Gracewood Academy

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Careers Education

Careers education is an important part of preparing young people for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. A planned programme of activities supports the students in choosing pathways at key transition points that suit their interests and abilities and helps them to work towards a career path and sustainable employment. 

Our programme empowers young people to plan and manage their own futures. We acknowledge that availability of information is a key factor in career choice and pathway decisions. It raises aspirations, promotes equality, diversity, social mobility, challenges stereotypes and supports young people to achieve personal and economic well-being throughout their lives. 

Read about our approach to careers education, our commitments, responsibilities and evaluation plans in our Careers and Provider Access policy in our policies section of our website.  

Our Careers Team

Our senior leader with responsibility for careers education is Baabu Budu-Amoako

Our Careers and Enrichment Coordinator and Careers Leader is Asfia Naureen. She can be contacted by emailing careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org.    

To find out more about our careers programme, give any feedback or contribute to careers education at our Academy contact our Careers Leader. 

Students

Our careers provision is designed to give as much information, advice and guidance as possible to our students so you can make informed decisions about your futures. All staff at the school are here to help you. It is crucial that you discuss your next steps with people who will give you good, sound advice based on up-to-date information. You might talk to your teachers, Form Tutor, Head of Year, our Careers Leader as well as members of your family. 

​If you would like to book a 1:1 careers guidance meeting with our Careers Leader, email careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org using your school email and give your name, year group, form and why you would like to book the session. Read the Careers Plan to see what careers education is planned for each Year group – you can find the link to the Plan in Careers Education: an Overview.  

Volunteering is an excellent way to boost your CV or UCAS application by developing your skills and gaining valuable experience. It is also a great way to give back to your local community.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

  • Ask your Form Tutor or Head of Year if there are any roles or clubs you can join in the Academy.
  • If you have your own idea for a new extra-curricular club, speak to your Head of Year.
  • Think about joining a local Cadet Force: Find a detachment | Army Cadets UK.

Online work experience:

These organisations offer many opportunities to gain valuable information and experience in different roles and sectors:

  • Barclays LifeSkills - To help young people develop the skills they need for a better future.
  • Brighton and Sussex Medical School - For those applying to medical school, this virtual placement introduces students to the NHS. Also Royal College of General Practitioners 
  • Forage - Offers virtual experience placements with a range of companies, from banking to careers in tech. Most options last up to six hours and involve tutorials, videos and activities.
  • Leonardo – engineering placements - Providing an insight into the varied career options for people studying STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.
  • Futures For All - Connecting young people to high quality virtual work placements with 700 top employers.
  • Springpod - Virtual work experience placements ranging from fashion, finance, healthcare, marketing, sustainability, software to teaching.
  • The Lawyer Portal - A list of law firms offering virtual work experience.
  • Virtual opportunities from UCAS - Informative virtual experiences with leading employers.

There are lots of useful websites for researching careers listed of the Parents & Carers section of this careers area of our website, also look at the sections on Apprenticeships, T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, and University. 

For further information about our careers programme contact our Careers Leader at careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org.

Year 9 Options

After February half-term, Year 9 students are asked to decide some of the GCSEs or other qualifications they would like to study in Years 10 and 11. Students, parents and carers are provided with information, advice and guidance about the process and options for studying nearer the time. There is also an Options Evening for students, parents and carers.

Academy staff, including the Head of Year and members of the Senior Leadership Team, support students, their parents and carers throughout the process so that students make the best and most suitable choices for Key Stage 4.

Some subjects are compulsory which means everyone has to do them. For those subjects that are optional our advice is:

Do:

  • Choose subjects you like.
  • Choose subjects which you are good at.
  • Choose subjects which you may be useful to your future career, education, apprenticeship or training.
  • Find out everything that you can about the subject before you choose it as you will be studying it for two years.
  • Talk to people who know you about your choices.
  • Listen to the advice your subject teachers give you.

Don’t choose a subject just because your friend has chosen it.

Post 16 Options

In Year 10 and 11 students participate in the Post-16 Options Programme. Students meet a variety of education providers and employers to hear about the different study options and qualifications available including apprenticeships and T Levels after completing their GCSEs in Year 11. 

In Year 10 students have their own careers guidance meeting with our qualified, independent Careers Adviser. Students, parents and carers are given information about these meetings before they start.

