Careers and Transition Phases

Careers Team

Grace Walker

Student Support Officer

walker.g@whiteroseacdemies.org

Laura Singleton

Careers Lead

Assistant Principal – Personal Development

singleton.l@whiteroseacademies.org

Beth Sanderson

Vice Principal – Inclusion & Personal Development

sanderson.b@whiteroseacademies.org

Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance

The Careers Programme at Leeds West Academy is reviewed annually. The next review is due in October 2025.
We measure and assess the impact each half term of the careers programme on students by:

Intended destinations of students to further education, apprenticeships, and employment.
Assessment outcomes after Personal Development curriculum delivered in Be Respectful time.
Regular student feedback after events, Personal Development curriculum delivery and group sessions.

We recognise the importance of effective Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) for young people, and we expect all our students to develop high aspirations and consider a broad and ambitious range of careers. We aim to inspire every student through more real-life engagement with the world of work to help them understand where different choices can take them in the future, and we aim to ensure that our students are not restricted by circumstances or location from becoming self-confident, well-educated, and enterprising individuals.

We work hard across the academy in all our lessons and Personal Development time to prevent all forms of stereotyping to ensure that students from all backgrounds and diversity groups consider the widest possible range of careers. We set high expectations, including for the most vulnerable and those with special educational needs and disabilities, so that every student is stretched and acquires the attributes that employer’s value. This will help every young person to realise their potential and so increase economic competitiveness and support social mobility.

We ensure we do everything we can to set students on the path that will secure the best outcome which will enable them to progress in education and work and give employers the highly skilled people they need. Therefore, we act impartially, in line with our statutory duty, and not show bias towards any route, be that academic or technical.

Leeds West is committed to carrying out the Department of Education’s Career strategy guidance for schools, making the most of everyone’s talents. We are determined to further develop our strong partnerships with training providers and employers to secure placements for our students and seek to ensure that our students have the skills that they, and the country, require. We open our doors to other education and training providers, in line with our statutory responsibilities under the provider access legislation, putting in place a range of opportunities for providers of technical education and apprenticeships to talk to all year 8 to 11 pupils about their education or training offer. This is vital to ensure that all pupils are aware of the benefits of apprenticeships, T Levels, HTQs and other approved technical education qualifications and can consider them, alongside academic options, when making decisions about their next steps.

We measure our success by our students’ destinations, and this will be reflected in higher numbers progressing to apprenticeships, universities – including selective universities, traineeships, and other positive destinations such as employment or a further education college. This will help to close the gap in destinations between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and others.

We are committed to the vision laid out in the Department of Education January 2023 document “Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers” in that:

The academy has appointed a named person to the role of Careers Leader, Mrs Ahmed.
The academy has published detailed of its careers programme so that parents can see the timetable for events.
The academy offers every student in year 8 or 9 two meaningful encounters with a provider of technical education or apprenticeships.
The academy offers every student in year 10 or 11 two meaningful encounters with a provider of technical education or apprenticeships.
The academy uses the Gatsby Benchmarks to improve careers provision. Please see the next section for more information.

Gatsby Benchmark	How we achieve this
A STABLE CAREERS PROGRAMME Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors, and employers.	We have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors, and employers. This is available on the website and in the Provider Access Policy.
LEARNING FROM CAREER AND LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION Every student, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.	Up to date LMI available on the school website and through the Unifrog platform that is available to both students and families. LMI information will be available that is relevant both nationally and locally and will be embedded into the curriculum as well as the Personal Development resources. Unifrog home learning activities are issued to students to enable students to learn from career and labour market information.
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF EACH STUDENT Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.	The schools’ careers programme will embed equality and diversity throughout. It will challenge stereotypes and enable students to make informed choices. All students will be supported by all appropriate colleagues, including the most vulnerable and those with special educational needs and disabilities, so that every student is stretched and acquires the attributes that employer’s value. Unifrog home learning activities are issued to students to enable students to complete quizzes that identify their strengths, interests and personalities which then signpost them to explore pathways and future careers that are most suited to them as individuals.
LINKING CURRICULUM LEARNING TO CAREERS All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.	Information will be available for teachers to link curriculum learning as well as resources from the Careers and Enterprise Company, Future Goals, BBC Bitesize Careers, National Careers Week, and Unifrog. Schemes of learning are quality assured to ensure curriculum intent and implementation includes elements of impartial careers advice and education. Unifrog home learning activities are issued to students to enable students to link their subject knowledge and preferences to potential future careers and post-16 pathways.
ENCOUNTERS WITH EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.	Visiting guest speakers attend assemblies, workshops, and class talks. There are multiple opportunities for encounters with employers on Personal Development days as well as subject specific presentations including career panels, mock interviews, and workshops on positive behaviour in the workplace to name a few. Students have multiple opportunities to visit careers fairs and apprenticeship events throughout the year onsite and at external locations. Unifrog home learning activities are issued to students to enable students to engage with presentations and videos from employers and employees to explore future careers.
EXPERIENCES OF WORKPLACES Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks.	Visits to employers and places of work during year 10 so that students are aware of different opportunities and raise aspirations. Year 10 work experience in July as well as opportunities for virtual work experience talks. Unifrog home learning activities are issued to students to enable students to engage with presentations and videos from employers and employees to explore future careers.
ENCOUNTERS WITH FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.	Open events at further education colleges for students and parents. Visits arranged to local colleges and universities. Guest speakers attend assemblies, engage events, Personal Development days as well as virtual assemblies. Opportunities for students to take part in taster days at various further and higher education establishments to explore all pathways available to them. Personal Development curriculum for years 9, 10 and 11 include topics that focus on post-16 options and skills for the future.
PERSONAL GUIDANCE Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a career adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all students but should be timed to meet their individual needs.	Students have the opportunity for guidance interviews with a Qualified Careers Adviser.

