careers portal

Our Careers Portal is for pupils, parents, carers, teachers, employers, training providers and anyone who has a keen interest in preparing our pupils for their future.

We are very proud of the careers provision at St. Joseph’s Catholic School. We have been awarded the national Quality in Careers Standard using the Career Mark approach, which recognises excellence in careers, employability and enterprise.

Currently, the pace of change is more rapid than at any time in history. Changes in society and work are having a profound effect on traditional patterns of employment. If young people know more about the range of careers open to people with the right qualifications, they will have a clearer idea of the routes to better jobs.

This page will link you to sources of information and advice, and where to get help. Please use the links on the right for further information.

Contents


Click a link below to jump ahead to a relevant section.

CONTACTS


Careers Lead Professional (L6 Qualified) – Miss V. Gale – vgl@sjcs.org.uk
SLT Careers Lead
– Mrs F. Nobis – Assistant Headteacher – fno@sjcs.org.uk

Link Governor for Careers – Mr J. Hawkins – jha@sjcs.org.uk

Career Mark logo. Text reads: Recognising Excellence in Careers, Employability and Enterprise - Gold Award

We have been awarded the national  Quality in Careers Standard using the Career Mark approach provided by Complete Careers.

Career Mark Revalidation ReportSeptember 2022
LATEST COMPASS EVALUATIONDecember 2023
Structure of CEIAG
CEIAG Strategic Action Plan
Careers Policy
Provider Access Policy

UPCOMING CAREERS EVENTS


Event

What?

Who?

When?

PSHE Lessons – Introducting Careers

Year 7s have started their "Introduction to Careers" sessions in PSHE.

Including looking at the Career Pilot website: https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/

All Year 7

Throughout March and April

Year 9 College Assembly

ALL Year 9s had an assembly with a talk from Andover/Sparsholt college to make them aware of the variety of options available to them in the future, including BTEC's, A-Levels, Apprenticeships, T-Levels and more. This forms part of our statutory duty for Careers and part of the PAL (provider Access Legislation).

All Year 9

Wednesday 20th March

Interview Preparation Morning

In preparation for the Year 10 Mock Interviews, taking place on 25th April 2024, P1-P4A; pupils in Year 10 had a whole morning of useful workshops on CV building and interview skills to get them ready to speak to employers.

Please speak to your young person about this to support their preparation for the interview on Thursday 25th April

All Year 10

​Thursday 14th March, P1-P4A

1:1 Careers meetings

Continuing throughout March & April Year 11 students will have a 1:1 meeting with Miss Gale, L6 qualified impartial Careers Guidance Lead Professional.​ Discussions about potential Career sector goals and Post-16 Options.

Year 11

Throughout March and April

Year 10 Work Experience

Deadline for Work Experience (local placements) is Monday 22nd April.

Miss Gale will also have several drop ins to support Year 10 students with using Grofar and with choosing Work Experience, as well as some opportunities for 1:1 support.

Year 10

Throughout March and April

LATEST OPPORTUNITIES & Resources


Here we share the latest opportunities and events that students can get involved with, including webinars, competitions, and more. Click on an opportunity below to read more about it.

Screenshot of National Trust Apprenticeships page
Screenshot of Neon Futures careers resources
Screenshot of WFF website - text reads: Empowering planet-friendly career pathways
Screenshot of Step Into the NHS website for secondary schools
3 young people wearing medical scrubs, smiling at the camera
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Work Experience Programme
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Work Experience Programme
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Work Experience Programme
Blue background, white and green text reads: Let's start your journey. Find an education centre.
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Work Experience Programme
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Work Experience Programme
Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Work Experience Programme

OUR PROGRAMME


Our programme follows statutory guidance set by the Department for Education Careers guidance and access for education and training providers. We work to meet the eight Gatsby Benchmarks to help develop and improve our provision and to also meet our legal duties.

There is a well-defined careers programme through Key Stages 3 and 4 which maps against the Framework for careers, employability and enterprise education (January 2020).

We work with a huge variety of different providers ranging from the Careers and Enterprise Company, higher education providers, local further education colleges and 6th forms, training providers, employers, voluntary sector, local authority, Chamber of Commerce and our alumni to keep a modern vision of the requirements of the jobs market.

We were proud to receive our Careers Education Progress Report for the 2022 summer term from the Swindon & Wiltshire Careers Hub – especially our excellent Gatsby Benchmark scores in comparison with national averages.

We aim to support our pupils to:

  • Develop themselves through careers, employability and enterprise education
  • Learn about careers and the world of work
  • Develop career management, employability and enterprise skills

We are always keen to introduce new ideas and involve parents, carers, relatives, friends and employers to enhance our programme. If you would like to contribute and get involved, we would love to hear from you! Please see contact details above.

