Careers

Careers Provision at Merit

Merit recognises its statutory duty to provide impartial and confidential careers education to all our students in Years 7 to 11 and to give students access to careers information, advice and guidance.

We aim to broaden horizons, raise aspirations and help students to make the most of a range of opportunities on offer during their time at Merit.

Working alongside a visiting Local Authority Careers Officer, we aim to help students to:

• Develop knowledge about the changing nature of the world of work and the jobs market
• Understand the range of Post-16 learning opportunities locally and nationally
• Recognise individual strengths and interests
• Develop their career management and employability skills

Students are entitled to:

• Access to qualified professionals and careers software
• Business mentors
• Guidance on interview techniques
• Targeted interventions to meet individual needs
• External visits to Further and Higher Education and Apprenticeship establishments to raise awareness and build confidence.

At Merit, the careers education programme begins in Key stage 3 and continues to the end of Year 11 when there is a high level of guidance to enable smooth transition to the students’ chosen Post 16 destination.

Key Stage 3 Provision

Depending on when students join Merit, students will:

• Understand why leaving school with qualifications is important
• Know the differences between A Levels, BTECs and Apprenticeships
• Investigate possible career routes
• Be able to match skills and qualities with suitable occupations
• Know the local Post 16 opportunities available to them
• Understand how to create their own CV

Year 10 Provision

Students will:

• Have access to a work experience placement and, if appropriate, have first- hand experience of the world of work
• Engage in enrichment days, assemblies and workshops that specifically focus on employability skills such as interview techniques, creating CVs and meeting employers from a range of disciplines or businesses
• Visit a range of local Post-16 providers and Universities to inspire and motivate students to consider higher education
• Have an inital one to one meeting with a fully qualified Careers Advisor

Year 11 Provision

Students will:

• Meet with external providers at Parents’ Consultation days, allowing them to speak with a range of professionals and enabling them to make informed choices
• Have at least 2 intensive 1:1 meetings with a qualified Careers Advisor to consider various post 16 options available to them; more appointments will be put in place for students with medical or SEND needs
• Attend careers conventions wherever available
• Be informed of local college Open Evenings/Days and be supported by Merit staff where required
• Access bespoke assemblies/enrichment sessions and presentations with outside speakers

Our key aim is to ensure that careers education is impartial, promotes equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion and is differentiated to meet the specific needs of each individual student.  The guidance aims to provide current and relevant information to promote self-awareness, personal development and aims to provide our young people with the tools to make informed choices about their future. Students work with a fully qualified Careers Advisor during their time at Merit.

Who to Contact for information about careers:

Assessing and measuring the impact of our careers provision:

We use the GATSBY Benchmarking system to ensure that our careers provision steadily grows and improves year on year. We also aim to assess impact through regular evaluations such as questionnaires of student and parent voice. We work closely, every term, with the Local Authority (Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Careers and Enterprise Company). We currently review our careers provision every term.

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The date of our next review is 17^th June, 2019.