At Monkwearmouth Academy, we aim to equip the students with skills to face the challenges of the world beyond school and to make them aware of the part they can play in the wider community. The Academy’s CEIAG programme (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) exists to prepare students for the choices, changes and transitions affecting their future education, training and employment. The careers programme is concerned with preparation for adult life and with the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills, which have relevance for the future whilst raising aspirations for all our students.

The aims of our careers programme are to:

• to raise students’ aspirations and to broaden their horizons
• to inspire and empower students to make informed realistic decisions at key transition points in learning and work
• to provide good quality independent and impartial careers advice to students which inspires them and motivates them to fulfil their potential
• to provide advice and guidance which is in the best interests of the student
• to provide opportunities to work in partnership with employers, training providers, local colleges and others to provide opportunities to inspire students through real-life contact with the world of work
• to develop enterprise and employability skills including skills for self-employment
• to support inclusion, challenge stereotyping and promote equality of opportunity

Our careers programme involves all members of staff but is coordinated by our Careers Leader Miss A Simpson. If you would like to get in touch with Miss Simpson you can email: asi@mwacademy.co.uk or telephone: 0191 9172300.

At Monkwearmouth, we are working towards meeting the ‘The Gatsby Benchmarks’ as set out by the Department for Education in their statutory guidance. The Gatsby Benchmarks are a key measure of the effectiveness of careers advice.

​The Eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:

Benchmark 1: A Stable Careers Programme

• Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.

Benchmark 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 adviser to make the best use of available information.

Benchmark 3: Addressing the Needs of Each Student

• 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 school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.

Benchmark 4: Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

• All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of careers paths.

Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees

• Every 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.

Benchmark 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 expand their networks.

Benchmark 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.

Benchmark 8: Personal Guidance

Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all students but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

​If you would like an appointment with our Monkwearmouth Careers’ Adviser, please email Miss Simpson.

​INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS

• The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help students make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential and impartial advice and is supported by qualified careers’ advisers. You can chat with an adviser using webchat (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week). Or you can call 0800 100 900 to speak to an adviser (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week). Calls are free from landlines and most mobile numbers.
• icould provides career inspiration and information for young people through free access to over 1000 personal video stories, detailed job information, plus practical tips, insight and advice.
• Togetherforchildren services in Tyne and Wear offer confidential advice and support for 13-19 year olds (and up to age 25 for young people with special needs) who live in the Tyne and Wear area.
• The National Apprenticeship Service website offers guidance on how to apply for an apprenticeship as well as listing current local apprenticeship opportunities. More information on apprenticeships can be found at http://amazingapprenticeships.com.
• CareersBox is a free online library of careers related videos, news and information.
• UCAS Progress is an online search and application tool for post 16 courses.
• Careers Advice for Parents aims to give parents an easy-to-read overview of all the essential facts on finding jobs and apprenticeships or choosing further and higher education courses which could make a real difference to their child’s future career prospects.
• CASCAID Parents Guide to Careers Guidance
• Labour Market Information (LMI) – this website provides up to date LMI for the North East region including labour market profiles and vacancy data.
• Business in the Community have produced the following infographics on the key features of the North East labour market; LMI Info North East
• The weekly CfBT LMI Bulletin provides up to date information on regional developments and vacancies

Parental Guidance offers advice and information on all aspects of the process of career choice for young people aged 13 to 25.Good quality careers education will raise the aspirations of all young people. It will increase motivation by linking activities in school with preparation for life post 16 and post 18. CEIAG will, therefore, contribute to raising students’ achievement, help students focus on their longer-term career ambitions and ensure an equality of opportunity for all.
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Further useful sources of information for students and parents can be found via this link Useful Websites

INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS

Here at Monkwearmouth Academy, we are always looking to build strong links with business and industry. We are proud to have forged a partnership with the Local Enterprise Partnership and have close links with many businesses including Nissan, Gentoo, the NHS, Software City and Sunderland University.

If you are interested in working with the academy on any of the following projects please get in touch with our Careers Leader, Miss A Simpson at asi@mwacademy.co.uk

- Involvement in school mock job interviews
- Mentoring classes/groups of students
- Delivering industry workshops in school
- Attending/running an after school club
- Providing industry information to our Careers’ Leader
- Delivering assemblies
- School visits into the workplace
- ​Experience of workplace days

At Monkwearmouth Academy, we want students to gain a real understanding of the working world, gaining valuable experience and being inspired by what actually happens in a variety of workplaces and in a variety of roles. Therefore, we are looking for organisations that would be able to offer our students a one day experience of their workplace to larger numbers of students who would be accompanied by staff.

This could involve students being involved in small group carousels where they have the opportunity to hear from a number of different people on a rotation. It could involve more of a careers’ fair style activity. Or, it could be designed in a way that best fits your organisation.  The problem that we face is that many businesses are finding it difficult to recruit students who are workplace ready and part of the solution is giving students the insight into a working environment. We hope that these ‘experience of workplace days’ can go part of the way to solving the issue.  As an academy, we would love to hear from organisations that would be willing to support our students and hold an experience of workplace day or would like the opportunity to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

To find out more information or to express an interest in holding an event either at the academy or at an external location, please email Miss A Simpson on asi@mwacademy.co.uk.

The Academy’s careers programme aims to ensure that our students are equipped with the knowledge and inspiration to succeed in their chosen career paths. It is based on the Career Development Institute (CDI) Framework for Careers, Enterprise and Employability (January 2020) and the Department for Education (DfE) document Careers Guidance and Access for Education and Training Providers (October 2018).

The careers programme is reviewed and updated on an annual basis.  The next review will take place in July 2021.

POST 16 PATHWAYS AND PROGRESSION

All young people in England must continue in education or training until 18 years of age.  Young people have the following choices at the end of year 11:

• Full-time study at a college, sixth form or training provider
• Full-time work or volunteering combined with part-time education or training
• An apprenticeship
• A traineeship

As part of our careers programme, Year 11 students are provided with a one-to-one guidance interview with a qualified careers’ advisor. Parents are welcome to attend these meetings.

MEASURING THE IMPACT

The Academy’s progress towards achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks is evaluated using the online Compass tool. This is carried out on an annual basis by the Careers Leader. The CEIAG development plan is based upon the outcomes of the Compass audit.

Provision is also monitored through regular feedback from students, staff, governors and our partners. This feedback is collected through questionnaires and focus groups following key careers activities and at the end of each academic year.

External provision is monitored and evaluated through the Academy’s quality assurance procedures including observations, work scrutiny, student voice, and if appropriate, parental feedback.

The effectiveness of our careers guidance will be reflected in the higher numbers of students progressing to positive destinations such as apprenticeships, technical routes, sixth form colleges, further education colleges, universities or employment. Destination data (DfE) is used to assess how successfully students make the transition into the next stage of education or training, or into employment and to inform future CEIAG provision.

A designated governor has responsibility for overseeing the quality of careers guidance. The Careers Leader reports to the governor for CEIAG on a termly basis with a one-to-one meeting and a formal written report.

The CEIAG policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the Careers Leader. This is ratified by governors.