Destinations and Careers

We love the Career Pilot website. You will use this in your PSHCE lessons in school but we strongly encourage you to take some time to explore further.

• The home page now has a three-stage career exploring process for you to use (and return to when making career decisions)
• The Jobs section has the Careerometer where you can compare three jobs to find Labour Market Information* (who’s employed in each sector, how much they earn, how long these jobs are expected to last) and a new ‘Job growth near me’ section
• Finally there’s an ‘Action Points’ tool in the Career Tools section to help you get started

*It’s really important to use Labour Market Information (LMI) to help inform your choices. You can use the Careerometor below to make a start now. Simply enter some jobs and explore the latest data.

Youth Employment UK Careers Hub also provides free, impartial and inspiring information about the range of sectors and careers available in the UK. The Careers Hub also offers detailed Labour Market Information and advice on CV writing, interviews, starting a business, managing working well-being and finances.

Skillsometer

Skillsometer can help you discover what jobs you might like to do in the future. You will be presented with a series of statements. Select the emoji that shows how you feel about each statement. You will be given suggestions of jobs linked to what you most enjoy doing.”

Careerometer

Careerometer can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations, help you learn about different occupations and identify potential careers. It provides access to a selection of UK headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects for different occupations, as well as description of the occupation.

Simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you. You can then look up another two occupations and compare. You can also select ‘display the UK average’ and compare the information with the occupation you have selected.

• CareerMap and their regular CareerMag and CareerMag for Parents has a lot of great information including interviews with young professionals doing jobs you might want to do yourself
• Barclay’s Life Skills is another site you will have seen in PSHEE that has some great employability skills activities and quick quizzes to find out more about your interests and skills
• Recruitment Companies likes Hayes or Reed and many local companies provide career advice. If you have something in mind, why not explore Reed’s Career Guides
• For more information on transitions for students with SEND, explore the brilliant SEND Transitions Fair

There are many kinds of apprenticeships from intermediate at GCSE level through to higher or degree apprenticeships. You can often extend an initial apprenticeship to degree level as well.

The official government Apprenticeship programme also has loads of interviews with current apprentices so you can get a taste of what it’s like to work and study at the same time. They also have listings of vacancies.

UCAS also has an Alternative Routes tab which includes information about apprenticeships, internships, gap years and studying abroad.

Future Talent have hundreds of new opportunities added every day. There’s a useful distance search filter on the left hand side that helps you find opportunities close to home.

The National Careers Service provides information advice and guidance on skills, employment and training.

The Apprenticeship Guide  can also help link your school subjects to possible career routes and apprenticeships.

AllAboutSchoolLeavers  has a great range of apprenticeship opportunities and advice.

NotGoingToUni  is a popular site for searching jobs and training opportunities.

A great deal of business networking takes place online. You can create a professional online presence with LinkedIn.

Other popular websites for employment include Indeed and the Department for Work & Pensions job search which also offers a lot of ideas.

Don’t forget to check the Sixth Form Common Room Noticeboard and our Careers Bulletin too!

For some young people, staying in a school environment may not be the best choice, particularly if you have a practical or vocational career in mind. There are a wide range of further education college qualifications available including:

• Entry level qualifications and Functional/Key Skills – designed to support students, these can be a mandatory part of your course at college and are generally in ICT, numeracy and literacy
• Level 1 or 2 NVQs – designed to support students who may have some GCSE grades up to level 3 (D), or likely to focus on one specific subject
• BTEC Diplomas and Certificates – ranging from Introductory to First Diploma (equivalent to GCSEs), National Diplomas (equivalent to two A levels) which can be used as a pathway to university and finally Extended National Diplomas (equivalent to three full A levels) which are widely accepted by universities as an alternative to A levels for degree courses
• Foundation courses usually focus on a particular profession or careers Feeling muddled about all of the different kinds of ‘foundation’? This video will help

Foundation Degrees are two year courses but you can extend them to a full degree. They are very supportive, often having small classes and attract students from a range of different backgrounds. Foundation Degrees take experience outside of exams (for instance work experience) into account and are more flexible or include work placements. You can study locally and are often less expensive that a traditional degree.

If you are considering a foundation course (perhaps an Art Foundation or a Higher National Diploma – HND), our main providers locally are Bath College, Wiltshire (Trowbridge) College (including Lackham Campus for land-based study), South Gloucestershire & Stroud College, City of Bristol College and Weston College.

For Music, Dance and Drama conservatoires, visit the CUKAS site within UCAS. For other courses leading towards the creative industries you could investigate:

• Access Creative College
• Creative Youth Network’s Creative Courses and Creative Futures programmes
• Bristol’s Circomedia
• BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music Institute) also based in Bristol
• DBs The Sound and Music Institute in Bristol
• Boomsatsuma creative courses

For other courses leading towards the sport you could research:

• Bristol Robins Foundation (Bristol City)
• Bristol Rovers Community Trust
• Bristol Bears Community Foundation
• Bath Rugby Foundation Finally, UCAS also has a Further Education tab with information and advice on BTECs, NVQs and career options

Lots of students decide to take a year out before going to university, employment or further training.

If you are thinking of going to university we advise applying through UCAS in Year 13 and deferring your entry so that you have our support and some flexibility.

Gap Years might include travel, work or volunteering.

Don’t forget to check the Sixth Form Common Room Noticeboard and our Careers Bulletin too!

Most students apply for some kind of funding or loan for continuing studies.

You can find out more about student finance and apply through the government’s student loan programme.

Student Finance England oversee much of the funding for students from the UK. Their explanatory video is a good place to start.

UCAS has a useful guide to all things money, from fees to funding to special allowances. The student room also offers guidance on different kinds of funding.

If you’re looking at Drama or Dance, make sure you check the DaDa funding pages of the Department for Education website.

Sixth Formers, Miss Trueman has already introduced you to UCAS and you will spend time working on it in detail this year.

Don’t forget as well as looking for higher education degrees and courses, UCAS also has a Careers tab.

If you’re researching universities, Start is another great website that allows you to search for courses by location and by looking at careers and job sectors.