Careers Info
Felpham Community College has a critical role to play in preparing our young people for the next stage of their education or training and beyond.
A young person’s career is their journey through life, learning and work and we recognise that effective careers guidance contributes to raising aspirations, improving motivation and overcoming barriers to success.
We have high expectations for all our students, including for our most vulnerable and those with special educational needs and disabilities, so that every student is challenged appropriately and acquires the knowledge, skills and attitudes for lifelong learning which employers value. This will help every young person to realise their potential and enhance their employability.
Our Vision
- To prepare students for the ever-changing opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life and equip them with the skills to manage the choices, changes and transitions ahead of them
- To help students develop a positive self-image, increase self-confidence and raise personal aspirations
- To ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and awareness of the working world so that they are equipped with the ability to follow an individual chosen route to further or higher education and employment in a career choice which matches their aspirations in relation to their ability
In line with the most recent careers guidance strategy (July 2021), our careers plan supports the achievement of the eight Gatsby benchmarks:
- Benchmark 1 – A stable careers programme
- Benchmark 2 – Learning from career and labour market information
- Benchmark 3 – Addressing the needs of each student
- Benchmark 4 – Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Benchmark 5 – Encounters with employers and employees
- Benchmark 6 – Experience of workplaces
- Benchmark 7 – Encounters with further and higher education
- Benchmark 8 – Personal Guidance
Currently the majority of the requirements are being met and we continue to work towards achieving all Benchmarks.
We review our whole school careers programme in July every year.
The Provider Access Policy can be found on our Policies and Guidance page.
Careers Programme
|
|
Whole School Careers Programme 2023-24
|
Year 7
Autumn Term
- Transitions – Coping with change
- Christmas Fayre – Tutor group Stalls
Spring Term
- Charity Week inter-form challenge
Summer Term
- Xello – School subjects at work, interests, time management
Year 8
Autumn Term
- Rights and responsibilities at work
Spring Term
- Xello – Exploring learning styles, discover learning pathways, biases and career choices
- Antweight challenge
Summer Term
- Big Bang South East (selected students)
Year 9
Autumn Term
- Xello – Explore career matches, skills, self-advocacy
- Exploring higher education with University of Sussex (selected students)
- Which Way Now? booklet
Spring Term
- Options evening
- Exploring higher education with University of Sussex (selected students)
- Slot Truck Challenge (selected students)
- Pathways evening
Summer Term
- Big Bang South East (selected students)
- Exploring higher education with University of Sussex (selected students)
Year 10
Autumn Term
- Xello -introduction to experiences and storyboard
Spring Term
- Xello – encouragement to keep adding to experiences and storyboard in preparation for CV writing in summer term
- Pathways event
- Workplace visit (selected students)
Summer Term
- Xello – Study skills and habits, personality styles, getting experience, CV writing
- Careers Day – virtual work experience, speed networking event, skills-building activities
- Workplace visit (selected students)
Year 11
Autumn Term
- Mock interview day
- Careers interview – one to one or small group
- Xello – Work values, workplace skills and attitudes, transition to further education
Spring Term
- Follow-up careers interviews (selected students)
- It’s your choice booklet
- Pathways evening
Year 12
Autumn Term
- HE preparation sessions
- SACU
- Xello – career demand, work/life balance, choosing a university
Spring Term
- HE preparation sessions
- SACU
- Xello – career demand, work/life balance, choosing a university
- Work experience
- Pathways evening
Summer Term
- HE preparation sessions
- SACU
- Journey to work free online course
- Careers interviews
Year 13
Autumn Term
- UCAS support
- Xello – careers back-up plans, career path choices, defining success
- Support with alternative pathways
Spring Term
- UCAS support
- Xello – careers back-up plans, career path choices, defining success
- Support with alternative pathways
All Year Groups
Autumn Term
- Student/parent weekly bulletin – updates and opportunities
Spring Term
- Student/parent weekly bulletin – updates and opportunities
- National Careers Week – opportunity to find out about a number of different careers from outside speakers
Summer Term
- Student/parent weekly bulletin – updates and opportunities
Students
Student Information
From the moment you start at Felpham Community College until you walk out of the doors for the very last time, we are preparing you to leave us. No, we don’t want to get rid of you! In fact, we want you to be prepared for that big wide world beyond the school walls. We want you to be happy, to have fulfilled your potential, to be on a career pathway that is right for you, and to know what to do if that pathway changes for any reason.
