Careers and Work-Related Learning
Career preparation and Work Related Learning is of paramount importance here at Bishop’s Hatfield. As a cornerstone of our motto, Achieving our Potential and Enjoying the Journey, we believe that all pupils should have the opportunity to gain awareness of how their own unique blend of talents and interests can lead to a wide range of futures in a complex and ever changing world.
We constantly search for new opportunities for our pupils. If you have an idea or could offer us support please contact Mrs Higgins, Careers Leader (jhiggins@bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk)
The work related learning goals reflect the Gatsby Benchmarks, and focus on the development of core employability skills for a fast paced economy. These are met through subject teaching, dedicated lessons and experiences in the Lifeskills programme; combined with individual guidance sessions and a variety employer encounters in all year groups.
We work with a range of partners including the Careers and Enterprise Company, YC Hertfordshire, The Engineering Development Trust, Morrisby, Young Enterprise and The Rotary Club. We are members of the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership Careers Hub and enjoy sharing ideas and best practice with partner schools and businesses across the wider county. We also have strong links with local business partners, including Computacenter, Roche, Tesco, PayPoint, Morgan Sindall alongside many other small and medium sized business partners who offer work shadowing and work experience placements, talks, mock interviews and workshops.
If you are a business leader or employee and could offer us support please do get in touch.
The Gatsby Benchmarks are an 8 point framework that we meet:
- A stable careers programme
- Access to careers information
- Addressing the needs of pupils as individuals
- Individual independent careers support and guidance
- Curriculum links to the world of work
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
Throughout the year there are a wide variety of events that link specific aspects of the curriculum and to general careers skills development. This may include visits to careers conferences, visits by employers to get our pupils “careers ready” through to specialist visits to corporate locations in the world of IT, pharmaceutical, law and finance. We also have enrichment activities that enable our pupils to develop employability skills further such as our Business games – Young Enterprise.
Whole school focus weeks, such as National Careers Week and Mental Health Week challenge preconceptions about work place environments.
National Careers Week (NCW) is a celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK.
Apprenticeships
Bishop’s supports National Apprenticeship Week with a series of assemblies and sessions during registration for those keen to apply.
For information on Apprenticeships, check out some of the material available here: Amazing Apprenticeships – Useful Resources.
You can also listen to this recording of an information webinar that we held in association with ASK in May 2022: Apprenticeship Awareness Webinar – ASK recording
Below is some more information, including a list of Higher and Degree Apprenticeship vacancies for 2023/2024 recruitment (correct at the time of printing – Feb 2023) and a Parents & Carers’ Newsletter/Information Pack
Wider Educational Provider Access
This statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997. Moreover, we welcome providers into school, and are happy to send information about the range of opportunities to our pupils and their families.
Programme of work related learning
Year 7
- Discovering Unifrog, recording activities and keeping track of careers progress.
- Using careers language and terminology
- Discovering your interests: Investigating possible pathways and utilising our IT system Wouldyouratherbe.com
- What’s your dream job? Learning from Labour Market Information
- What does success mean to you? Evaluating progress and setting goals
- Your skills, your team, your future. Introducing employability skills
- June: Guest speaker and workshop session on Branding and Sustainability with Tesco. Workshop encouraging creativity, team working and communication skills
Year 8
- Developing the use of the IT Careers tool Unifrog and learning Skills for Careers: What are employers looking for in candidates?
- What makes a great communicator?
- Developing Teamwork and Leadership skills.
- Creating a positive mindset: responding to challenges in a positive way.
- Why is problem solving so important ?
- Careers exploration and Learning from Labour Market Information
- March: Work Shadowing Day with local employers.
Year 9
- Further developing the use of the IT Careers tool Unifrog to make choices in Year 9: How to make important decisions.
- Using the Careers Library to learn about labour market information
- BTEC Myth Busting: the benefits of vocational courses
- Discover your competencies: Move out of your comfort zone.
- Developing skills focus: Time management and Resilience.
- Developing skills focus: Independence and Analysis.
- January: individual advice and guidance appointments with senior staff for all pupils.
- March: Employability Skills Day: Event with local employers to support the development of critical employability skills and to raise aspirations.
Year 10
- Stereotyping and discrimination in the workplace
- Understanding employment rights and responsibilities.
- Preparation for work experience, including applications and interview technique.
- Maximising your potential: Designing an outstanding CV
- Interview skills: Competency based questions and the STAR model for responding.
- Health, safety and behaviour at work
- Awareness assemblies on Apprenticeships Myth Busting and finding Apprenticeship opportunities
- Throughout year: Individual careers guidance with the YC independent adviser, Lucy Osman.
- Mentoring programme run for small group of pupils. Includes careers guidance and trips. Runs for two years +
- Throughout year: Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
- July: Work Experience Week: Pupils are immersed in the workplace for an extended experience which enables them to further develop employability skills and gain a deep understanding of the demands of a workplace environment.
Year 11
- Coping with changes – What happens after Year 11? Making Post 16 choices
- Revisiting Apprenticeships Myth Busting and finding Apprenticeship opportunities – external speakers
- Learning from Labour Market Information
- Developing a growth mindset: Aiming high
- Careers resources for occupational research: using Unifrog independently.
