Careers Education

The vision for careers education at Holyrood Academy is to help individual students investigate opportunities and choices that will enable them to make the next steps on their own path. 

The aims of the Careers Education Programme at Holyrood Academy are:

• To help all students to investigate the options and pathways available to them.
• Every student to have independent advice and guidance. Careers education is tailored to individual need.
• To raise aspirations of the students within Holyrood Academy
• To meet The Gatsby Benchmarks - a series of benchmarks that set out best practice in the provision of careers guidance activities. This is measured by using the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Compass tool once a term.
• To use local and national market data to help to provide the most relevant information to our students. 

At Holyrood Academy, we would like all students, from Years 7-13, to have a purposeful careers education to fill them with the confidence, skills and knowledge to be able to fulfil their next steps.

OUR CAREERS PROGRAMME
Year 7
• Enterprise skills
• Introduction to careers
• Challenging stereotypes and raising aspirations
• Links with local employers

Year 8
• Aspirations and looking to the future
• Links with local employers

Year 9
• Self-skills audit
• Learning and study skills
• Investigating jobs
• Articulacy (Through Next Steps South West)

Year 10
• Readiness to work
• Aim Higher
• Work experience
• National Apprenticeship Fair
• University taster days
• Oxford program (for higher ability students)
• Investigating careers using KUDOS

Year 11
• Individual careers advice
• Careers talks – these are through vocational education provider and through professional links.
• Futures Interviews
• 6th form taster days
• 6th form information evenings
• CVs and personal statements

ENCOUNTERS WITH EMPLOYERS
Throughout the year, students will have access to different employers offering a range of industries, through a variety of different methods, including through PSHEe and assemblies. If you feel that you are able to support us with our Careers Education programme, please contact our Careers Leader, Kathleen Lemon, and refer to our Provider Access Policy.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
Careerometer: a tool to compare jobs
Use the Careerometer below to compare different jobs - salary, working hours, etc.
Click the first dotted square.
Type in the first career that you think you might be interested in and select from the drop-down list, then add your first and second choice to see the comparison.

RECOMMENDED ONLINE RESOURCES:
Career Pilot – Career Pilot is a website which helps with choices for students aged 13, 16 and 18, including apprenticeships, further education and higher education. The website has a number of different tools available to help students with their individual choices.
Success at School – This is a key website for information about career choices, job advertisements, and information on apprenticeships of all levels, university, and advice on working life.
Informed Choices – This Russell Group guide helps Post 16 students with their choices when deciding on further education options and pathways. 

UNIVERSITY & CAREERS IN SIXTH FORM
Throughout a student’s time within Holyrood 6th Form, they will be given opportunities to learn about their future careers development. This will be in the form of: 

• Guest speakers from a range of Industries
• Compulsory 1 week work experience in Year 12
• Apprenticeships talks of all levels including degree apprenticeships
• Individual UCAS and University advice
• Guidance on how to write personal statements
• Progression courses through Russell Group universities
• University summer schools
• Career planning
• Work shadowing
• Student finance
• Pre-university taster courses
• UCAS conference and convention
• HE+ Cambridge
• Holyrood Alumni
• Gap year talks 

This is tailored to each student’s needs and bespoke career path, whether this be on to Higher Education or through an apprenticeship route.

We are extremely proud of the LLP programme that students’ follow during their time at Holyrood 6th Form and this equips students for their next steps. This is coupled with tutorials which are tailored to the students’ academic and future aspirations. We work hard at Holyrood 6th Form to ensure that every student feels that they are ready for their next steps within their career.

Holyrood 6th Form students are also able to make Careers Guidance appointments with our independent advisor, Emma Higman. These can be made directly through Emma or through Sandra Lenihan.