At school we are all committed to this end goal and, although you can go to any member of staff for careers support, your first port of call should be to Miss Ward, Careers Leader in the Careers Office (S13a). Felpham Community College has a strong working relationship with the local community and beyond, and we regularly invite companies, employers, employees, apprentices and training providers to talk to you about different careers paths, qualifications and the world of work.
From Year 7 right through to Year 13 you will have access to careers education, information, advice and guidance through Citizenship or Lifeskills lessons, careers talks from outside speakers, including colleges and training providers, careers fairs and careers days, work experience placements, off-site careers visits, mock interviews, CV writing, 1:1 careers interviews with a qualified careers advisor, and careers information in the weekly bulletin.
Whether you want to stay local or venture further afield, nationally or internationally, Felpham Community College is here to help you. The weekly bulletin provides news and information about apprenticeships, university and employment, as well as local, national and international opportunities for residentials, courses, competitions and taster days.
You are at the very centre of your career journey and you play the biggest role in your career preparation. It is up to you to take responsibility for making the most out of life in school.
- Study hard
- Take part in extracurricular activities and other opportunities offered to you
- Take pride in yourself
- Be the best you can be
- Research your options
- Ask questions
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
- Get back up again, dust yourself off and try again
- Ask for help
The Careers Office (S13a) and Careers Hub (S13b) are there for you, and all students are encouraged to drop by for a chat or make an appointment. The door is always open.
Subject Resources
Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block. Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block.
Work Experience
Taking part in work experience gives you an opportunity to explore a career you might be considering and to learn/develop new skills. Whether applying for an apprenticeship, a job or to go to university, having work experience that you can put on your CV and talk about in your application can really make a difference.
Below you will find links to Springpod, Speakers for Schools and Forage, all of which offer free opportunities across a wide variety of sectors. You will also find a link to InvestIn’s paid experiences and links to subject/sector-specific opportunities.
If you take part in any work experience, whether virtual or face-to-face, remember to upload the details into Xello. To do this log into Xello (via Office 365), click on About me in the top menu bar, scroll down the page to reach “Experiences” and click on “Add Experience”
|
|
Springpod
|
|
|
Speakers for Schools
|
|
|
Forage
|
|
|
Investin
|
|
|
Medical – BSMS Virtual work experience
|
|
|
Medical – Observe GP (for over 16s)
|
|
|
Law – The Lawyer Portal
|
|
|
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/
|
Employers
Employer Information
At Felpham Community College we provide a vast range of career-based activities for our students.
We are proud to work with a large number of local and national business and we are constantly looking to develop new links to further enrich our careers programme. We are part of the West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub.
As a school we understand our role in preparing young people for the workforce and have developed our careers programme to support this. The programme develops students’ confidence and independence, it aims to remove barriers to ensure students’ readiness to take their next step in their learning or career.
The objectives for the careers programme are as follows:
- helping students to understand the changing world of work
- facilitating meaningful encounters with employers for all students
- supporting positive transitions post-16 & post-18
- enabling students to develop their research skills to find out about opportunities
- helping students to develop the skills, attitudes and qualities to make a successful transition into the world of work
- encouraging participation in continued learning, higher education and apprenticeships
- supporting inclusion, challenging stereotyping and promoting equality of opportunity
- contributing to strategies for raising achievement, particularly by increasing motivation.
- Events are held throughout the year in a variety of areas including Mock Interview Day (Year 11), Careers Carousel (Year 9), Work Shadowing Day (Year 10), Pathways Evening (whole school), UCAS application support and assemblies.
If you would like to get involved, or wish to advertise any apprenticeship vacancies through the school, then please contact Miss Nicky Ward, Careers Leader by email – nward@felpham.org.uk.
Parents And Carers
Parent and Carer Information
Current research shows that parents/carers are the greatest influence on a child’s career decision, but with an ever-changing labour market, changes to the education and examination system, the effects of Covid, along with the introduction of various new pathways into the world of work, it can be difficult to know how best to support your child.
