School Life
At Holyport College we believe it is never too early to start thinking about your career.
- Regular opportunities to explore future careers during weekly Personal Development lessons (previously PSHE)
- Regular scholars’ lectures from professionals in a variety of industries
- Regular talks by visiting professionals
- 1-1, impartial careers interviews with an expert advisor at appropriate points in their educational journey
- Access to (and time and support) to utilise online careers packages such as Unifrog, icould.com and careerpilot.org
- The opportunity to attend careers fairs with a range of employers both in school and elsewhere
- The opportunity to attend workshops focusing on future career options, employability and workplace skills
- Impartial advice on alternative educational pathways and qualifications beyond the Holyport context
- The opportunity to undertake work experience and to attend local businesses
- The opportunity to attend careers events at Eton College
These opportunities ensure our students develop a curiosity about the world of work and an awareness of how the skills they develop in school prepare them for the modern workplace.
Our Careers Team
Mr Boyle . Founding Head Master
Careers Lead
Email: w.boyle@holyportcollege.org.uk
Tel: 01628 640150
Mrs Harding
Deputy SENCO & PD Curriculum Coordinator
Email: r.harding@holyportcollege.org.uk
Mrs Matovu
Careers Coordinator
Email: studentcareers@holyportcollege.org.uk
The Gatsby Benchmarks
The Gatsby Benchmarks define what a good programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance looks like. The College bases its careers provision on these benchmarks:
1. A stable careers programme
Every school should have a programme of careers education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.
2. Learning from career and labour market information
Every student, and their parents, should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed advisor to make best use of the information.
3. Addressing the needs of each students
Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A student’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subjects teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.
5. Encounters with employers and employees
Each student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities, including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.
6. Experiences of workplaces
Every student should have first-hand experience of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities and to expand their networks.
7. Encounters with further and higher education
All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace
8. Personal guidance
Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, trained to the appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made.
Our Strategic Careers Plan
Our Strategic Careers Plan details the areas the College has identified as priorities for the next year. The plan will be evaluated and updated in February 2024.
Our priorities for the coming year are:
Key Strategic Objectives
- All Year 12 students have a work experience placement in July 2023
- All students have experiences of the workplace
- All students have meaningful encounters with employers and employees
- The careers education programme, currently under review, is planned to fulfil the intent of our careers vision statement and meets the Gatsby Benchmarks
- Students understand local, national and international labour market information
You can view our Strategic Careers Plan here:
Our Key Aims for Students
KS3
- To be able to identify careers other than those of your family/carers
- To be able to identify some of the businesses or employers in your area of the country
- To understand the skills needed by employers
- To understand how to find out how much you could earn in different types of jobs
- To understand who to go to for information and guidance about careers at school
- To know how to find information online from trustworthy websites to help you make education and career choices
- To understand how jobs and careers may change in the future
- To identify what you might do for a job or career in the future
- To be able to articulate a plan for what to do after Year 11
- To understand all options after Year 11, including apprenticeships, A-Levels, traineeships and T-Levels
- To understand why an apprenticeship might be right for you
- To understand why higher education might be right for you
- To be able to present yourself well in a selection process for a course or job
- To feel confident talking about your skills at an interview
KS4
- To be able to identify careers other than those of your family/carers
- To be able to identify some of the businesses or employers in your area of the country
- To understand the skills needed by employers
- To understand how to find out how much you could earn in different types of jobs
- To understand who to go to for information and guidance about careers at school
- To know how to find information online from trustworthy websites to help you make education and career choices
- To understand how jobs and careers may change in the future
- To understand how to build a network of people who work in industries and businesses that interest you
- To identify what you might do for a job or career in the future
- To be able to articulate a plan for what to do after Year 11
- To understand all options after Year 11, including apprenticeships, A-Levels, traineeships and T-Levels
- To understand why an apprenticeship might be right for you
- To understand why higher education might be right for you
- To understand the costs and benefits of of different learning and career options
- To understand different types of recruitment and selection processes, including interviews and assessment centres
- To be able to present yourself well in a selection process for a course or job
- To feel confident talking about your skills at an interview
KS5
- To be able to identify careers other than those of your family/carers
- To be able to identify some of the businesses or employers in your area of the country
- To understand the skills needed by employers
- To understand how to find out how much you could earn in different types of jobs
- To understand who to go to for information and guidance about careers at school
- To know how to find information online from trustworthy websites to help you make education and career choices
- To understand how jobs and careers may change in the future
- To understand how to build a network of people who work in industries and businesses that interest you
- To identify what you might do for a job or career in the future
- To be able to articulate a plan for what to do after Year 11
- To understand all options after Year 11, including apprenticeships, A-Levels, traineeships and T-Levels
- To understand why an apprenticeship might be right for you
- To understand why higher education might be right for you
- To understand the costs and benefits of of different learning and career options
- To understand different types of recruitment and selection processes, including interviews and assessment centres
- To be able to present yourself well in a selection process for a course or job
- To feel confident talking about your skills at an interview
Businesses and Employers:
We Need You!
We are committed to providing our students with enrichment activities and experiences of work. It’s a two-way process: we can help you to meet more young people and improve your recruitment and you can help our students in the following ways:
- Workplace visits
- Work experience
- Apprenticeships
- Enterprise activities
- School assemblies and workshops
- Careers fairs
If you think you can help us or would like to meet our students, please contact Walter Boyle at:
w.boyle@holyportcollege.org.uk
Parents:
We Need You!
Could you help our students to plan their future careers? Could you come to school to do a talk on your job or your business, or could you put us in touch with someone at your palace of work who can help with this? Could you offer a work experience placement? Could you, or someone you know at work, attend a careers fair?
