Careers

Here at Shuttleworth College, we have an award-winning programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance; having been presented with the East Lancashire Education Awards’ Career Aspiration Award two years running!

Our programme helps young people to learn to make decisions and manage transitions as learners and workers. As we develop career awareness and broaden horizons, we are supporting the vision and mission of the school that all learners ‘Think Big, Chase Dreams, Succeed Together’. It is essential that the school contributes in preparing young people for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experience of adult life, as evidence suggests improved Careers education is linked to higher achievement at GCSE. All students who attend Shuttleworth College will be exposed to the knowledge and skills they need to make informed choices and achieve economic wellbeing in later life.

Our award-winning, five-year careers programme meets the eight government-set ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’ in every area. Here’s what that looks like here at Shuttleworth: CEIAG 5 Year Plan. A summary and link information can be found below in each of the relevant sections.

1: A Stable Careers Programme

Our five-year CEIAG programme is designed to meet all the Gatbsy Benchmarks and target key transition periods for our pupils. This results in informed decisions for our pupils as they move into further and higher education, training and beyond. The full programme can be found in our five year plan, which can be downloaded above.

2: Learning from Career and Labour Market Information

It is important that all our pupils understand the world of work and how to research and evaluate information. Key sources of information are: Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Lancashire Labour Market Intelligence Report and Local Area Factsheet. Other useful sources of information are the National Careers Service, BBC Bitesize, and Lancashire Growth and you can find out more about different careers below.

3: Addressing the Needs of Each Pupil

The individual aspirations, achievements and needs of all our pupils are met through our CEIAG programme, directly supporting the College ethos of ‘Think Big, Chase Dreams, Succeed Together’ by challenging stereotypes and celebrating a diverse range of education and employment paths. All CEIAG activities are tracked for each pupil, aspirations and intended destinations are monitored and post-16 applications and final destinations are tracked to prevent NEET and ensure appropriate and ambitious pathways. More information can be found at Career Pilot and Icould.

4: Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

CEIAG is linked to the curriculum through both embedded lessons and discrete activities such as tailored lessons, employer visits, speakers, extra-curricular activities and trips. Examples of these activities can be found in our plan. The curriculum is enhanced by our work with local employers.

5: Encounters with Employers and Employees

Each year group has at least one meaningful interaction with an employer or employee in each academic year. This comes through a variety of subject enhancements, speakers, trips and mentoring sessions.

6: Experiences of Workplaces

Pupils have at least two opportunities during their time at Shuttleworth College to visit a workplace and to learn about working life through work shadowing and meeting employees on-site. The main visits take place in Year 8 (prior to choosing GCSE Options) and in Year 10 (during the Your Future, Your Choice employability conference). Pupils undertake preparation work to ensure that the visits are as meaningful as possible. Where practical, visits are allocated according to individual pupil interest.

7: Encounters with Further and Higher Education

Click here to see our policy statement on provider access.

When pupils are thinking about a future career there’s a lot to consider: our pupils are supported to meet and see a variety of education and training providers to assist them in making informed decisions, not only about their post-16 options, but for their futures. Below there are some of the most common education and training routes for young people. Please note that it is alright to change directions or to find something that suits you better – it just might take a bit longer. Sometimes, thinking about long-term preferences helps to make the shorter-term decisions.

	A Levels	T Levels	Vocational	Apprenticeship
How many subjects?	3-4	1	1	1
Theory or practical?	Theory	Mixed	More practical Some theory	Practical
Exam or coursework?	Exams	Exam Coursework Work-based project	Coursework Smaller exams	Assessment at work Coursework
Where?	Sixth Form / College	College	College	Work
Usual timetable	4-5 days a week	4-5 days a week + 45 days industry placement	4-5 days a week	4 days in work 1 day in college
Entry Criteria *(check individual courses!)*	5 GCSE grade 5s (Some subjects require grade 6+)	5 GCSE grade 4-5s	For Level 3: 5 GCSE grade 4-5s For Level 2: 2 GCSE grade 4-5s For Level 1: 2 GCSE grade 3s	For Level 3: 5 GCSE grade 4-5s For Level 2: 2 GCSE grade 4-5s

Key information about local further education and training providers and general information can be found here:

Much of this information is also available in the Careers section of the library.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or worried, please get in touch with Mrs. Ackroyd, or talk to your pastoral leader. We also provide the employability conference, Your Future, Your Choice, at the end of Year 10, so you will be all set with a CV, interview skills, and all the necessary knowledge and experiences to go on to succeed in the world of work.

8: Personal Guidance

Personal Guidance is a cornerstone of CEIAG provision. Mrs. Ackroyd, our Careers Leader, is available for any pupil who requires Information, Advice or Guidance around Careers and different education pathways. All Year 11 pupils are given appointments with a Level 6 qualified advisor and further sessions are available on request or for any pupils unsure about their post-16 routes. Application sessions, interview and CV guidance and support is also available.

One of the key measures of success for any school is the destinations data for former pupils as they transition into their post -16 options. Click here to read the Destination Data Report 2020, with information on cohorts 2016-2019. Our internal data shows significant improvements in the participation rate for our pupils. More information for pupils and families can be found via the government careers helpline, the National Careers Service, and Barclays LifeSkills.

Year 11 Support

You can find links to each of our local sixth forms, colleges and training providers in Section 7 above.

Current Year 11 students may feel anxious about their post-16 plans at this time of uncertainty. If you are worried about the status of an application for Post-16 Education or Training, please contact Mrs Ackroyd by email (fackroyd@shuttleworth.lancs.sch.uk) or contact the education/ training provider or employer directly.

Applying for Apprenticeships

Many of you have applied for apprenticeships over the last year. It is still possible to apply for one, but you may want to do extra preparation as it is likely that they interview stages may be altered. You may have more telephone or video interviews, for example.

If you would like a CV template, please email Mrs Ackroyd. You may find the following resources useful, which have been provided by Future U:

CV Writing Interview Skills