Careers at Newtownhamilton High School
Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance (CEIAG)
The new Entitlement Framework Curriculum ensures that young people have a much broader access to a wide range of subject pathways at Key Stage 4 (both general and applied) that will meet their interests, talents and aspirations. Therefore there is a greater responsibility on schools to make sure that young people have the highest quality Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance.
Aims
CEIAG at Newtownhamilton High School is seen as part of the whole programme of preparing pupils for the choices, changes and transitions affecting their future education, training and life as adult members of society. To this end, Newtownhamilton High School through curricular programmes and other guidance activities promotes the following aims:
Self-Awareness & Development - enable pupils to understand their own personal needs, abilities and interests together with a growing awareness of their particular strengths and limitations in order to choose and implement an appropriate career plan.
Career Exploration - foster opportunity awareness in order to understand the nature of work and occupations, paid and unpaid and how these effect people’s lives and attitudes.
Career Management - enable pupils to develop the qualities and skills to manage transitions, within education, from education to work and in life generally. The development of decision-making skills will enable students to be effective in a variety of adult roles and occupations.
Careers Education
At Newtownhamilton High School, Careers education is embedded in the curriculum. In Key Stage 3, under the revised curriculum, it is taught mainly through Education for Employability within Learning for Life and Work (LLW). At Key Stage 4 Careers education is a discrete subject (1 period per week), however all pupils in Key Stage 4 also study Education for Employability as a strand of LLW. Additionally all subject teachers have a role to play in helping pupils to make informed and realistic decisions about their future.
Careers Information
A wide range of up-to-date Careers information (including the latest labour market data) is available to pupils in the recently refurbished Careers foyer (outside Careers classroom and interviewing office). Pupils can also access the relevant websites for information on possible career paths on one of the many computer workstations available throughout the school.
Careers Advice & Guidance
Advice and Guidance is organised using a variety of methods. Pupils are interviewed by the Careers teacher and a personal career plan (pcp) is drawn up. There is close liaison with the Careers Adviser from the Training and Employment Agency, who interviews all Year 11 and 12 pupils. Parents may also choose to be present at these interviews.
The Careers Adviser also supports subject teachers in providing Year 10 pupils with information regarding GCSE option choices in relation to local trends in the labour market. Southern Regional College (SRC) also provide the more vocational minded pupils with information on the B.Tech and Occupational Studies qualifications that they offer while a Career Planning programme in partnership with Sentinus helps to provide further guidance to all pupils on individual career pathways. For even greater choice and breath, Key Stage 4 courses are also offered as an option at St. Paul’s High School Bessbrook.
Work Experience
A Work Experience scheme is completed by pupils in Year 11. All pupils are visited by a member of staff during their Work Experience. Placements are arranged to suit the requirements of each individual pupil.
Those pupils participating in the Work Experience scheme do so in order:
to experience interpersonal relations in the workplace.
to sample different work situations.
to have the chance of getting steady jobs with particular employers (if vacancies arise) by proving that they are honest, trustworthy, hardworking and all the other things that go to make up good employees.
to help build up their self-confidence and ICT skills by delivering a powerpoint presentation to their peers on returning to school.
All pupils involved in the work experience programme will study towards the British Safety Council Level 1 Certificate in Health & Safety at Work – this course teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe within the workplace and it should prove to be a useful qualification to include in their CV. It is delivered and examined before pupils go on their work experience.
Interview Skills Day
All Year 12 pupils participate in an Interview Skills Day which is delivered by the outside career training organisation Sentinus. This event gives pupils the opportunity to prepare for and attend a mock interview that is conducted by leading individuals in the local business and educational community. The aim of this highly popular event is to give pupils experience for performing at real interviews. See gallery for pictures from this event.
Presentations
Throughout the school year a number of guest speakers are invited into the school with the aim of informing pupils about the courses or career paths that their organisations offer. Examples include Southern Regional College (SRC), College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Army Recruitment Team, etc.
STEM Careers
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) Careers are promoted at Newtownhamilton High School. At Key Stage 3, a number of STEM events are organised and delivered in collaboration with both St. Paul’s High School Bessbrook and the non-profit educational charity Sentinus (photographs of these programmes are displayed in the main school corridor). An exciting and innovative new website STEMWorks has recently been developed by CCEA and aims to raise awareness of STEM subjects and career pathways to pupils in Key Stage 3.
A wide range of up-to-date information on STEM related post-16 courses and careers is available for pupils during Careers lessons at Key Stage 4 while further advice and guidance can be obtained from the Careers Adviser.
For more information on STEM visit the Sentinus website or alternatively view some photographs of Newtownhamilton High School pupils participating in STEM programmes on the gallery page.
Leavers Destinations (Year 12) for 2010/11
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