Students, parents and carers are provided with information, advice and guidance about the process and options for studying nearer the time. There is also a Post-16 Options Evening for students, parents and carers.

Academy staff including the Heads of Year and members of the Senior Leadership Team support students, their parents and carers throughout the process. Students should have at least three options for after Year 11.

We encourage our students and their parents and carers to explore the full range of education providers and study options including apprenticeships, T levels and other training opportunities so that students make the best and most suitable choices for Key Stage 5.

​What are the options?

After Year 11 there are three main pathways students can take:

  • Stay in full-time education.
  • Start an apprenticeship.
  • Spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, alongside part-time education or training.

Full time education options include:

  • A levels which students can do at sixth form schools, sixth form and specialist colleges, further education colleges or University Technical Colleges. A-levels focus on academic subjects and are one of the main routes to university. Courses usually take two years, and you sit your exams at the end of the course. 
  • Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQ) such as BTECs, NVQs, or Cambridge technical. These focus on learning practical skills for work.
  • T Levels which they can do at colleges and further education colleges. T Levels are linked to careers such as engineering, finance and health and include an industry placement. Courses take two years to complete.

Look at the sections on Apprenticeships, T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, and University and for Parents & Carers on the Careers Education section of our website. 

You can find other useful information at:

The Unifrog College / Sixth Form shortlisting tool is also a useful for searching for, and shortlisting, courses.

Parents & Carers

This area of our Careers Education Website is aimed at helping parents and carers source up-to-date information to help support young people make decisions about their future studies, training, and employment.  

Unifrog: Students in all Year groups have their own Unifrog accounts. Unifrog is an online careers platform with information on careers, different qualifications and study options including college, sixth form, university and apprenticeships, so it is a great first port of call when looking to help your child with their career decisions. If you would like your own account please contact our Careers Leader

​Educational Options

Helping your child decide their next options whether that be their Key Stage 4 subjects, or what to do after completing Year 11 or 13 is important, which is why we provide parents and carers with specific information and guidance at these key transition points.  

There are a variety of routes and qualifications including apprenticeships available at different Key Stages. For more information look at the sections on Apprenticeships, T-Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, University and Labour Market Information on Careers Education: an Overview. You can find other useful information in the links below.

Post 16 Options

Types of Jobs: Students who have a vision of where they want to be in the future are likely to find it easier to plan their next steps. To help students and parents get an idea of what jobs are out there, we recommend using the Careers Search function on Unifrog and looking at some of the following websites:

About apprenticeships and technical education for post-16 and post-18 students

Advice for parents and carers on Post-16 Options 

​Local Labour Market Information

Providing our young people with current information on the labour market is crucial to allowing them to make informed decisions about the next steps they choose to take in their career journey. Labour Market Information helps learners to understand what jobs and skills employers are looking for, wage rates, skills gaps and future trends, so it helps them to identify careers that they may not have considered.

Many jobs that exist today did not exist 10 years ago and there will be jobs available in 10 years’ time that we cannot anticipate now. For this reason, we also ensure our students develop essential, transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving, resilience, character, integrity, judgement, leadership, and teamwork.   

For students it is important to keep up-to-date with what is happening locally, nationally and internationally. We are close to London, the centre of the UK economy with a wide variety of different sectors linked to businesses across the globe. There are many new and exciting opportunities which are available to young people. For information about the local labour market in Potters Bar, click here. 

Find out about job trends and growth sectors: 

 

Communicating with parents and carers

Parents and carers receive information about careers, work experience, study options and careers events via letters, newsletters, and at Options and Parents’ Evenings.

See the Careers Plan for what careers education is planned for each Year group - you can find the link to the Plan in Careers Education: an Overview.  You can also contact our Careers Leader via careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org.   

Teachers

We are committed to providing high-quality careers education to help inspire students and enable them to make rational, informed career decisions.  

Our Careers Leader and the SLT lead on careers education are responsible for designing our careers programme and for supporting our staff to deliver careers education and guidance by providing resources, advice, and staff briefings. It is, however, the strong belief of the school and the trust that the provision and delivery of careers education is the responsibility of all staff at our Academy. 

