Careers Programme

Careers should be transformational to the lives of young people. At Shireland Collegiate Academy careers will provide a platform for motivation, for students to aim higher, achieve more and reach their aspirations.

Please select the links below to find out more about our provision.

Shireland Collegiate Academy serves a socio-economically deprived area in Smethwick and it is within this context that we strive to raise our students’ ambitions: aiming higher and seeing further.

Our students are individuals, with their own unique combination of skills, qualities and attributes; one size does not fit all and so our careers programme aims to meet the needs of all our students. We aim to offer an insight into the world of work, higher education, further education, as well as apprenticeships and encourage our students and their families to explore all the possibilities. At regular stages during their school career we support them with impartial advice and guidance as they navigate their way through selecting courses at the different Key Stages.

OUR CEIAG TEAM

Mr Liam Fletcher – Careers Lead

[email protected]

Mrs Denise Fox – Careers Senior Leadership

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Policy (CEIAG)

Policy Statement: Careers should be transformational to the lives of young people. At Shireland
Collegiate Academy careers will provide a platform for motivation, for students to aim higher,
achieve more and reach their aspirations

Click here to view a copy of our Careers Policy

Policy Statement
This policy statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

Shireland Collegiate Academy use the Gatsby 8 benchmarks to inform the provision of Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG) delivered. As part of our commitment to informing students of the full range of learning and training routes available we consider requests from training providers, vocational education routes and apprenticeship providers to speak to students. We will also approach these partners ourselves when planning and organising key CEIAG events throughout the school year.

Opportunities for access:

All requests will be given due consideration from the designated Careers Leader and Senior Leadership. Requests will be refused if:
• They impinge on student’s preparation for public or internal exams
• They clash with other planned school events
• The school is unable to provide staff to support the event
• Rooming is unable to be found due to timetabling clashes
In the first instance requests by providers should be sent to the Senior Teacher responsible for careers, Mr L Fletcher via [email protected] For questions on this or the wider CEIAG programme at Shireland Collegiate Academy, please do not hesitate to contact us. The following policies may also apply to interested providers:
• CEIAG Policy
• Careers and Enterprise Plan
• Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy

“Careers should be transformational to the lives of young people.
At Shireland Collegiate Academy careers will provide a platform for motivation,
for students to aim higher, achieve more and reach their aspirations.”

The information in this document provides an outline of the school’s taught provision
and an overview of the opportunity’s students at Shireland Collegiate Academy
receive.

Click here to view our careers programme

The Careers Programme at Shireland Collegiate Academy is delivered to Years 7 through to 13 via

Careers Days
START Profile
Workshops
Guest Speakers
Tutor Sessions
Careers Trips
One on one careers interviews
Work Experience
PSHE Sessions
Professionals’ Talks
Group Talks by Employers, Universities and Training Providers
Skills Development Activities
Engagement in competitions and workshops
Visits to Universities and Careers Events

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each student
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

We strive to follow the Gatsby Benchmarks

Key Stage 4 and 5 option choices

All Year 9 students receive a 1:1 appointment with our Careers Adviser during the first half of the Autumn Term to discuss the various course options available to them at Key Stage 4. Families are welcome to attend this meeting. Following on from this, all students attend a 1:1 meeting with a member of the Senior Leadership Team or Heads of Department to discuss their chosen courses ahead of starting their lessons in the Spring Term of Year 9.

In Year 11 students have the opportunity to choose from one of the following pathways:

Full time study at a college, sixth form or training provider
Full time work or volunteering combined with part time education of training
An apprenticeship
A traineeship

Careers Advice

Students receive impartial advice on their options, including access to Universities and local Colleges and Apprenticeship providers. Students are offered the opportunity to discuss their chosen pathway with the Careers Adviser and a Connexions Adviser.