If you think you can help us, please contact Walter Boyle at:
w.boyle@holyportcollege.org.uk
Further Information
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Year 7
- Careers module in Personal Development lessons
- 1-1 conversation with form tutors about career interests and aspirations
- Get involved in sport and co-curricular activities
- Talk to adult friends and family about their careers
- Trip to Whipsnade Zoo
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Day with Learning to Work
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
Year 8
- Careers module in Personal Development lessons
- 1-1 conversation with form tutors about career interests and aspirations
- Get involved in sport and co-curricular activities
- Talk to adult friends and family about their careers
- Trip to the Natural History Museum
- Art trip to Kew Gardens
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Day with Learning to Work
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
Year 9
- Careers module in Personal Development lessons
- 1-1 conversation with form tutors about career interests and aspirations
- Get involved in sport and co-curricular activities
- Talk to adult friends and family about their careers
- Opportunity to attend Scholars’ Events at Holyport College
- Trip to the Science Museum
- Thorpe Park STEAM trip
- Glastonbury Goes Global Modern Foreign Languages and business trip
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Day with Learning to Work
- Opportunity to join the Combined Cadet Force at Eton College
- Opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
Year 10
- Careers module in Personal Development lessons
- 1-1 conversation with form tutors about career interests and aspirations
- Get involved in sport and co-curricular activities
- Talk to adult friends and family about their careers
- Email alerts for job and apprenticeship vacancies
- Exploring the hospitality industry at Langley College
- 1 to 1 careers guidance interview with an advisor from Learning to Work
- Oxford University inspiration day
- Opportunity to join the Combined Cadet Force at Eton College
- Opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
- Business Insight Day including a workplace visit
Year 11
- Support in applying for Sixth Form providers in Personal Development lessons
- Introduction to University and Higher Education in Personal Development lessons
- Update CV and improve interview technique in Personal Development lessons
- Opportunity to attend Eton College careers fair
- Opportunity for some students to attend “Future Leaders” course at Eton College
- Use extended summer for volunteering or work experience
- Opportunity to join the Combined Cadet Force at Eton College
- Opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- Email alerts for job and apprenticeship vacancies
- University festival hosted at Holyport College
- 1 to 1 mock job interview with a local employer, with advice and feedback on CV writing and interview presentation and technique
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
Lower Sixth
UNIPORT – our very own workshops for parents and students relating to the university applications process, including degree apprenticeships:
- Introducing Uniport
- Introducing the Super-curricular
- Introducing the research term
- Higher education evening
- Applying to Oxbridge
- Applying to medicine and healthcare courses
- Admissions tests
- Elements of the UCAS forms
- Writing an amazing personal statement
Other provision:
- 1 to 1 careers guidance interview with an advisor from Learning to Work
- Opportunity to participate in weekly Eton College societies
- Opportunity to participate in Holyport College Scholars’ Events
- Opportunity to join Holyport College-Eton College Investment Club
- Complete work experience in July – refer to Head of Sixth Form
- Weekend trips to university open events for boarders
- University Festival hosted at Holyport College
- Students welcome to organise their own trips to Open Events (Normally Summer)
- Introducing Oxford University event
- Specific programme of additional activities for students applying to Oxbridge
- Opportunity to complete the Extended Professional Qualification
- Individual support with UCAS application from tutor
- Degree Apprenticeships Workshop with external facilitator
- Physics in Action conference
- Opportunity to join the Combined Cadet Force at Eton College
- Opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- Opportunity to access careers enrichment events
- Email alerts for job and apprenticeship vacancies
- Visit to Parliament and the Supreme Court
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
Upper Sixth
UNIPORT – our very own workshops for parents and students relating to the university applications process, including degree apprenticeships:
- Portfolio and audition subjects
- Parents drop-in Q&A
- Taking a gap year
- Preparing for interviews
- Accepting offers
- Student finance
- Preparing for results day
Other Provision:
- Opportunity to participate in weekly Eton College societies
- Opportunity to participate in Holyport College Scholars’ Events
- Opportunity to join Holyport College-Eton College Investment Club
- Weekend trips to university open events for boarders
- Students welcome to organise their own trips to open events
- Specific programme of additional activities for students applying to Oxbridge
- Individual support with UCAS application
- Degree Apprenticeships Workshop with external facilitator
- Opportunity to access careers enrichment events
- Study support for A-Levels
- Trip to the Royal Geographical Society
- Email alerts for job and apprenticeship vacancies
- ASK apprenticeship event
- National Apprenticeship Week events
Useful Links
Explore Careers
ICOULD
NATIONAL CAREERS SERVICE
START PROFILE
ALL ABOUT SCHOOL LEAVERS
NOT GOING TO UNI?
E4S
BBC BITESIZE CAREERS
Explore Apprenticeships
FIND APPRENTICESHIPS
AMAZING APPRENTICESHIPS
Explore Universities
DISCOVER UNI
FIND UNIVERSITY OPEN DAYS
THE UNI GUIDE
Explore Opportunities in Berkshire
Other Useful Links
For apprenticeships and careers in the construction industry:
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CAREERS
–
For general life skills training, advice on application and CVs and an insight into the world of work and banking and finance:
BARCLAYS LIFE SKILLS
–
For health and social care careers and careers in the NHS:
NHS HEALTHCARE ROLES
–
For careers in the armed forces:
ARMY CAREERS
NAVY CAREERS
RAF CAREERS
–
For careers in cyber security and computing:
CYBER SECURITY AND COMPUTING CAREERS
Labour Market Information (LMI)
LMI is all about what jobs and careers are available in the local area.
More information can be found here:
Labour Market Information
