Your Career, Your Future!

At Aston Academy, we are here to support you to start planning your career and future ahead! And we are here to support you through your learning journey from day one

Careers & the jobs market National Careers Service U-explore START icould NHS Careers Careerspilot Learn about job trends in the UK Local Labour Market Information SY Shape Your Future Local Live Job Vacancies

Career Pathways Information about Apprenticeships Rotherham Post 16 Schools and Colleges Search for College Courses Search for University Courses Compare Universities How to get into different Careers Leading University Information University Alternatives Local Training Providers List of all Qualification and Levels Rotherham Post 16 Education Post 18 Employment Support AMRC Training Centre Website AMRC Training Centre Youtube

Build your Skills & Helpful Guides Take this Personality Quiz Find your ideal job based on your personality Employability Skills Skills Employers Want Explore opportunities to develop yourself CVs and Applications Personal Statements Interviews

Parent/Carer Area “80.75% of students say their parents help them to make key careers decisions“ This section of our website is aimed at helping parents and carers source information to help support young people in their future decisions.

Types Of Jobs Students who have a vision of where they want to be in the future may find it easier to plan their next steps more easily. To help students and parents to get an idea of what types of jobs are out there we would suggest looking at a number of these websites:	Education Options There are a variety of educational routes available to students post 16. Click each link to find out more: Higher Education Apprenticeships Rotherham 6th Forms Rotherham Colleges Sheffield College Rotherham Training Providers
SEND There are a variety of educational routes available to students post 16. Click each link to find out more: Rotherham SEND Schools and Colleges Rotherham SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service) Rotherham Council Website	Labour Market information With developments in technology there are now numerous jobs that did not exist 10 years ago. It is important to keep up to date with what is happening locally, nationally and internationally. Where do people work in Rotherham? Sources of Labour Market Information SY Shape Your Future Booklet

Being part of our business support network will provide you moments of great satisfaction but striving to make a difference can also be an exciting challenge! Having employers like you helping to inspire young minds and transform attitudes through a range of activities and opportunities is the foundation of an excellent careers programme as set out by the Gatsby Foundation’s eight Benchmarks of good practice.

 

Alumni Talk on Careers within Law by Emily Kettell “The talk was Brilliant! It really inspired me and gave me new information on a career within Law” “Fantastic!” Just Amazing! Really inspiring 10/10!”

Ways to support Be part of our Mock interviews with Year 10 or 11 students and help them structure their CVs Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities Give an inspiring talk based on your industry or job role Provide a coaching/mentoring service through a structured programme Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise Be part of our discussions about pathways after school, eg apprenticeships Help champion specific issues and challenge barriers in the workplace around gender stereotyping, disability etc Help bring a subject lesson to life by linking it to your industry Offer a work experience placement for students at your business premises Become an ambassador supporting employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school Provide a Supported Internship opportunity

What to expect... By getting involved you will not only be supporting future workforce development and helping to broaden the minds of the young people but you will also be developing new skills for your staff, forging community links and building a positive profile for your company. We will support you throughout your visit to us to ensure we maximise the use of your valuable time. Our Careers Leader is Mrs. Booker and they will: Be your main point of contact for all enquiries Organise pre-meets/discussions/information for activities you sing up to Provide you details of the local arrangements including parking, facilities and our safeguarding policy. Conduct a short evaluation with you to ensure we are getting things right. With your permission add you to our network and keep you up to date with future activities.

Useful Websites Panjango online subject areas. Labour market information MYPATH Careers Resources (mypathcareersuk.com) Speakers for Schools My Learning My Future CEC Resource Directory (careersandenterprise.co.uk) Careerpilot : Jobs by subject

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Careers Interviews To Book an appointment for a student 1-1 Careers Interviews please contact Mr. Shaw Careers Advisor careers@astonacademy.org

At Aston Academy, we would like all subject areas to link careers through the curriculum by the following: have a prominent display that links subject learning and skill development to different careers develop links with businesses and organisations to invite alumni and other external speakers to come into school (virtually where an actual visit is not feasible) where appropriate to organise external visits by students to local businesses/organisations record careers learning opportunities for students in schemes of learning take part in whole school ‘Careers Days’ where all teachers start their lesson with a careers focus, such as talking about their career pathway or showing a short film where people in a range of job roles explain the relevance of skills developed in a particular subject area to their role. explore the possibility of developing real projects/challenges for students with a local business or organisation e.g. a local company setting IT students the task of designing/updating their website consider the needs and interests of all students and ensure that information challenges stereotyping including gender and disability

It’s free

The majority of virtual work experience placements are free, although some employers charge for the opportunity; working from home will also mean students will not incur any travel related costs.