- September: Post 16 Choice Event: 6th form and college tasters sessions.
- February Generation Welwyn and Hatfield Careers Fair – Hatfield Fielder Centre
- Morrisby Testing offered to all pupils.
- January: Individual post 16 advice and guidance appointments with senior staff
- Ongoing: Individual careers interviews with the YC independent adviser, Lucy Osman.
Year 12
- Making post 18 choices
- Careers library refreshers and Learning from Labour Market Information
- Young Enterprise Company Programme competition
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Silver / Gold
- Throughout year: individual careers guidance sessions with independent advisor Lucy Osman YC independent advisor
- Volunteering – why is it such a great idea ?
- Employer led workshops and vocational talks on ad-hoc basis as opportunities arise.
- Preparation for higher education and apprenticeships: Apprenticeships Fair visit.
- Degree Apprenticeships – could they be right for you?
- Amazing Apprenticeships Talk and workshop.
- University or Apprenticeship: Which route is best for you?
- Discovering MOOCs
- Work experience preparation
- September: Using Unifrog to research future pathways
- September: Consortium Oxbridge evening
- December: University Challenge event
- November: Careers in Law visits to St Albans courts
- February: Careers in Law: Visits to Clifford Chance, London.
- Employer led workshops and vocational talks on ad-hoc basis as opportunities arise
- November: Mock assessment centre and understanding employers priorities, with Computacenter.
- January/February: CV skills workshop and LinkedIn
- March: Mock Interviews with local employers
- Spring: visits to Computacenter for students interested in business and apprenticeships.
- July: Careers Convention: talks and workshops from a wide range of employers.
- July: Work experience week.
Year 13
- Barclays Lifeskills Young People Programme: Developing employability skills and workplace confidence.
- UCAS Applications: personal statements support
- Visits to university open days
- University open day visit support – time for visits is authorised.
- Apprenticeship application support: Apprenticeships Fair visit.
- Mock interviews for applicants to apprenticeships and competitive courses
- Post-18 Options/Information Parents’ Evening
- Talks from Higher Education providers and apprentices as part of the ongoing lifeskills programme preparing students for life after school.
- Amazing Apprenticeships: Talks and workshop.
Labour Market Information for pupils, parents, teachers and employers.
Hertfordshire and Welwyn Hatfield have many opportunities, but it is important to know which sectors are growing. These documents and video will help you to understand the local labour market.
For more information about other districts in Hertfordshire please visit: https://www.hopinto.co.uk/questions/labour-market-information/
Video: Hertfordshire Labour Market Overview
For sector-specific information about career pathways in Hertfordshire, check out these 8-10 minutes clips:
- Technology from Computacenter Technology Sector Careers
- Film, TV and Media from Elstree Studios: Film Media Creative Sector
- Construction from BAM: Construction
- Health and Health and Social Care from the NHS NHS Health / Health & Social Care
- Science Science Sector
- Engineering from Volker Engineering Sector
- Finance from PWC Finance Sector
Virtual Employer Encounters
Hearing from employers and employees is an important way of discovering potential future pathways.
Generation Stevenage is a partnership venture between Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal, Careers and Enterprise Company, Stevenage Development Board and co-organised by educational charity Stempoint East. It is jointly funded by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Stevenage Borough Council. In December 2020, it provided a series of free employer-facing events which we hope will be replicated in the future: Generation Stevenage free Webinar (held December 2020)
Next Generation – Work Experience (WEX) Programme
As more traditional face-to-face work experience has not been easy to find for our students over the last Covid years, we have looked at different ways of getting opportunities for our pupils to interact with businesses and organisations to develop their transferable skills as part of their ongoing and important careers education. Any opportunities to work with businesses and to hear what employers are looking for in employees is valuable knowledge and helps them to build these skills sets and experience to put on that all important CV for their future.
As part of our School Work Experience events programme in 2022, we added in a three-day programme called Next Generation. This has been specially designed for Key Stage 4 and is delivered by a number of businesses, in school. This programme was delivered for 40 Year 10s and was also offered to Year 11s going into Sixth Form as a programme that they could opt into as a valuable experience and will support their induction into their Year 12 studies.
Skillsometer and Wouldyouratherbe
Skillsometer can help you discover what jobs you might like to do in the future. You will be presented with a series of statements. Select the emoji that shows how you feel about each statement. You will be given suggestions of jobs linked to what you most enjoy doing.
Additionally this year in our Lifeskills programme we are introducing the IT package Wouldyouratherbe.com to give pupils from Year 9 and above the opportunity to do an interactive, intuitive analysis of their interests and future options.
Labour Market Search Tool
Use the tool below to below to find out the labour market information on careers that interest you. Type in the job area and choose from the job titles or fields that are listed.
For ideas of dream jobs and first days at work for work shadowing and experience, please follow this link to a few interesting videos for KS3 – KS4 pupils :
Useful Documents & Links
For our Careers Policy, please click HERE