At Felpham Community College our careers programme encourages students to be ambitious, broaden their horizons and explore their own career aspirations throughout their life at school.
The programme develops students’ confidence and independence; it aims to remove barriers to ensure students’ readiness to take their next step in their learning or career.
The objectives for the careers programme are as follows:
- helping students to understand the changing world of work
- facilitating meaningful encounters with employers for all students
- supporting positive transitions post 16 & post-18
- enabling students to develop the research skills to find out about opportunities
- helping students to develop the skills, attitudes and qualities to make a successful transition into the world of work
- encouraging participation in continued learning, higher education and apprenticeships
- supporting inclusion, challenging stereotyping and promoting equality of opportunity
- contributing to strategies for raising achievement, particularly by increasing motivation.
Events are held throughout the year including UCAS application support (Sixth Form), Pathways Event, Mock Interview Day (Year 11), workplace visits (Year 10) and work experience (Year 12).
All students have open access to our Careers Hub and during KS4 & KS5 will be allocated a one-to-one or small group session with a Level 6 Qualified Impartial Careers Adviser.
|
|
Amazing Apprenticeships
|
|
|
Career Pilot (Parent Zone)
|
|
|
Parental Guidance
|
|
|
The Parents’ Guide to
|
|
|
UCAS
|
Staff
Staff Information
As a member of staff you are an important part of the careers provision for FCC students. Whether teaching or non-teaching, you will come into contact with students and you may well be asked careers-based questions or take part in careers-based discussions.
It is important to remember that even though you are an expert in your own field, you are not a trained careers professional; you are not a Careers Advisor and you are not expected to be one. These professionals are trained to at least a Level 6 specialist qualification. All Year 11 students will have a 1:1 or small-group careers interview with Mel Ponterosso or Helen Sanders; Year 12 students will have another opportunity to meet with Mel.
If you feel that a student in a different year group would benefit from a 1:1 careers interview please contact Nicky Ward, Careers Leader, to consider/arrange.
However, we should all try to give good advice or at least point students and parents/carers in the right direction whenever we can. Our job is to help our students to leave us happy, having reached their potential and prepared for the career pathways ahead of them.
So, what can you do?
Here are some ideas:
- become familiar with the FCC Careers Programme to see what we offer our students
- embed careers into your subject curriculum to help students see the links between their study now and when they leave us – Xello is used across the school with students, in Citizenship (KS3 and KS4) or Lifeskills (KS5) lessons – if you are not yet using Xello please ask Nicky Ward to add you as a user so that you can use this resource in your lessons.
- show our students what is out there in the world of work beyond the school environment by exploring real-life applications of subject skills – your Futures board should have this information displayed on it
- reinforce the importance of transferrable employability skills, such as responsibility, teamwork, communication, resilience and problem-solving
- encourage students to take part in extra-curricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh award, NCS (National Citizens Service), or any of the careers opportunities they are offered via the weekly bulletin.
- keep careers notice boards in department areas up to date; this includes the Futures board in every classroom
- look at some of the resources on the staff and student page of the careers website to get a flavour of what is out there for our young people these days
- become familiar with the different qualifications students are offered, beyond GCSE’s and A Levels
- refer students to Nicky Ward, Careers Leader, in the Careers Office (S13a) Never be afraid to admit that you do not know the answer yet, but that you will find someone who does very soon.
Subjects
Below you will find links for teaching staff, some of these resources are located on Sharepoint and will require the user to login.
General Resources
|
|
Creative Careers
|
|
|
Developing student employability
|
|
|
Employability skills
|
Art & Design
|
|
Resources on Sharepoint
|
|
|
Career Ready: Careers in the curriculum
|
|
|
ERIC – creative careers
|
Biology
|
|
What’s the point in Biology?
|
|
|
Science, why bother?
|
|
|
Careeer Ready: Careers in the curriculum
|
Contact Us
Careers Leader: Miss N Ward
Careers Assistant: Mrs L Nash
Telephone: 01243 826511 ext 213/221
|
|
Email Us
|