visit to the UEA Sixth Form Conference
- Making decisions/applying to University workshops at Anglia Ruskin (Cambridge)
- Visit to Gonville and Cauis College Cambridge-Russell Group, Top 25, Oxbridge experience
- Student finance guidance (University of Suffolk visiting speakers)
- UEA Student Ambassador workshop (UEA visiting speakers)
- Arts/Design Degree experience visit (Norwich University of the Arts)
Meaningful Interactions with Employers
All students:
- Assembly speakers from local businesses with speakers and topics including:
- – Price Bailey Accountants (Accounting careers)
– Morgan Sindall (Construction/Advanced Apprenticeships)
– R G Carter (Construction/Apprenticeships)
– Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (Medical careers/Advanced Apprenticeships) - Visits to local employers including R G Carter
- Team-building/problem-solving workshop led by degree apprentices from R G Carter
Students on Level 3 programmes:
- One week work experience placement and tutorial led reflection
- Volunteering programme (one hour/week in the community/education settings)
Students on Level 2 programmes:
- Extended work experience placement (two days per week over 36 weeks)
- Tutorial led guided reflection programme relating to work experience placement
Series of workshops run by a combination of staff/external speakers covering:
- Decision making/futures/HE information
- Apprenticeships (visiting speaker from Breckland Council outreach)
- UCAS applications
- CV/Personal statement writing
- Research/skills for HE
Individual support with applications for:
- UCAS/University/Conservatoires
- Apprenticeships (all levels)
- Traineeships
- Employment
- Personal statement and CV writin
Attleborough Academy Careers Fair and Workshops
External employers, industry professionals and further education establishments offer first hand advice and interactive workshops.
Apprenticeships, CVs and Interviews
- https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship – Search and apply for live Apprenticeship vacancies
- https://amazingapprenticeships.com/ – Advice and information about Apprenticeships
- https://targetcareers.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-interviews – Information about how to complete a CV, application form and interview
Further Education Colleges and Sixth Forms
- https://www.attleboroughacademy.org/sixthform/ – Attleborough Academy Sixth Form
- https://helpyouchoose.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=easysearch.provider&category=2 – All other Sixth Forms can be found via Help You Choose
- https://www.ccn.ac.uk/ – City College Norwich
- https://www.easton.ac.uk/ – Easton College
- https://www.accesscreative.ac.uk/ – Access Creative College
- https://utcn.org.uk/ – University Technical College Norfolk
Higher Education and Student Finance
- https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate – Information about all Higher Education Institutions, courses available, the application process plus much more
- https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/ – Covers a wide range of topics related to Higher Education
- https://www.ucas.com/finance/undergraduate-tuition-fees-and-student-loans – Financial Support for Higher Education explained
- https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance – How to apply for Student Finance
Labour Market Information Norfolk 2022
Labour Market Information (LMI) is information that provides insight into the labour markets at different levels (district, region or nation).
LMI will focus on:
- the industries that are growing and declining
- the types and levels of jobs are increasing and decreasing
- what supply of labour is available – numbers, skill and qualification levels.
Examples of information provided are as follows:
- Population composition
- Skills, Career and Progression Pathways
- Education institutes, courses, qualifications, and supporting statistics
- Employment sectors, employers, trends and jobs
- Jobs, training, and apprenticeships
Please click here to view the Labour Market Information for Norfolk 2022.
Norfolk Skills Festival
Norfolk County Council and City College lead this initiative with local, national and international industries, employers and educational establishments, offering realistic and often, hands-on experience, advice and demonstrations.
Useful Careers Websites
- https://www.startprofile.com/ – Start is the careers programme used in Steps for Success and contains lots of useful information about careers, training, apprenticeships, CVs and much more
- https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ – Provides job profiles on a wide range of careers
- https://helpyouchoose.org/content/ – Contains information about all education and training options in Norfolk
- https://www.icanbea.org.uk/ – Provides a quiz to help you explore your future plans and links to employers and careers available in the region
- https://icould.com/ – Careers videos and information from a wide range of organisations
- https://www.gocompare.com/life-insurance/uk-riskiest-jobs-report/ - Go Compare have analysed average salaries across the UK to find out how much you can earn if you choose to work in one of the top five riskiest professions
- https://www.o2.co.uk/help/digital-services/jargon-buster - A 'tech' jargon-buster
Work Experience
Students in Year 10 spend a week in June at a work placement that they have approached and organised with the support of the Academy's Work Experience Co-ordinator.