Careers

Students first careers teachers are their form tutors, Heads of Year and subject teachers but they are also welcome (and encouraged) to speak to our Careers Lead, who is based in the Sixth Form Centre, with any careers related query they have. They can make an appointment or come to the Careers Drop In that happens every Wednesday after school. They can also make an appointment to see one of our Careers Advisors from Hertfordshire Services for Young People, who are in school every Wednesday, to discuss careers options, subject choices, university and other applications or to gain impartial advice.

There is also a large selection of resources in the Library that is regularly updated and is available for all year groups to help them make informed decisions about subject choices, Higher Education, Careers and taking a Gap Year. 

Students are given extra help at key transition stages such as choosing GCSE, IB/A Level courses and applying to university in the UK or overseas, and we make students aware of employment trends and how to maximise their employability skills.

The school uses Unifrog from Year 7 upwards with every student having a login and this is an excellent resource to aid with careers exploration. Students will also find information about careers related webinars, work experience opportunities, university open days, ect posted in the their year group teams.

Parents play a key part in supporting their children in their career choices and we aim to support that by providing information meetings at key decision points (eg Year 9 Options meetings, Year 12 UCAS Information meetings). We are also happy to discuss any concerns parents have. For general information, please follow THIS LINK for a Careers Advice for Parents website.  The Russell Group Universities has also produced a useful guide for parents on making ‘Informed Choices’ for Post 16 choices, please follow THE LINK here. Parents might also find the YouTube video produced by The Careers and Enterprise Company about the local labour market in Hertfordshire helpful when discussing options with their children, please CLICK HERE.

We are keen to increase the involvement of parents, Alumni and the wider business community in our Careers programme so that we can provide meaningful learning opportunities for pupils. This will allow us to build up a network of expertise in a range of professions.

We are keen to hear from any parents who might be able to act as an ‘adviser’ to the students at our Biennial Careers Fair, or to talk to small groups of students about their career or profession. If any parent could provide work experience, ‘taster days’ or work shadowing for our Year 11 or 12 students in their summer holiday (we would only use such contacts for a committed pupil who has expressed a genuine interest in the particular career) that would be especially welcome.

If you feel you might be able to offer help to Hockerill pupils, at whatever level, the Careers Department would very much appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion before any kind of commitment, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the main switchboard or emailing careers@hockerill.com, or by completing the ATTACHED FORM.

The Careers Development Institute provides a framework against which schools and colleges can measure their CEIAG provision, the numbers in the table above show which parts of the framework that activity covers. Essentially the framework ensures that young people have the opportunity to develop themselves, learn about careers and to make themselves more employable and ready for the world of work. For more information about it please CLICK HERE.

A quick Google search will show the vast array of information online on all aspects of careers advice from apprenticeships, applying to university, developing the right skills, etc but please CLICK HERE for a list of some of the ones we think are most useful in each section.

The Government recommends that all schools should use the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Benchmarks to develop and improve their careers provision. The Gatsby Benchmarks are not a statutory framework but by adopting them schools can be confident that they are fulfilling their legal duties. ​ At Hockerill we consider all 8 benchmarks in planning our CEIAG provision and regularly review our progress towards meeting the​m, as well as monitoring the effectiveness and impact of our programme.

1. A stable Careers programme – Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by pupils, parents, teachers and employers.

2. Learning from Career and Labour Market Information - Every pupil, and their parents, should have access to good-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make best use of available information.​

3. Addressing the Needs of Each Pupil – Pupils have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each pupil. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.​

4. Linking Learning to the Curriculum – All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. For example, STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.​

5. Encounters with Employers and Employees​ - Every pupil should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.​

6. Experiences of Workplaces​ - Every pupil should have first-hand experiences* of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.​

7. Encounters with Further and Higher Education – All pupils should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.​

8. Personal Guidance - Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.​

Statutory requirements from January 2023

Schools are required to ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access students in years 8 to 13 for the purposes of informing them about approved technical education, qualifications or apprenticeships. 

Schools must provide a minimum of 6 encounters with technical education or training providers to all pupils in years 8 to 13 (see more detail in section 2.1 below). 

Schools must also have a policy statement that outlines the circumstances in which education and training providers will be given access to these students.  

This is outlined in section 42B of the Education Act 1997, the Skills and Post-16 Act 2022 and on page 43 of guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) on careers guidance and access for education and training providers. 

The 6 encounters schools must offer to all pupils in years 8 to 13 

Schools must offer: 

• 2 encounters for pupils during the 'first key phase' (year 8 or 9) 

• All pupils must attend 
• Encounters can take place any time during year 8, and between 1 September and 28 February during year 9 

• 2 encounters for pupils during the 'second key phase' (year 10 or 11) 

• All pupils must attend 
• Encounters can take place any time during year 10, and between 1 September and 28 February during year 11 

• 2 encounters for pupils during the 'third key phase' (year 12 or 13) 

• Pupils can choose to attend 

Encounters can take place any time during year 12, and between 1 September and 28 February during year 13 

These encounters must happen for a reasonable period of time during the standard college day. Schools can continue to provide complementary experiences, but encounters outside of college hours won't count towards these requirements. 

Schools must ask each provider to provide the following information as a minimum: 

• Information about the provider and the approved qualifications or apprenticeships they offer 
• Information about what careers those qualifications and apprenticeships can lead to 
• What learning or training with the provider is like 
• Answers to any questions from pupils

This will be covered in assemblies, year group activities and enrichment activities. 

Meaningful provider encounters 

Our college is committed to providing meaningful encounters to all pupils. 

1 encounter is defined as 1 meeting/session between pupils and 1 provider. 

• Embedded within the college’s career programme and related career strategy and sequenced to build on prior careers learning and not just a one-off event.  
• Reflects the opportunities within the local labour market.  
• Linked to real life examples and local context.  
• Mapped against SMART learning objectives Ensure age/ability appropriateness  
• Accessible and differentiated to engage all participating students. 
• Meaningful live online engagement is also an option at our college.  
   

Student entitlement 

All students in years 8 to 13 at Hockerill Anglo-European College are entitled to: 

• Find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities as part of our careers programme, which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point 
• Hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships, e.g. through activities and events such as options events, assemblies and taster events 
• Understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses 

Management of provider access requests 

A provider wishing to request access should contact Mr James Lee, Careers Lead. 

Telephone: 01279658451 

Email: leej@hockerill.com

Please CLICK HERE for the Careers Department Policy, which sets out in more detailed how the department works and is managed.

The aim of the entitlement statement is to make sure that everyone (students, staff and parents) know what CEIAG will involve, what to expect and also what will be expected of them.

For students, we will:

• Treat and respect you as an individual.
• give you the chance to develop skills and knowledge that will equip you to successfully enter the world of work
• Support you when needed
• Guarantee you access to careers information, advice and guidance which is up to date, comprehensives and unbiased including Labour Market Information.
• Provide professional and expert guidance when you need it.
• Provide access to information about all the options/pathways open to you once you leave College.

As members of staff, we expect that you will:

• Actively help yourself as well as expecting us to help you.
• Be prepared to learn and stretch yourself in order to reach your potential.
• Be punctual and considerate of others
• Be realistic and honest when thinking about options and making decisions.

As parents you can expect that we will:

• Enable you to take an active part in the activities above through, for example, Parents' Consultation Evenings, Information Evenings, attending guidance meetings if you wish
• Promote and practice equal opportunities for all young people regardless of gender, ethnic origin, disability etc.