Careers, Employability & Enterprise Education

During the Seven Year Learning Journey here at Presdales School, we are preparing students for their future in modern Britain, as resilient citizens that are able to achieve their own personal goals, while having the skills to adapt to the changing demands of the economy.

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: Reviewed by Eloise Bundy

: Reviewed by Lucy White

: Reviewed by Constantina Nichola

The Careers Lead at Presdales is Mrs Julie Stephenson, Deputy Head Teacher.

To contact her about Careers Education at Presdales, please email stephensonj@presdales.herts.sch.uk

Presdales is currently working towards the completion of the Investor in Careers Award.

How is Careers, Employability and Enterprise Education taught at Presdales School?

Presdales has implemented the eight Gatsby Benchmarks through PSHE lessons as well as wider curriculum learning opportunities.

The eight Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

We work closely with YC Hertfordshire (formally known as Youth Connexions), to provide 1:1 careers guidance interviews for students in Years 8-13 with a Level 6 Qualified Careers Guidance Advisor. This support is in addition to meetings with Form Tutors, Heads of Year and members of the Senior Leadership Team that students will have when making a careers progression decision.

To enhance our provision we also work closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company and an Enterprise Advisor who review the Careers, Employability and Enterprise provision provided to ensure we are fully meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Year 7

Autumn Term

STEM Army activity Day : 14th to 15th October 2020

Spring Term

Careers week webinars : 1st to 5th March 2021

Summer Term

Enterprise House Event

All Year

Unifrog careers activities in SMSC

Year 8

Year 9

Spring Term

Futures meetings with SLT : January 2021

Summer Term

Enterprise House Event
Take Your Daughter To Work Day 2021 work shadowing : 22nd April 2021

All Year

SENd and PP 1-1 meetings with YC Herts and referrals from Futures meetings

learn to earn Letter

Learn to Earn Letter Attachment

Year 10

Year 11

Year 12

Year 13

Enterprise Education Opportunities at Presdales School

Each year group has the opportunity to take part in enrichment opportunities to widen their enterprise skills.

• The whole school takes part in the annual Christmas Fair to raise funds for the Presdales PTA
• The whole school takes part in various activities to raise funds for the school charity and this is led by a sixth form team.
• Year 12 students can take part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme

Careers and Provider access policy

Careers Plan 2020-2021

Parent Database

We are trying to build up a careers programme that will support every student at Presdales School with their future decisions.

As part of this process we would like to increase the number of employer encounters that each student receives and it would be great if parents could support us with this endeavour.

Please click here to complete a short survey detailing what support you feel you can offer.

Thank you in advance and please let us know if you have any questions: stephensonj@presdales.herts.sch.uk

Useful Careers Websites for Parents/ Carers

The following websites are recommended for parents/carers to be able to know how to support your child when they are making careers decisions. Please note that there are many more sites available, these are provided as a starting point to help you to support your child.

General Careers Advice

A Parents’ Guide to Careers Guidance

YC Hertfordshire
https://www.ychertfordshire.org/careers/parents-and-carers/

YC Hertfordshire (previously known as Connexions) have a variety of tools for both young people and parents to support careers choices. At Presdales they have access to see a YC Hertfordshire Adviser at a drop in clinic in school on a Monday between 1 and 1.30 or visit YC Herts Access points around Hertfordshire.

National Careers Service
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/

This is the government provided website to support careers education from the age of 13 – retirement!

Unifrog
https://www.unifrog.org/

Every student has a login for this complete destination platform.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships Get in Go Far
https://www.getingofar.gov.uk/

This is the government provided site that provides information about the variety of apprenticeships available. It contains a variety of useful links and tips pages as well as videos for students to watch.

Apprenticeships Applications
https://www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships

This is the national website, provided by the government that lists every apprenticeship that is available at that moment in time. This is location of where you apply to participate in an apprenticeship.

Not Going to Uni
https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/

This site was set up in 2008 by someone that wanted independent advice for those who didn’t want to go to university. It contains lots of information about alternative to university life as well as advertising apprenticeships.

A parent’s guide to apprenticeships

Going to University

UCAS
https://www.ucas.com/

UCAS continues to be the platform that students will use to apply for university. It also allows students to start their search process and research different university courses. For parents it also contains information about university fees and student loans.

Which? University
https://university.which.co.uk/

Like the rest of their website Which? University is designed to provide impartial advice and comparisons of universities. Within the site there is a specific section for parents and carers: https://university.which.co.uk/advice/advice-for-parents

Public Sector Career Websites

Step into the NHS
https://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/

This site is managed by the NHS and provides a comprehensive guide to applying for any NHS role. It includes videos and guides to the 350 career paths available within the NHS.

Get Into Teaching
https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

This site is managed by the DfE and provides comprehensive coverage about the various routes into teaching. STAGS is part of the Albans Teaching Federation which provides a variety of Teach Direct placements. Please see their site for details of current opportunities: http://www.albanfederation.com/training-info/

Military Careers
Army https://www.army.mod.uk/careers/
Navy https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers
Air Force https://www.raf.mod.uk/recruitment/

Students who wish to pursue a military career should research the website for that specific area. It is also recommended that they join their local cadet force as this will also provide them with information and advice about a military career.

