CEIAG & Careers Leaders
What do we really need to include in an effective school careers development skills programme?
Thursday 5th December 2013
Following on from my many preachy aimed at SLT posts about why careers is so important to schools I thought I'd change the pace a bit and do a short post on what I feel are important career development skills/experiences/topics that should be covered at a bare minimum. I know people will come along and say you missed such and such, we all have different needs. One size doesn't fit all. Certainly if you are trying to get towards a careers quality mark, or even just to do a darn good job, you need to do a more in depth audit of what is already in place and what can be improved. This post would just be a starting point and in no particular order.
An absolute minimum offer should include:-
- Social Media - how to use and effect of online presence.
- Interview Skills
- CVs
- Application process
- What qualities employers want
- Workplace behaviours
- Health & Safety at work
- A careers fair or workshops
- Option choice support
- Basic information about wide range of careers & routes including uni, apprenticeship etc.
A good programme should include all of the above plus:-
- Effective networking including use of Linkedin
- Ethics of job hunting - lying on CVs, reneging on a job offer etc.
- Identifying one's own skills & proving them to employers
- Questions to ask yourself just before the interview - why do I want this job, how will I respond to common questions etc
- Why Don't I get Responses to the Many Many Resumes I've Sent Out?
- Strategies to get noticed in a good way
- Work Experience
- Parental involvement
- Workplace visits
All singing and dancing programme
Should be looking at your school in detail and using student voice & self reflective techniques to identify what is needed and be continually evaluated and improved upon.
I'm sure when the new statutory guidance comes out early in the new year it will be not be too prescriptive, HOWEVER, I do hope it gives poor teachers, who often don't have much experience of teaching or evaluating career development skills a much needed starting point.
What do you think?