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Apprenticeships

The following information has been provided by the Apprenticeship Guide.

The Basics

An apprenticeship, which must last for a minimum of 12 months, combines hands-on work with the opportunity to train and obtain qualifications. It’s also a paid position, so you earn while you learn. At least 20% of your time is set aside for learning, usually at a college, university or training provider.

The rest of your time is spent applying your knowledge and skills in the actual workplace, doing the job that you set out to get. At the end of it, you’ll gain official certification, which will be equivalent to traditional qualifications. Apprenticeship levels are set and equivalent to as follows:

(Intermediate): GCSEs
(Advanced): A-levels
(Higher): foundation degree
(Degree): bachelor’s degree
(Degree): master’s degree

It’s important to note that there are caveats. Apprenticeships are designed to be flexible, so, for example, an employer may offer a level 6 or 7 apprenticeship, considered to be at the higher level, without giving you the option of getting an actual degree qualification, while others will.

It’s essential that you check before applying—the qualifications on offer and the level at which you’ll train will be made explicit, so you’ll be able to decide if you’re happy to undertake an apprenticeship at the degree level without the prospect of being awarded one at the end of it. Many intermediate, advanced and higher apprenticeships will also give you the opportunity to obtain qualifications such as diplomas in relevant areas.

There is no maximum age limit for an apprenticeship, but they are for those aged 16 or over, living in England and not in full-time education.

Added Benefits

As an apprentice, you’ll earn a wage. The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £4.81 per hour. This rate applies if you’re under 19, or if you’re aged 19 or over and are in your first year. You must be paid the national minimum wage for your age if you’re an apprentice aged 19 or over and have completed your first year. The national minimum wage is currently set at £6.83 for 18- to-20-year-olds, £9.18 for 21- to 22-year-olds and £9.50 for those aged 23 and over.

On top of this, you’ll be paid for your normal working hours and the training that’s part of your apprenticeship, usually one day per week. You’ll also be entitled to the statutory minimum of 20 days of paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays, of which there are currently eight.

It’s important to note here that these pay rates and holiday entitlements are minimums only. Employers will often set their salaries on offer at higher rates, depending on company policy, in order to make their apprenticeships competitive. Many will also differ on their date of payment, with some having monthly wage structures and others preferring to pay their staff weekly. Many employers also offer additional benefits, such as gym memberships, private healthcare and travel loans. The current minimum age for a workplace pension is 22, however, check with the employer when you apply, as they may offer a pension to all of their employees.

Please see some useful resources from 2019 below. These can be found along with more information at Amazing Apprenticeships.

Labour Market Information

What is labour market information?

Labour market information (LMI) is information about the current economic and employment situation and is relevant when you are looking into career and employment options. LMI includes data on graduate destinations, average-starting salaries, current trends in employment sectors and recruitment patterns.

LMI means finding out the following things about different job roles or career pathways including:

What do people do in this job/ industry?
How many people work in this job/ industry?
What qualifications do I need to do this job?
How much do people get paid to do this job?
What skills or qualities do I need to do this job?
What are the typical working hours for this job?
What percentage of men and women work in this job/ industry?
Where can this job/ industry take me in the future?
Where are these jobs located around the country?
How many of these jobs will there be in the future?

Future Goals

The future goals website is run by the Leeds Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and is a good source of information on the local labour market, so students and parents can see what the growth sectors are in the local economy to help them think about which jobs they would like to do in the future.

See the website here to find key information about the following sectors: Creative, Digital, Health and Social Care, Construction, Manufacturing and Engineering, and Financial and Professional Service.

https://futuregoals.co.uk/education-and-careers-advice/

https://www.the-lep.com/

Unifrog

Once students log into the Unifrog platform, they can access the ‘Searching for opportunities’ section. This will then allow them to see what local colleges, universities, and apprenticeships are around based on students’ interests, skills, and personalities.

https://www.unifrog.org/

Go Higher West Yorkshire

Students can access the Go Higher West Yorkshire website to explore opportunities and is also a good source of information on the local labour market.

https://gohigherwestyorks.ac.uk/resources/student-learners/labour-market/

Labour Marketing Widget

Use the widget below to type in a profession to see the predicted growth for that sector over the next few years.

The Careerometer can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations, help you learn about different occupations and identify potential careers.

It provides access to a selection of UK headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects for different occupations, as well as description of the occupation.

Simply type in the title of the job you are interested in, and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you. You can then look up another two occupations and compare. You can also select ‘display the UK average’ and compare the information with the occupation you have selected.

Useful Links

Parental Guidance

Next Steps Tool Kits

Useful Links

HE and FE Links

Sector Specific Links

Apprenticeships