We would like all subject teachers to:

  • Use the ‘My Learning My Future’ teacher resources to highlight the relevance of your subject to future careers.  
  • Have a prominent display that links subject learning and skills development to different careers. 
  • Develop links with employers and specialist organisations to enrich subject learning. 
  • Invite alumni and other inspiring speakers to talk to students about how your subjects link to future pathways. 
  • Organise external visits by students to local employers / specialist workplaces such as museums, theatres, recording studios, law courts, etc. Your Careers Leader will provide you with relevant information in advance of the visit.
  • Record career-related teaching in schemes of learning - and encourage students to update their activities on Unifrog. 
  • Take part in National Careers Week by starting your lesson with a careers focus, such as talking about your career pathway or showing a short film where people explain the relevance of skills developed in your subject to their role.  
  • Explore ways of developing projects for students with a local employer or specialist organisation that enable them to use the skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom in the ‘real-world’. 
  • Subject teachers are supported to develop and integrate careers learning opportunities into their schemes of learning through INSET sessions and discussions with our Careers Team.

There are many resources listed in the various sub-sections of the Careers Education pages, other useful websites: 

All staff are given their own Unifrog account. Unifrog is an online careers platform with lots of information on careers, different qualifications and study options, training, and apprenticeships. 

See the Careers Plan for what careers education is planned for each Year group - you can find the link to the Plan in Careers Education: an Overview. You can also contact our Careers Leader via careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org.  

 Employers

Local employers - we want to work with you. 

We are educating your future employees. You can play a vital role in raising the career aspirations, broadening the horizons, and developing the employability skills of our young people. ​Being part of our network will provide you with moments of great satisfaction and exciting challenge! Having local employers like you helping to inspire young minds and transform attitudes through a range of activities and opportunities is the foundation of an excellent careers programme. 

Ways to support our Careers Programme

  • Take part in our careers fairs. 
  • Give an inspiring talk about your industry and / or career path. 
  • Help bring a subject to life by showing how it is used in the workplace. 
  • Offer a work experience placement at your premises. 
  • Support employability workshops being delivered by our specialist partners. 
  • Host a visit to your workplace. 
  • Prepare students for job and apprenticeship interviews as part of our mock interview programme. 
  • Develop a project for students that enables them to use the knowledge and skills learnt in the classroom in the ‘real-world’.  
  • Mentor a student as part of a structured programme. 
  • Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise. 
  • Be part of our discussions about pathways after leaving school, e.g. apprenticeships. 
  • Help champion specific issues and challenge stereotyping about job roles and sectors. 
  • Support employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school.  

What to expect: By getting involved, you will be developing the skills of our future workforce and your own and / or your colleagues’ skills, forge community links and build a positive profile for your organisation.  ​We will support you whatever you choose to do to ensure we maximise the use of your valuable time. Interested in getting involved? Email careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org and we will: 

  • Be your main point of contact for logistics and other enquiries. 
  • Help to organise the activity and any briefings and training you might need.  
  • Provide you with logistical information and explain our safeguarding requirements. 
  • Conduct a short evaluation with you to ensure we are getting things right. 

See the Careers Plan for what careers education is planned for each Year group - you can find the link to the Plan in Careers Education: an Overview. You can also contact our Careers Leader at careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org. 

Apprenticeships

During Years 7-11, students will learn about apprenticeships from their teachers, our Careers Leader and a range of apprenticeship providers. 

Apprenticeships are available to anyone aged 16 and over. They are a mixture of work and learning. It is most common for learning to take place either in a block at the start of the apprenticeship or one day per week at a training provider. Students can start an apprenticeship after completing their studies in Year 11 or Year 13. Students must ensure they have an appropriate back up plan, whether this is further study or employment, because applying for an apprenticeship is highly competitive. 

​An apprenticeship gives you free structured training, an understanding of the workplace and the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge, whilst getting paid. Apprenticeships usually last between one and five years depending on their level. The levels available are: 

  • Intermediate (Level 2) 
  • Advanced (Level 3) 
  • Higher and degree (Levels 4-7)

There are apprenticeships for many different job roles and most sectors from healthcare to financial services, the creative industries to construction, digital and tech roles to sport and fitness. Apprenticeships are advertised on the national apprenticeship website, and you can search by distance from home and sector. Unifrog also features a live Apprenticeship Search function.

