Mrs. C Whitehouse

As Career's Lead, I am passionate about helping students explore their aspirations and make informed decisions about their future pathways.  I work closely with students, staff, employers and education providers to deliver a comprehensive careers programme that inspires ambition, develops employability skills and supports every young person in achieving their goals.

Tel: 01945 584146
Email: mhs-careers-leader@marshlandhigh.co.uk

 

At Marshland High School, all staff are committed to bringing their subject to life for our students. This enables them to develop a greater understanding of how the skills and knowledge they develop in lessons can lead to different career pathways. Some of the ways we do this are by:

• Promoting employability skills during lessons such as oracy, teamwork, communication and leadership
• Discussing careers in lessons so that students understand how their subjects lead to different careers
• Creating displays within each Department to promote career pathways and raise aspirations

• Inviting speakers into school to deliver assemblies, talks or run workshops.
• Invite employers into school to run experience of work days.

To explore different careers related to your favourite subjects click on the carousel of posters below:

 

 When students start applying for jobs or for college, they will need to talk about the skills and experience they have. Many skills are useful in almost every career. These are often called employability skills, enterprise skills, soft skills, or transferable skills.

These skills can be used in many different jobs and situations. Examples include communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership.

Watch the video that explains employability skills:

 

At Marshland High School our Careers curriculum covers the key employability skills:

Students and parents can access www.unifrog.com that can support you in understanding and developing employability skills.

Labour Market Information

Understanding local and national labour market information is becoming more important because the world of work is changing quickly. This is happening because of globalisation and new technology. Students need to know what skills and knowledge employers are looking for.

Read on to find out more about what labour market information means:

To find out more about what is happening in the labour market in the East of England or Nationally, click on the posters below:

Click Here for link to National Careers Service

Click Here for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Labour Market Information

It is never too early to start thinking about your future. What you can do after GCSE depends on a range of factors such as where you live and where you are able to travel to, what grades you are likely to get, what you are interested in, and what environment you are most suited to.

Since 2013, the Raising of the Participation Age law has stated that young people must undertake formal education until they are 18. This can include:

Full-time Study – this could be a qualification taken at a Sixth Form, College or a Independent Training Provider, totalling 540 hours of learning time per year, or around 18 hours per week. This can be either an academic or vocational route.

Apprenticeships – this involves working for an employer while studying for a qualification as part of your training. Usually, work makes up 80% of an apprenticeship and at least 20% should be dedication to studying.

T-Levels – this involves 80%  of the time studying a technical course at College and 20% gaining work experience within a related field with an employer.

Traineeships – this is an option for students who would like to do an apprenticeship but may not have the experience, skills or qualifications to do so yet. Traineeships can last up to six months and involve a work placement, Maths and English qualifications and support with finding an apprenticeship.

A good place to start planning your post-16 options is to think of these three questions.

• Where am I now? (What qualifications, skills, and interests do I have?)
• Where do I want to get to? (What would I like to be doing in 5 years’ time – job, living away from home, etc?)
• How will I get there? (What course, training or future job is likely to get me where I want to go?)

Of course, at 16, young people don’t necessarily know the answers to all these questions, but it is never too early to start exploring information about careers, jobs and courses.

If you really aren’t sure about what you want to do in the future then ‘stay broad’ – do a broad range of subjects so that you can decide later!

It might also help to get advice from people who know you well (like parents & teachers) or request to speak to the school Careers Advisor or Careers Leader.

Where to study?

Sixth Form and Sixth Form Colleges

Sixth Forms are often attached to a school and sometimes sixth forms are completely separate from any other schools, and teach students from lots of different places. The courses available are main A Level but some do include vocational qualifications like BTEC too. A Levels offer a great route into Higher Education and Employment.

Further Education Colleges

Further Education Colleges offer a range of courses that can help at every stage of life from Level 1 courses through to degrees and professional qualifications. Colleges offer a range of full-time and part-time courses related to a broad employment area such as Business, Engineering, IT, Health and Social Care that can lead to a specific job or related further study at Higher Education and some also offer a range of A Levels too.

Training Providers

Training Providers usually offer BTECs or other vocational qualifications that focus on a specific area of study in a practical way such as Hair and Beauty, Construction, Animal Care, Performing Arts, Business/ICT or Engineering.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships involve working for an employer in a specific role while being trained to do the job by experienced staff, in a combination of on the job and off the job training at a college or training provider (this must be at least 20% of the apprenticeship).

