At Greenfield Community College we are commited to providing a stable careers education, information,  advice and guidance (CEIAG) programme to all learners, to provide them with the knowledge and skills required to make successful transitions to the next stages in their education, employment or training.

Our CEIAG programme has been developed around the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance. Greenfield Community College is proud to have been one of the initial pilot schools for the benchmarks and is recognised in helping to shape the delivery of these.

We are a member of the North-East Careers Hub and hold the Quality in Careers Standard award which showcases and supports the management of CEIAG.

Our Provision

CEIAG is delivered across all year groups as part of their ICT curriculum.

In Year 7 students are introduced to the CEIAG programme at Greenfield Community College.

  • They will consider their own strengths and weaknesses and how these relate to the world of work.
  • They will begin setting goals for their long-term plans in education and beyond and begin to put plans in place to achieve these.
  • They will explore employment sectors using Labour Market Information (LMI) to identify areas of future growth.
  • They will look at development and change, thinking about how they have grown as people and how their lives may look beyond Greenfield Community College
  • They will look at gender roles and discuss stereotypes and the suitability for all different types of people to do different jobs.

In Year 8 students begin to plan for their GCSE options and look at the opportunities beyond Greenfield Community College.

  • They will investigate the different GCSE courses that are offered and consider which ones will be most appropriate for them.
  • They will explore the world of work, why people work and the importance of having a good work/life balance.
  • They will look at workplace behaviour and the expectations that will be placed upon them, where there might be similarities between this and school.
  • They will consider their future focus and the Post-16 options that are available in the region.
  • They will explore entrepreneurship, how they can demonstrate entrepreneurial skills and discuss what makes a successful entrepreneur.

In Year 9 students focus on skills, qualities and attitudes needed for the world of work.

  • They will use the Start Profile website to explore their interests, work preferences, skills and qualities to build a profile of potential career options.
  • They will explore Post-16 providers in the region and begin their Post-16 action plan.
  • Some students will have the opportunity to work with FutureMe on mentoring and other activities promoting higher education.
  • Some students will be accessing further mentoring and guidance opportunities through the ‘One Vision’ programme.

In Year 10 students will follow the Esh ‘Building My Skills’ programme and access external support for their future planning.

  • They will have the opportunity to hear from a range of employers.
  • They will explain their own pathway plan that they began to develop in Year 9.
  • They will understand how to successfully create and manage a budget.
  • They will explore the effective use of social media and their online appearance for the workplace.
  • They will learn how to create a CV and covering letter.
  • Some students will have the opportunity to work with FutureMe on mentoring and other activities promoting higher education.

In addition to their careers lessons, all students will:

  • Receive an independent careers guidance discussion with a qualified adviser.
  • Participate in a mock interview with staff from Barclay’s Bank.
  • Visit a range of Post-16 providers for taster visits in the Summer Term.

In Year 11 students will begin to take their next steps into further education, employment of training.

  • They will hear from a range of Post-16 providers about the offer that they can provide.
  • They will be supported with application clinics for their Post-16 choices.
  • They will explore application and interview skills.
  • Some students will have the opportunity to work with FutureMe on mentoring and other activities promoting higher education.
  • Some students who may be at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) will have the opportunity to work with Durham Works on a range of activities to ensure they progress to a suitable destination.

Learners with special educational needs will receive further support with extra guidance interviews.

Destinations

In developing our CEIAG programme to meet the needs of our learners and support their career journey beyond Greenfield Community College, further work has been done to encourage students to select a destination that they will be able to sustain.

Student’s intended destinations are tracked and regularly discussed with them to ensure all students have a suitable Post-16 destination. This information is shared with Durham Works to provide additional support to students who may be at risk of becoming NEET.

Enterprise Adviser Network

Greenfield Community College is a member of the Enterprise Adviser Network through the North-East Local Enterprise Partnership. We work closely with our enterprise adviser from McDonald’s to ensure our CEIAG programme enables all of our students to develop the knowledge and skills required to meet employers’ demands.

Evaluation

The school uses the Compass Careers Tool to assess provision against the Gatsby benchmarks on a termly basis. Currently we judge ourselves to achieve all 8 benchmarks.

Evaluation also takes place through student voice activities and as part of the school’s QA process.

Information for Employers

We work with a range of employers to provide meaningful encounters for our students. If you feel that you can support our careers programme through any of the following activities or have any other ideas for collaboration we would welcome this.

  • Assemblies/Talks
  • Workplace visits
  • Attendance at careers events
  • Supporting a curriculum area

Useful links

Gatsby Good Careers Guidance Benchmarks – http://www.goodcareerguidance.org.uk/

Start Profile – https://www.startprofile.com/

National Careers Service – https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

Careerwave – http://www.careerwave.co.uk/

National Apprenticeship Service – http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/

GoCompare – https://www.gocompare.com/life-insurance/uk-riskiest-jobs-report/

Key Policies

Provider Access Policy

CEIAG Policy

Mr Simon Tait Careers leader

[email protected]

01325 300378