Information about post-16 and post-18 apprenticeships

Apprenticeships – post 16

Apprenticeships – post-18

T Levels, Vocational Technical Qualifications, and Higher Technical Qualifications

​T Levels

T Levels are technical qualifications combining classroom learning, alongside an industry placement. T Levels are 2-year courses which are taken after GCSEs and are broadly equivalent to 3 A levels. They have been developed in collaboration with employers and education providers so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship, related technical study or higher education.  80% of the qualification is classroom based and 20% is spent undertaking an industry placement of at least 315 hours - approximately 45 days - with an employer in the workplace. The training provider is responsible for finding the employer(s) that will provide the industry placement. T Levels are based on the same standards as apprenticeships.

Entry requirements for T Levels vary depending on the provider. In line with other level 3 qualifications, most providers require students to have at least 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above as a minimum.

Learners study a broad course content alongside an occupational specialism, focusing on more specific knowledge and skills. Assessment is mainly exam-based, with some coursework depending on the subject. Students must also complete an employer-set project which involves practical application of skills learned during their placement. 

For students who are not quite ready to start a T Level after GCSEs, the T Level Foundation Year provides additional support to help them prepare. This one-year programme offers students the opportunity to study technical content aligned to T Levels and develop their Maths, English and digital skills, alongside work experience and personal development.

​Vocational Technical Qualifications (VTQs)

These are new qualifications delivering competence against an occupational standard.  At level 3 they are available in occupations not covered by a T Level. E.g. construction, digital, education and early years, engineering and manufacturing, and health and science.

VTQs are practical qualifications designed to give you the skills and experience you need for a certain job. They might be for you if you have a strong interest in working in a particular industry.

There are a few different types and levels of VTQs, including:

  • BTEC diplomas: level 1 to 7 qualifications
  • Cambridge Nationals: level 1 and 2 qualifications
  • Cambridge Technicals: level 2 and 3 qualifications
  • T Levels: level 3 qualifications

There are over 2,000 different subjects available across the different VTQs. Each subject focuses on a specific job or a broad employment area, such as childcare, engineering or IT.

To start a VTQ, you’ll need to: be 16 or over, live in England and not already be in full time education.

The grades you’ll need to have will depend on the level and type of course you’re applying for.

VTQs usually take place at a school or college. You can search for schools and colleges currently offering VTQ courses to find out where your nearest one is.

Find a VTQ through the National Careers Service

After completing a VTQ you could: go straight into work, start a type of higher education or do an apprenticeship.

​Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)

HTQs are level 4 and 5 qualifications that have been approved against occupational standards decided by employers.  They are job-focused qualifications which enable you to continue learning in a classroom environment, but don’t have the time and cost commitments of a full degree. They are available in universities, FE colleges, Institutes of Technology and Independent Training Providers.

University

During Years 7-11, students learn about university alongside other study options including college and specialist institutions.

It is never too early to start considering whether university will be the right path for your career aspirations. Considerations include whether a degree is necessary for your future career, and if so, which university and course is right for you. 

​Unifrog is an excellent place to start when looking for information. You can use the Subjects Library to see what university course could be right for you. While the UK Universities Search tool allows you to compare university courses to see how they match up against each other. Unifrog is also used to develop your personal statement and references as a part of the UCAS process. 

​We also encourage students to consider studying abroad and provide support for those who wish to pursue this.  

Below are some links that you may find useful. 

University information: 

Admission Tests:

Studying abroad:

Gap Year: 

Alumni

We would like to keep in touch with our former students. We are interested in what you are doing now and know that hearing from our alumni is very inspiring for our students.  

Ways you could support our careers programme: 

  • Provide a work placement. 
  • Host a visit to your workplace. 
  • Prepare students for job and apprenticeship interviews as part of our mock interview programme. 
  • Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities. 
  • Give an inspiring talk about your experience of university, being an apprentice, or your industry, career path and job role. 
  • Help bring a subject lesson to life by showing how it is used in the workplace. 
  • Mentor a student as part of a structured programme. 
  • Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise. 
  • Be part of our discussions about pathways after leaving school, e.g. apprenticeships. 
  • Help champion specific issues and challenge stereotyping about job roles and sectors. 
  • Support employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school. 

If you have your own ideas on how you can support our careers programme, please contact careers@gracewood.futureacademies.org.

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