Careers Advice and Guidance

We are committed to following the government’s Careers Strategy (published January 2018) and aim to meet the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks by the end of 2020 as per the guidance.

At Kingswinford Academy, we encourage all students in every year group to consider their career aspirations. Every year group follows a careers education program, which aims to raise aspirations and provide students with a better understanding of the pathways needed to take in order to achieve their goals.

Throughout the year speakers from different organisations will come in to provide the students with inspiration and advice. The below benchmarks are now being covered vigorously across the school.

Gatsby Benchmarks

The eight Gatsby benchmarks of good career 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

There is a notice board for any relevant careers Information that students are encouraged to look at regularly. College open day dates and deadlines for applications are displayed here. There is also college and university information, prospectuses and applications in the Careers Base.

At key milestones throughout the students’ education, the CEIA&G department will provide support, advice and guidance to ensure realistic and informed decisions are made. We cover everything from GCSE/vocational options, work experience placements and apprenticeship choices.

It is our aim to help and guide every child in the direction of their choice and assist them in getting there, whether it is researching career opportunities, applying for a job vacancy, a full time college course or apprenticeship.

Work experience

Students in Year 10 have the opportunity to gain work experience placements to enhance their employability skills and personal development.

This opportunity is vital to ensuring students make an informed choice about their future education and career path. Many of the academic institutes and employers who students will be applying for now make work experience a requirement for particular fields.

Each year local businesses and organisations kindly guarantee us some placements and we have a database of placements that our students have used in previous years available. We advise our students to contact prospective placements by phone or by letter. However many organisations do ask for a formal letter requesting a placement.

Connexions

Connexions is a support service for young people aged 13- 19 (up to 25 years old for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities). The service is designed to meet the needs of individual young people, helping them to reach their full potential and make a successful transition into adult life.

Through Personal Advisers, Connexions offers free, independent, impartial, information, advice and guidance and practical help on a range of issues including education, employment, work-based learning, housing, health, transport, free time and money matters.

Connexions Dudley has a website with a vast array of careers related information which can be accessed here.

If you require an appointment please speak to Mr Mroczko or Mrs Woodhouse.

Please see our Character Education Curriculum find how Gatsby Benchmarks are met across the school.