Careers News - Term 6 Update

What a jam-packed final term for the Careers Department!

This week has been no exception with the vast majority of Year 10 students out on work experience placements in sectors from education to engineering, banking to business, healthcare to hospitality. I have been making monitoring calls to the supervising employers and the feedback has been excellent. I look forward to hearing more from the students when they return to school on Monday. For those students in school for work-related learning, Mon[1]day saw them undertake a challenge delivered by Construction Youth Trust. In teams, they were allocated roles such as Landscape designer, accessibility adviser, community engagement officer. The teams were tasked with proposing a regeneration plan for a park within a town considering community needs, sustainability, feasibility and cost. The teams presented their final proposals to a panel of judges and demonstrated how thoroughly they had approached the task and delivered excellent presentations of their proposals. Congratulations to Hoval Construction Enterprise, the winning team.

On Wednesday 25th June, Year 10 students went to Sussex University for a taster day, hearing about student life and study options, touring the campus and spending time in Q&A with student ambassadors studying a wide range of subjects. This was an invaluable opportunity to experience a university campus first-hand and bust some myths about what University has to offer. For those students who stayed in school there was a programme of research activities to explore what universities have to offer including hearing from three South East Universities in a webinar, exploring course details in a subject of their choice and researching some of the any other facilities and opportunities available across university life.

On Thursday 19th June we held a Year 10 Careers Afternoon which offered the whole of Year 10 three sessions with visiting speakers to further explain Post-16 Options. This included a detailed look at apprenticeships from Ask Apprenticeships, a look at what an FE College has to offer, including their role as an apprenticeship training provider, from North Kent College, and a look at the different subjects and types of qualifications on offer at a local University Technical College, the Leigh UTC. Each of these sessions will support the students to make an informed decision about their next steps beyond GCSEs. This afternoon is part of our commitment to meeting the statutory guidance for Careers in Schools which includes legislation setting out the requirement for every school to provide access to alternative providers of education (including apprenticeships) for all students. Our students will be further supported in their decision-making next year with an individual career guidance interviews for all and a parents’ evening with more guidance on Post-16 choices.

Earlier this week we were reassessed for the Investors in Career Quality award, an important external validation of our Careers programme. The criteria for the Award cover all of the statutory requirements but they also additional elements to help us ensure that our programme is of the highest quality, continuing to improve and sustainable for the years to come. I want to thank all of the staff and students who contributed to the assessment on the day, the assessor gave some very positive feedback and we await the formal outcome.

My final comment for Careers News is to say goodbye! After over 17 years, I will be leaving Gravesend Grammar School at the end of August to undertake a career change of my own, returning to full time training. My time at GGS has been one of great joy and learning. It has been an absolute privilege to journey with the students over many years, I have learnt so much from them and I have never tired of sharing in their career ideas, questions and aspirations. I am leaving the Careers Department in good hands because it has always been a team effort and the all of the leaders, teachers and support staff continue to go above and beyond to help each student follow their own path successfully.

Truly Consule Cunctis! Jenny Douse