What we've done in each academic year:

Careers advisor Sue Glover talking to a pupil

The independent careers advice and guidance provided by the school are a strength.  As a result, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education and training.  Pupils spoke highly about the advice they received from tutors, teachers and the independent careers adviser in preparing them for the future.

Ofsted – January 2018
St. Joseph's values the importance of CEIAG in developing independent learning and raising aspiration amongst its students. This comes directly from the headteacher and her assistant headteacher, who are assisted in achieving this outstanding provision through the dedicated, determined and passionate work of their careers coordinator and careers adviser.
Careermark Gold – Awarded in July 2019

your feedback

We are proud of the careers programme that we run at St Joseph's. We are always interested in hearing ways in which we can improve or feedback about what we're doing well!

If you have any comments about our Careers programme and the information you or your child have received, please share your feedback using this form:


CAREERS EDUCATION


All learners experience a relevant and appropriate careers curriculum which promotes equal opportunities, challenges stereotypes, raises aspirations and encourages learners to reach their full potential. Learners are taught to take responsibility for their futures and encouraged to make full use of the learning opportunities, resources and events made available to them. Our offer is always developing and new events and activities are delivered every year.

CareerPilot logo

Careerpilot is a free one-stop website helping 13-19 year olds in the South of England to find out about all of their options. Careerpilot also has a Parents Information Zone to help parents/carers support young people in making the right decision about study and work.

Go toCareerpilot
Career Companion logo

Careercompa@nion provides students and parents/carers with the most up-to-date, independent, and impartial careers information about education, apprenticeships, labour market information, special educational needs, job hunting, qualifications, and more.

Username: stjosephsstudent 
Password: stjosephsstudent

Go toCareer Companion
eClips logo

eCLIPS helps young people to make informed study and career decisions. It has accurate information on over 1400 jobs including live labour market information and lots of advice on education and employment choices. 

Login: StJosephs

Go toeClips
CareerPilot logo

Careerpilot is a free one-stop website helping 13-19 year olds in the South of England to find out about all of their options. Careerpilot also has a Parents Information Zone to help parents/carers support young people in making the right decision about study and work.

Go toCareerpilot
Career Companion logo

Careercompa@nion provides students and parents/carers with the most up-to-date, independent, and impartial careers information about education, apprenticeships, labour market information, special educational needs, job hunting, qualifications, and more.

Username: stjosephsstudent 
Password: stjosephsstudent

Go toCareer Companion
eClips logo

eCLIPS helps young people to make informed study and career decisions. It has accurate information on over 1400 jobs including live labour market information and lots of advice on education and employment choices. 

Login: StJosephs

Go toeClips

MORE USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES

National Careers Service – Provides information, advice and guidance to help make decisions on learning, training and work.

Apprenticeships – Government portal containing information and advice about apprenticeship opportunities together with a search facility.

Labour Market Intelligence – Labour Market Intelligence, or LMI for short, is all about providing employment information. This information informs us about patterns, trends, facts and figures on the job market so you can understand what types of employment opportunities are around and it can help you plan your future. You can also watch this video which explains what Labour Market Information is.

Image

We have achieved Careerpilot Super User status for 2022-23 by using Careerpilot to support our careers provision and Gatsby Benchmarks.

CV Workshops & MOCK INTERVIEW DAY


Each year, Year 10 students are taken off timetable to take part in CV writing workshops and Mock Interview Day.

GOING PLACES & CV WORKSHOPS

Pupils are asked to find a job they would like to apply for using our very own St Joseph’s employment agency, Going Places Ltd. Once pupils choose their job profile, they are able to structure their CV around the skills and qualities required. Pupils also write covering letters in their English lessons to go with their CV. These are then sent to employers ready for Mock interview Day.

MOCK INTERVIEW DAY

On Mock Interview Day, we invite several employers to come to the school and conduct interviews with our pupils. Despite the nerves beforehand, pupils always come out smiling and feeling much more confident!

We would like to say a huge thank you to all the employers who gave up two afternoons to support our pupils with this worthwhile world of work experience.

A boy wearing a school sports top and headphones, looking at a laptopGoing Places Ltd logo

WORK EXPERIENCE – 2023/24


We are also delighted that our pupils get the opportunity to do work experience in the summer term of Year 10.  It offers a great opportunity for pupils to spend a full week away from school and experience the world of work.  It also offers the potential to provide opportunities for pupils to learn more about their own abilities. It helps them explore their strengths and weaknesses and identify the gaps in their skills.

Work experience can be a very powerful, life changing experience for pupils. Some go on to gain employment and some realise their ideal career path and progress to being very successful in their chosen field. Others decide that what they thought was their ideal career path no longer lives up to their expectations and are grateful they had the chance to find out before leaving school.  One of the most important benefits of work experience.

Pink forms:
Other Resources:

WORK EXPERIENCE LAUNCH PRESENTATION

Click on the image below to view the presentation from our Work Experience Launch presentation in January 2024. For more detailed information and instructions, as well as this year's key dates, please see the Work Experience booklet.