Future proof

Remote working is likely to be important to many businesses in the future and learning how to conduct business and work online will develop extremely valuable skills for the modern workplace.

Enhancing Transferable skills

It’s not always easy working from home and taking part in virtual work experience placements will help students develop those soft skills that all employers are seeking, such as organisation, time-management and self-motivation.

Supports Knowing what’s right for you (or what isn’t)

Understanding what a job or a career entails might help students make decisions about whether or not that role is right for them in the future.

Useful Links

The Parents’ guide to virtual work experience

A guide to the benefits of virtual work experience and a selection of employers that offer this.

Forage

Bite-sized 5 – 6 hour virtual work experience programs that give students a genuine career advantage with Fortune 500 companies

Barclays Life Skills

A comprehensive careers advisory platform including virtual work experience

Speakers for Schools

A charity which helps young people access high quality work experience to help them plan for their future careers.

Springpod

This platform will allow students to explore work experience and university taster courses.

Volunteering and work experience are a great way to gain skills and experience, help others, meet new people and have fun! The latest roles for young people are listed below. If you’re interested in any of these opportunities, please contact the organisation(s) directly to find out more, using the details provided. If you need any advice about volunteering please see Mr Shaw.

Sheffield Opportunities

contact us on: vc@vas.org.uk or 0114 253 6649 (Mon – Thurs)

www.sheffieldvolunteercentre.org.uk

Facebook: @SheffieldVolunteerCentre

Twitter: @VolunteerSheff

Sheffield Volunteering.com

https://www.sheffieldvolunteering.com/

Rotherham Opportunities

https://www.varotherham.org.uk/

Email admin@varotherham.org.uk

Call: 01709 829821

NHS Volunteering Opportunity’s

https://www.therotherhamft.nhs.uk/Get_Involved/Volunteers/Volunteer_Vacancies/

Sheffield Health and Social Care

https://www.shsc.nhs.uk/get-involved/volunteering/volunteering-opportunities

St Johns Ambulance

https://volunteering.sja.org.uk/opportunities/

Sheffield Music Hub

https://www.sheffieldmusichub.org/pages/friends-volunteers-of-sheffield-music-hub

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary

https://www.thornberryanimalsanctuary.org/volunteer/

Please find a comprehensive overview of activities and opportunities Aston Academy that took place within National Apprenticeships Week 2023 and supporting resources for Students, Parent/Carers and Teachers.

Nationally, the week is celebrated between Mon February 6th and Fri February 10th, and although we at Aston Academy would very much like to mark the week, we have chosen to celebrate slightly later: Mon Feb 27th to Fri March 3rd. 

The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 is ‘Skills for Life’. We reflected, therefore, on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and help businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with a wide range of skills for the future.

Over the course of the week students engaged in a variety of educational experiences to learn about a variety of careers that can be accessed via the apprenticeship route and also how the apprenticeship route can help students succeed in the world of work.

 Within the week we held an informative Assembly for all year groups presented by Emma Briggs from Rotherham College and RNN Group, giving students the knowledge of apprenticeships and array of sectors available. To find out more information please visit https://www.rotherham.ac.uk/course-type/apprenticeships/

Students within Y9 and Y10 also attended bespoke interactive workshops from Sheffield College to support them make informed choices on their futures and the wide range of vocational and apprenticeships available. For more information please visit https://apprenticeships.sheffcol.ac.uk/

 

To search for local apprenticeships please visit the National Apprenticeship Website https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Parent/Carers, Students and Teachers Resources and Information

Below are a series of clips which have been provided by the National Apprenticeships website to support teachers, students and parents/carers to find out more about the apprenticeship programmes from within specific subject areas. Students also watched these in their associated lessons to this week.

 

Below are links to video clips links to subject specific posters, which provide a QR link to take you to even more information.