Apprenticeships can now be undertaken in a variety of industries and can be started as soon as an individual turns 16 and has left full time education (although you can apply beforehand).

Apprenticeships come in four different levels:

Intermediate/Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE) – may require Maths/English at GCSE

Advanced/Level 3 (equivalent to A Level) – usually requires 5 GCSEs at Grade 4 and above

Higher/Level 4-5 (equivalent to Foundation Degree) – usually requires L3 or A Levels

Degree/Level 6-7 (equivalent to University Degree) – usually requires 3 A Levels or similar

Apprenticeships are applied for directly through the company. They can be found through: https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5cpIdJ8RU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theappletonschool.org%2F (embed video)

Qualifications

Depending on the Sixth Form/College/Training Provider you choose to study at you may have the choice to study A Levels on their own or alongside an Applied General Qualification. Some Further Education Colleges will also offer T Levels from September 2021.

A Levels are Academic, T Levels are Technical and Applied General Qualifications are courses that focus on a vocational area and are more practical.

A Levels

• Students usually take 3 or 4 different A Level subjects or you can do 2 alongside an Applied General Qualification
• Each A Level is graded A*-E and attract UCAS points for entry to university (ucas.com)
• A Levels are general and academic and are a good choice if you want to keep your career options open
• You can choose a subject you enjoyed at GCSE or pick up a new subject such as Law, Economics or Psychology
• Some degrees and universities will only accept specific subjects and grades for entry to certain degree courses at university so it is important to do your research
• A Levels do not suit everyone. They are usually assessed at the end of two years by final exams, so you need to be good at independent study, revision and exam technique

T Levels

• T Levels are a relatively new qualification that follow GCSEs and give students a head start towards a specific career
• T Levels are technical qualifications where you study one subject which is equivalent to 3 A Levels, the top grade is Distinction which is equivalent to 3 A Levels at A
• They combine classroom study and work placements (80% classroom and 20% work placement)
• T Levels begin with core theory, concepts and skills relating to an industry area and students will then be able to choose one or more specialism

Applied General Qualifications

• These are vocational qualifications that tend to be known by the exam board such as BTEC, Cambridge Technicals, OCR
• There are a wide range of Applied General Qualifications available from animal care to performing arts and business to graphic design at different levels
• They offer the underpinning knowledge of a subject, practical skills and relevant work experience. So they will suit students who have an interest in a specific job area eg Health and Social Care
• These can be taken alongside two A Levels or as one course equivalent to two or three A Levels
• Generally, there are less exams and a range of different assessment methods are likely to be used such as assignments, tests and observations of performance
• Students can progress on to university to study a degree or go on to an apprenticeship after these qualifications

For more information click on the image or link below and for a summary of the qualification’s pathways watch the short animation produced by the Department for Education: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-choices-at-16

 

 

Please see our Careers Year plans for each individual year group below:

 

KS3

KS3 Careers Year Plan	Year 7 Tutor Time Year Plan
	Year 8 Tutor Time Year Plan
	Year 9 Tutor Time Year Plan

KS4

Year 10 Tutor Time Year Plan

Year 11 Tutor Time Year Plan

The impact of our careers programme is monitored regularly through pupil voice activities; pupil, staff, and supporting employers, questionnaires; learning walks; book scrutinies where appropriate.

 

 

Access

The school complies with the new legal requirement of a minimum of 4 encounters with providers of approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. Students receive at least one assembly in KS3 and one in KS4 with the Springwood High School, College of West Anglia and Norfolk Pathways. Norfolk Pathways and other apprenticeship providers from industry support the school in workshops and careers fair and mock interview days, providing information to students and parents. 

 

How to gain access

Providers can request access by emailing MHS-Careers-leader@marshlandhigh.co.uk. Requests will not be considered if approached through other means. The email should include what information they would like to be disseminated to the students or parents and include the resources to support this. Access to students will be granted through written communication, brochures and adverts for events and will be shared with students through their careers MyChildatSchool App. Information may be shared by email with students or parents if deemed a more effective way of providing information. Access may be granted for workshops or assemblies when this matches the intended curriculum.