ALDRIDGESCHOOL

CAREERS

LEARNING OUTCOMES FROM CAREERS EDUCATION AND GUIDANCE

Careers education promotes the attributes needed for successful career development; careers guidance helps individuals to investigate opportunities and make choices which are both realistic and ambitious.

Three broad aims have been identified:

SELF DEVELOPMENT: / Understand themselves and develop their capabilities. In thinking about education, training and work, pupils need to assess their own needs, interests, values, aptitudes and aspirations. Schools should provide pupils with opportunities to reflect on these matters and to develop the knowledge, self-reliance, key skills and other capabilities required for working life.
CAREERS EXPLORATION: / Investigate careers and opportunities. Pupils need to understand changing patterns of careers and work. Provision needs to be made for them to find out about local, national and international opportunities in education, training and work and gain direct experience of work as part of the curriculum.
CAREER MANAGEMENT / Implement their career plans. Pupils need to develop increasing autonomy in making decisions and implementing their career planning. They need to be able to review and evaluate their decisions and cope with change. Pupils need to be able to gain access to sources of further help and weigh up the advice offered. They also need to acquire skills for making effective transitions, such as a move from school to further and higher education, training or work.

COMMITMENT

Work Experience calls for commitments from those involved in order for it to be successful.

Employers, pupils and parents are of course, individuals, however this school undertakes to remind them of their responsibilities and to acknowledge our own.

The following is brought to your attention to illustrate those commitments:-

EMPLOYERS

  • Make contact with pupils (meet or by telephone)
  • Provide/arrange a programme for work experience designed to meet the pupils needs
  • Identify a member of staff to supervise the pupil whilst on placement
  • Record and view the students performance
  • Accommodate visiting school staff where this is feasible
  • Provide a health and safety induction for the pupil
  • Meet insurance and health and safety requirements before the placement proceeds
  • Help pupils with their transition from school to a workplace
  • Help pupils gain an insight into the kind of skills and attitudes required in the workplace.

PUPILS

  • Be punctual everyday
  • Wear appropriate clothing and footwear etc.
  • Negotiate then accept and comply with the agreed hours of work
  • Inform the employer and the school of unavailability during the placement period
  • Behave in a mature, responsible and professional manner
  • Establish lunch and break-time arrangements and to conform with them
  • Identify and use the most appropriate means of travel to and from the workplace
  • Comply with school systems in pursuance of work experience
  • Contact the employer before the placement begins by telephone or (agreed) visit/interview
  • Comply with school systems to record activities e.g. diary, log book
  • Be prepared to take part in preparation and post work experience activities

PARENTS

  • Consent to both the work experience programme and the proposed placement
  • Provide support and encouragement before, during and after the placement
  • Inform the school of any medical and health problems which may affect choice of placement
  • Ensure that the employer and school are notified in cases of absence
  • Be prepared to accept the working hours of the arranged placement
  • Be prepared to accept the need for and nature of travel to and from the placement and also lunchtime arrangements
  • To understand that work experience is unpaid and relies heavily on the goodwill of employers.

SCHOOL

  • Committed to the use of placements offering a safe working environment with appropriate pupil supervision
  • Endeavour to arrange quality placements to meet the needs of pupils
  • Visit and monitor pupils once during the week of placement
  • Confirm that employers have current appropriate insurance cover
  • Acknowledge pupil achievements and to reward success with certification
  • Ensure that pupil debriefing raises learning and awareness from both good and bad experiences and to encourage the work ethos.

JN/Work Experience/Info for website/ Learning Outcomes