 Interactive Resource

Apprenticeship Arcade

Here is also another free online resource which is well worth highlighting: the Amazing Apprenticeships Arcade, which provides students with a series of games that have been created to engage students in the classroom, or at home with you, and set them enjoyable (yet educational) home learning tasks through this really interesting, fun portal. The suite of games will provide interactive and fun ways for students to explore and learn about apprenticeships, whilst working in groups or individually.

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/apprenticeship-arcade/

 

At Aston Academy, we are passionate to ensure every young person gains good career guidance, education and experiences, empowering young people to have confidence to make informed decisions about their future.

Within our holistic careers program that drives for excellence, is monitored regularly through the Gatsby Benchmarks, driven through a forward-thinking approach, creating cultural capital and a golden thread throughout the School to support every young people to reach their full potential.

The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks and Current Scores (as at May 2023) are:

1. A stable careers programme ​                                                     100%
2. Learning from careers and labour market information               100%
3. Addressing the needs of each student                                       90%
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers                                        81%
5. Encounters with employers and employees                               100%
6. Experiences of workplaces                                                         25%
7. Encounters with further and higher education                            100%
8. Personal guidance                                                                      87%

The Outcomes of the Benchmarks (inline with the CDI framework)

The outcomes of the Gatsby Benchmarks and Astons Careers Program is to clarify and empower the skills, knowledge and attitudes that young people need to gain a positive career, being able to make a positive contribution to the community and develop life and employability skills that will be developed alongside academic knowledge

At Aston Academy we are dedicated to ensure that every student is given detailed information to make informed choices on their post 16 next steps.

Researching your next steps and pathways to your career’s aspirations are a fantastic way of having confidence in your future

 

Useful websites are: National Careers Service https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers

Options at Post 16: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-choices-at-16

Skills Assessments: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/skills-assessment

1-1 Impartial Careers guidance meetings are available with

 

 

Post 16 options

A Levels – You would normally choose 3 subjects to do at a sixth form college, these subjects are more ‘academic’ and there are exams at the end of each year.

Useful Websites: Aston Post 16: http://www.astonacademy.org/page/?title=About+Us&pid=95

Sheffield College 6^th Form: https://sixthform.sheffcol.ac.uk/

Thomas Rotherham College: https://www.trc.ac.uk/

Vocational Courses – can often be referred to as BTEC, you would choose one subject and usually has a more of a job related interactive approach and involve coursework.

Useful Websites: Rotherham College: https://www.rotherham.ac.uk/courses/

Sheffield College: https://www.sheffcol.ac.uk/courses

UTC College https://www.utcsheffield.org.uk/

Apprenticeship – An apprenticeship usually complies of one day a week at a college or training provider, and you will work for the rest of the week with an employer.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

AMRC https://amrctraining.co.uk/apprenticeships

NHS Apprenticeships https://www.syrechealthandsocialcarecareers.co.uk/apprentices-students-trainees

T Levels – Equivalent to A levels, this is delivered through 80% college and 20% work placement and has been developed with employers and businesses. It prepares you for work, further training or study through academic work and work placements. https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/

Levels and Grades (May vary subject to providers entry requirements)

Entry Level – no qualifications or GCSE Grade1

Level 1 – Normally require at least 3 grade 2’s

Level 2 – Normally require at least 3 grade 3’s

Level 3 (BTEC) – usually require minimum 5 Grade 4’s and above including English Language and maths

Level 3 (A Levels) – Normally require an average of Grade 5 or above preferring 5’s in Maths and English Language.

Apprenticeship Information

Websites: https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships: https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/

An apprenticeship is a real job where you learn, gain experience and get paid.

You’re an employee with a contract of employment. By the end of an apprenticeship, you’ll have the right skills and knowledge to embed into your chosen career.

It can take between one and six years to complete an apprenticeship depending on which one you choose, what level it is and your previous experience. It’s funded from contributions made by the government and your employer.

Requirements:

To become an apprentice, you must:

• Be 16 or over
• Not already be in full time education

As an apprentice you will:

• Learn and gain hands-on experience in a real job
• Get a paid income
• Get training for a specific job role
• Be on a specific career path with future potential of Employment