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Careers Advice
Information and Guidance at SBS
The Careers Lead at St Birinus School is Erin Collins, ecollins@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk
At St Birinus School we use the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Benchmarks to develop and improve our careers provision (Years 8-13)
Please see Miss Nutley's Loom Presentation with further information about our Careers Education Provision for years 7-11: https://www.loom.com/share/556c3da9804b44de95d7a9747038593e
SBS also employs the services of a Careers Adviser, from Adviza, Cathy King-Spooner. Cathy has an office in the Technology Block and is in school every Monday and occasional Thursdays. Cathy provides impartial careers information, advice and guidance.
Contact Cathy to make an appointment via Email: cathyking-spooner@adviza.org.uk
Useful Websites
Unifrog: https://www.unifrog.org/
Excellent careers website that can be used for researching Jobs, Colleges and 6th Forms (inc typical pay, future labour market prediction by job and qualifications required), recording career interactions, writing your CV and Personal Statement, and applications for Apprenticeships. Lots of useful interactive career tools and loads of useful articles about almost anything to do with careers.
EClips: https://www.eclips-online.co.uk/ (for the password, please email Miss Collins at ecollins@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk)
Information on your option choices at 13, 16 & 18 and on over 1000 jobs and careers. Look at the ‘labour market information’ section to find out about average salaries, predicted levels of employment in the future, etc. Suitable for years 7-13.
A quick personality test that suggests career sectors to match your personality
Useful careers information provided by Oxfordshire County Council for young people aged 8-19, including post 16 options and job and apprenticeship vacancy bulletins for Oxfordshire.
Apprenticeships:
https://www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships
https://www.oxfordshireapprenticeships.co.uk/
Local and national Apprenticeships and Traineeships, including a search facility for finding opportunities to match your needs. Unifrog (see link above) also has a great section on Apprenticeships.
https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk/
A really good website for helping you choose the right A’ levels, especially if you plan to go onto University.
The website for researching university courses, entry requirements and more. Now also includes information on options after GCSEs and on higher/degree level Apprenticeships.
www.adviza.org.uk/who-am-i/young-person
Careers resources including information about options at key stages, applying to college and university, studying abroad, job seeking and sourcing jobs and Apprenticeships
Useful information from employers. Find out what skills and qualities employers are looking for, get ideas on how to develop and demonstrate your skills, learn how to impress at interview and more!
A Guide to Qualifications and What They Mean in Terms of Levels
The more qualifications you gain and the higher the level of your achievement, the more options will be available to you in the future.
Learning doesn't stop when you leave school. It's important to continue developing your skills and knowledge throughout your life. Qualifications act as markers along the way, showing what you have achieved and what you can do.
Once you have left full-time education, there are different ways to gain qualifications - by assessment in the workplace, by studying at home through distance learning, by using computer packages at an open-learning centre, or by attending classes on a full-or part-time basis. There is a wide range of subjects, study options and qualifications, and you may find there are several routes to achieving your career ambitions.
Whichever qualification/s you choose, first take a careful look at the entry requirements. Discuss with teachers/tutors and others who know your abilities your chances of meeting those requirements, then aim for your personal best. To enter some careers, gaining the right qualifications is essential. For others, certain combinations of qualifications may be useful or preferred.
There are qualifications in literally thousands of subjects; they also come in different sizes and levels. In very simple terms, qualifications can broadly be divided into three types:
- Academic - covering knowledge of such subjects as geography or English
- Broad-based, work-related, vocational - covering a broad area of work (such as business or health and social care)
- Job-related, occupational - covering the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to learn about or train for a specific job or job area.
Qualifications can be compared in terms of level (i.e. challenge/difficulty) and size. The levels are:
- Entry level (split into entry 1, 2 and 3)
- Level 1: e.g. GCSEs at grades 3-1
- Level 2: e.g. GCSEs at grades 9-4
- Level 3: e.g. A level at grade A-E
- Levels 4-8: HE (higher education) qualifications (including degree, Higher National and postgraduate qualifications) and certain professional qualifications.
https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
For the latest careers news, please visit:
Morrisby Assessments
Alongside careers appointments and drop in advice sessions, Adviza offers online psychometric testing. The test will identify your abilities and aptitudes, and match you to careers and courses which may suit you. Testing sessions are available throughout the year. The online Morrisby testing takes two hours and is available at £99. The tests are suitable for adults and students aged 15+, with a reading age of at least 12 years. There is a bursary scheme to cover the cost, available through Adviza, for those facing economic disadvantage with an income lower than £26,000 (evidence of household income may be requested).
To book an online session please visit www.adviza.org.uk/products/morrisby-online-at-home
You may also find the following web sites helpful:
Careers Information
For general information and advice for young people on careers, housing, money, travel, learning, free time, relationships, health, work, your rights.
Choosing your options or pathways
Need money to finance your education
- www.direct.gov.uk/caretolearn (help for childcare)
- www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
University
- www.unistats.com (compare courses and universities)
- http://university.which.co.uk
- http://www.prospects.ac.uk
Gap year
- www.yearoutgroup.org
- www.yini.org.uk (pre university and undergraduate work experience)
- www.gapyear.com
- www.realgap.co.uk
- www.workandvolunteer.com
Voluntary work
Work and training, CVs and apprenticeships
- http://oxcentric.oxme.info/cms/oxcentric/education-and-work (includes a useful section on creating CVs)
- www.prospects.ac.uk
- http://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/ (apprenticeships and other vocational training)
- www.unisnotforme.com
- www.gov.uk/further-education-skills/apprenticeships (apprenticeship matching service)
- www.adviza.org.uk/youngperson
- www.oxfordshireapprenticeships.co.uk
