Careers Guidance

Careers education plays a vital part in supporting young people to choose an appropriate post-16 pathway, which reflects their interests, talents, abilities and needs. A stable careers programme helps young people to understand the wider context of their learning and raises aspirations. The Bromfords School provides students with a progressive careers programme, which enables students to plan and manage their careers effectively.

Bromfords is committed to provide all students with a programme that is guided by the Gatsby Benchmarks and follows the statutory guidance set out in the” Careers strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents”. The programme offers opportunities to explore a variety of career pathways through assemblies, tutor activities, employability masterclasses, employer visits, workshops, careers fairs and 1:1 impartial and independent careers advice and guidance.

The Bromfords School uses Grofar as a tool to record each student’s careers activities, yearly careers action plans and skills development. This helps Bromfords to monitor and track each student’s career journey as well as planning and organising “meaningful” encounters to raise their aspirations. AT Bromfords, we are also committed to guiding students to follow appropriate pathways and gives all students various opportunities to research job sectors and regularly shares information with students and parents, which informs them about growth sectors, LMI and the fast changing world of work.

At Bromfords we ensure all of our students have the opportunity to access a varied ‘Careers and Employability’ education. The careers provision is regularly reviewed to ensure we are meeting The Gatsby Benchmarks as laid out in the Government’s Careers strategy.

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 pupil
  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

https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance

Why?

  1. Students: because we want students to choose the best possible path, which reflects their talents and interests.
  2. All stakeholders: because we want students to fully understand the world of opportunities that is open to them in the future.
  3. All stakeholders: because we believe in the importance of developing employability skills so that students are careers ready and engage in a sustainable career in the future.
  4. All stakeholders: because students need to know their vocational identity and therefore need to have access to outstanding careers information and advice.

Intent

To provide world class careers education for all our students which enables them to build the motivation, confidence and resilience to stand as first amongst equals and to achieve their potential, develop their talent and fulfil their ambition.

Implementation

Bromfords guarantees impartial and independent careers advice and guidance, which will:

  • Provide information about various education and training options and providers, including apprenticeship and other vocational pathways.
  • Provide access for all students and staff to careers websites and resources to support advice and guidance via the Academy’s web site as well as careers advice and guidance sessions during PSHE sessions and the Tutor Programme.
  • Provide access to a variety of external speakers, employers, representatives from higher education institutions and former students who are a valuable source for students to understand employer needs.
  • Provide access to LMI in order to enable students to make informed decisions regarding their future career pathways. There is a whole school CIAG Coordinator who is responsible for the implementation of the careers strategy. However, all staff play a part in the implementation of the careers strategy. Up-to-date careers information can be found on Microsoft Teams for each year group (prospectuses are available for students to either study or take away). Throughout students’ academic journey with Bromfords, students will have various opportunities to engage with a vast variety of educational and training providers to seek advice on courses and requirements.

Impact

Through a stable careers programme students will develop an understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, skills, talents and abilities as well as developing knowledge about different career pathways, job sectors and employability skills which will enable them to make informed and ambitious decisions about their future.

The Careers Learning Journey here at Bromfords is delivered through form time programmes, assemblies, trips and visitors. We are supported in this by Basildon Council, Essex County Council’s Apprenticeship brokerage service, Aim Apprenticeships, Connexions, Make Happen, Career Ready and our enterprise partners Morgan Sindall.  These partners are able to offer us a wide range of opportunities that support our careers programme. In Years 10 and 11, students are encouraged to register with the National Careers Service website and Barclays Lifeskills.com. The role of the Raising Aspirations team is to help prepare our students for the world of work. To help give them all the support they need they will take part in a number of different career-based activities including:

  • Careers lessons
  • Form time activities
  • Careers talks
  • Visits to places of employment
  • Workshops
  • College workshops and visits
  • Mock interviews
  • Assemblies
  • Work Experience
  • Business mentoring
  • University visits
  • UCAS workshops
  • Oxbridge support

Click here to download out Careers Learning Journey to see more of the opportunities students have here at Bromfords

Tutor Programme


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