The Police
https://www.met.police.uk/car/met/careers/ http://www.hertspolicecareers.co.uk/

These sites provide information about the various routes into working in the police and the different civilian roles as well.

Civil Service
National Government https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi
Local Government https://jobs.hertfordshire.gov.uk/home.aspx

These sites provide information about current vacancies and the application process for working in national and local government.

Labour Market Information

Current Labour Market Information can be found here:

We believe it is important for all of our students to understand the Labour Market because this will help them to make realistic choices about their future.

During Careers Week, all students will be shown the following short video to help them understand the Hertfordshire Labour Market.

Hertfordshire Labour Market Overview – YouTube

Other useful information

Local Labour Market Information investigation tool

Year 8

Take Your Daughter To Work Day

Year 9

Medical Mavericks

On 23rd May, Year 9 students took part in lots of fun hands-on activities during a workshop run by Medical Mavericks that introduced a whole range of amazing medical careers from nursing, doctors & paramedics. The activities included:

– Ultrasound machine to see inside your body (top right photo)
– See inside your eye with an iPhone retina scan
– Record and print an ECG from your heart
– Hear your pulse with a Doppler Probe!
– Trying key hole surgery on a training device used by surgeons (bottom right photo)
– Using real needle to take fake blood from a fake arm
– Experiencing different eye diseases with the pathology goggles (left photo)
– Test hearing and reflexes
– Take basic medical observation such as blood pressure, oxygen sats and temp

Year 12

Young Enterprise

Stand Up meets Wood Bros

Earlier this year, Year 12 were given an opportunity to take part in Young Enterprise, a charity that introduces young people to work and business life. In a group, you would have to set up and run a company, organising everything, from the name to selling your own product.

After months of trialling different products, our company, Stand Up, finally decided on a product: a stand in which to hold a tablet or phone. A local business was then contacted by Georgia Kettas to help us achieve this goal. Wood Bros is a local company that specialises in the design and manufacturing of quality furniture. They have been in Ware for over 90 years (moved here in 1952) and design everything from Tudor style writing desks to modern Scandinavian-style cabinets. They were more than happy to listen to project proposal and we sent our designs through to them.

Then, on the 31st January, eight of our group met with Wood Bros to discuss our visions for the project. All of us, including our Young Enterprise mentor, were blown away at the quality and smartness of the stands. Hand crafted from sustainable oak wood, these small stands were no longer a drawing on paper, they were a reality. After a discussion about the product, our respective companies, and a tour around Wood Bros showroom (we recommend to everyone to have a look around to see beautiful and stylish designs), we took the impressive stands back, ready to package and sell.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Wood Bros for everything they have done for us. They were so patient, respectful and helpful to our small company, and they have massively boosted our confidence in our group. We really enjoyed the meeting and we all agree that the experience will be extremely useful to us in the future.

Stand Up

Young Enterprise Success at Welwyn Trade Fair

On the 2nd March 2019, Stand Up and Colour Smart, two Young Enterprise companies from Presdales sixth form participated in a trade fair in the Howard Centre in Welwyn. They were selling oak wood sustainable tablet stands and phone charger protectors designed and packaged locally. Stand Up had worked with a local manufacturer in Ware to produce a high quality oak engineered phone or tablet stand and were very proud of everything they achieved. About halfway into the fair, the judges came around the stalls and were very impressed at the products and stands. This was also the reaction from customers who particularly liked the locally sourced oak aspect of the stands and the merchandising on both stalls. One customer even spoke to the head of the trade fair about how high quality the stands and products were. All their efforts were rewarded because as well as virtually selling out of the tablet stands, Stand-Up won three awards: Best trade stand, Best Innovation & Creativity and Overall Winner. The judges also said that they were mentioned in every category. Everyone in the company was thrilled at the achievements and it gave the group a new confidence going in to the final stage of the competition on the 19th of March at Hertford County Hall. Colour Smart worked hard on their sales pitch and merchandising and made sales of over £100 along with an award for best customer focus. The feedback from the judges and customers was extremely positive. Maddie Richardson won a special award for Star of the day for her single-handed efforts early on and throughout the trade fair. Both firms are now in the process of writing their interim company reports which they will showcase on March 19th In Hertford County Hall.

Mr Rock ( Young Enterprise Coordinator & Head of Business & Economics)

Latest News

July 17, 2020/by Presdales School

w/c Monday 21st :
National Fitness Week event
European Week of Languages

Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th :
Year 11 DofE Bronze Practice Expedition (cohort of 2019-2020)

Contact Us

Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX

Tel: 01920 462210
admin@presdales.herts.sch.uk

Curriculum

Careers, Employability & Enterprise Education

During the Seven Year Learning Journey here at Presdales School, we are preparing students for their future in modern Britain, as resilient citizens that are able to achieve their own personal goals, while having the skills to adapt to the changing demands of the economy.

How is Careers, Employability and Enterprise Education taught at Presdales School?