The World of Work Programme 2023

VIRTUAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Pupils also have the opportunity to apply for a Virtual Work Experience (VWEX) placement. Most of the placements listed below are free, so all you need to do is sign up and apply. When looking to apply for a Virtual Work Experience placement, please ensure they are undertaken during the holiday period, so it doesn't impact on the school learning day.

Websites to look at include:

A girl in school uniform using a computer

CAREERS IN THE CURRICulum


We ensure that careers education is integrated into every area of our curriculum via individual subjects and PSHE lessons. Please click on a subject area below to see how we integrate careers into each department.


Next Steps: Post-16 Options


PSHE PRESENTATIONS

Year 11 will be learning about their next steps in upcoming PSHE lessons. Please find the presentations for these lessons below:
 
Image

WRITING A PERSONAL STATEMENT

Need some help writing a personal statement for your college/sixth form applications? Here's a handy guide.

Screenshot of How to Write a Personal Statement document

local COLLEGES AND SIXTH FORMS


ANDOVER COLLEGE

Andover College logo

AVON VALLEY ACADEMY

Avon Valley College logo

Bishop Wordsworth’S Sixth Form

Bishop Wordworth's School logo

Brockenhurst College and Sixth Form

Brockenhurst College logo

The Burgate School and Sixth Form

The Burgate School & Sixth Form logo

eastleigh College

Eastleigh College logo

KINGSTON MAURWARD COLLEGE

Kingston Maurward College logo

NEW COLLEGE SWINDON

New College Swindon logo

Peter Symonds College

Peter Symonds College logo

Salisbury Sixth Form College – S6C

Salisbury Sixth Form logo

Sarum Academy Sixth Form

Sarum Academy logo

South Wilts Grammar School Sixth Form

South Wilts Grammar School logo

Sparsholt College

Sparsholt College logo

Totton College

Totton College logo

Wiltshire College

Wiltshire College logo

OPEN DAYS, virtual tours & information videos


Screenshot of Andover College information sheet

ANDOVER COLLEGE

Many of our year 10 students choose Andover College for their post-16 education. If you're currently researching colleges, Andover College have sent over an excellent digital handout that will help you decide whether it could be the right choice for you.

The digital handout includes:

  • Links to all of their courses and qualifications
  • Virtual 360 campus tours
  • Information about college open events
  • A video and information about careers support at Andover College
  • The college prospectus
  • Information about apprenticeships
  • Industry work placements

Click on the picture above, or on the button below, to download the PDF. Then click the links in the PDF to view each of the resources.

Download the PDF
Screenshot of Sparsholt College information sheet

SPARSHOLT COLLEGE

Another great choice for our post-16 students is Sparsholt College in Hampshire. Sparsholt College offers vocational and practical land-based courses in Agriculture, Animal Studies, Arboriculture & Forestry, Conservation, Motor Vehicles, and more.

The digital handout includes:

  • Links to all of their courses and qualifications
  • Year 11 presentation
  • 360° tours of the college
  • Meet the tutors
  • Information about industry placements and apprenticeships
  • Stories from past and present students

Click on the picture to the left, or on the button below, to download the PDF. Then click the links in the PDF to view each of the resources.

Download the PDF

further information


Employer and Education Providers Engagement

St. Joseph’s Catholic School could not provide such a comprehensive careers programme without the support of local businesses and the education sector. We would like to say a huge THANK YOU for all their inspiration and encouragement!

See the full list of external supporters

destinations

Our pupils are monitored throughout their time at St. Joseph’s Catholic School and progress successfully on to further education or apprenticeships. You can also look at the latest destinations data for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 on the DfE School Performance Tables.

Below is the destinations data produced by St. Joseph’s Catholic School.  Most of our students progress on to further education.

We are also very proud of pupils that have gone on to Higher Education.  Below is information we have gathered for a small cohort of pupils.

St. Joseph's Catholic School Alumni

Priority Groups

All pupils are welcome and encouraged to engage with the Careers team. Specific groups of pupils are considered a priority:

Special Education Needs – We work closely with the SEN team to provide additional support for pupils during their time in school. At key transitional points such as Options choices and Post-16 choices, our Careers team meets with pupils and parents/carers to offer impartial information, advice and guidance to help with decision making. Our Careers Adviser will also attend Annual Review meetings.

Children Looked After – Additional appointments can be put in place to support with GCSE option choices, work experience placements and applications to further education and/or apprenticeships.

Pupil Premium – Additional time is allocated to engage with students in receipt of the pupil premium grant to ensure that they have additional support with activities and are mentored in order to provide successful outcomes at the end of year 11.

Higher Attainers  – Curriculum staff identify pupils showing academic promise. The Careers team will offer information, advice and guidance to facilitate progress and arrange visits that can support decision-making with trips to Oxford University and Russell Group Universities.