The EPCHS Careers Programme
Careers at EPCHS
Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) provides a bridge via which students move not only to further education, vocational training or employment, but to the next stage of their development as members of society.
As part of our PACE Programme, we aim to ‘PREPARE’ students so that they have happy and successful futures when they leave ‘The Whitby’, providing opportunities to develop key employability skills, which are highly valued by employers, colleges and universities, is crucial in our aim to successfully equip all students with the necessary skills to enable them to become successful in all areas of their lives, both now and in the future.
By engaging parents and carers, employers and the local community our aim is for every child to fulfil their potential and be inspired to achieve a successful future, develop high aspirations and be ambitious. This will be achieved through a programme of high-quality activities, advice and guidance.
We are proud to be part of the Cheshire and Warrington Pledge, where we work closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company to further expand and improve our careers provision within the school.
The role of the Careers and Enterprise Company is to link schools and colleges to local employers to help them deliver world class careers support for all young people by building networks, supporting Careers Leaders in school and using the Gatsby Benchmarks as a best practice standard.
Careers Team
Our careers team at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School consists of our Careers Leader Mr T Holt, Careers Linked Governor Mr R Hughes, Senior Leader Mr M Hughes and our Careers Advisor Mr B Lee.
If you would like to get in touch with our Careers Leader, you can contact them by email on t.holt@epchs.co.uk or by calling the school number on 0151 355 2373.
Ellesmere Port Catholic High School Careers Policy ensures that all pupils at this school are provided with independent careers guidance from Year 7 to Year 11. The independent careers guidance provided:
• Is presented in an impartial manner, showing no bias or favouritism towards a particular institution, education or work option.
• Includes information on the range of education or training options, including apprenticeships, traineeships and T-Levels.
• Is guidance that the person giving it considers will promote the best interests of the pupils to whom it is given.
The careers guidance at EPCHS is a progressive and the programme aims to support our young people from Years 7-11 by ensuring it:
• Develops students’ positive attitudes towards study and work.
• Develops employability and enterprise skills, such as teamwork and communication.
• Helps students to plan and take control of their future, making informed choices at key points in their education such as options, GCSE and A-level choices.
• Provide students with the relevant careers inspiration and guidance that is suitable to their personal needs including age, ability, attitudes and aptitudes.
• Provide students with a comprehensive understanding of opportunities post 16 and post 18 including traineeships, apprenticeships, school leaver programmes, HE, FE, employment, and training opportunities.
• Help students to reflect on themselves – their abilities, skills, aptitudes and attitudes – so that they can use this knowledge to consider their development.
• Provide students with impartial advice about options that is available to them.
• Provide equal opportunity of access to careers inspiration and guidance.
Implementation of Careers Education
The intent of every aspect of school life is rooted in our Catholic values, inspiring our young people to develop academically, personally, and holistically. We are here to educate our young people so they are not only prepared for their exams but also the tests of life.
The role of our careers provision is to not only inform pupils about their potential next steps but to build aspiration, and provide access to a range of experiences and information that will shape these decisions.
At EPCHS, careers are part of our progressive, personal development programme which sees all students across the school take their learning beyond the school gate. Experiences are the fundamentals to this programme and to ensure students feel informed about their future, several activities take place:
• Employer talks
• Work related experience visits
• Impartial career advice
• Targeted visits to college and HE provision
Our careers programme is also supported in school by an Mploy, Careers Advisor, who operates in school, two days per week, enabling us to meet the requirements of the Gatsby 8 benchmarks, so integral to the DfE’s career strategy and central to the statutory guidance for careers.
Teachers
If you are a teacher looking for more information, you can find our careers program and resources on our shared staff intranet or through Mr Holt. If you are looking to plan a lesson around careers, please check out ‘Useful Links’ below for Labour Market Information.
We also encourage students to use local and national labour market information. Using the cluster infographics and the tools below to type in job types and see the availability of roles, trends in the workforce and average salaries, students can see how easy or hard it is to get into their chosen career. It is important for students to recognise the differences between unrealistic aspirations and the likely outcomes. By using the LMI information students are able to set realistic goals and understand the job market, saving themselves valuable time when searching for roles.
For further support you may wish to check out the Cheshire and Warrington START website.
Independent Careers Advice
EPCHS prides itself on working with the best providers for our students and in relation to independent careers advice we employ the innovative education team at MPLOY solutions.
By providing structured, personal guidance, students have the opportunity to discuss their futures and set SMART orientated goals. This unbiased advice is given throughout school but especially at key points of the year, such as Year 11 and Year 13.
As mentioned earlier, our careers advisor is Brian Lee, who is available every Monday and Tuesday in school. During the year Brian timetables individual sessions for students, through the Pastoral Leads and Form Tutors.
For further information about MPLOY or to make an appointment with Brian please see the information below:
Email: Brian.lee@epchs.co.uk
https://www.mploysolutions.co.uk/
Employers and Education institutions
We are always really keen to hear from local employers and institutions and if you would like to speak to students or can offer taster session or experiences in relation to our careers programme, please get in touch with Mr Holt.
Year 10 and Year 12 Work Experience
All student in Year 10 and Year 12 will take part in a one-week work placement in the summer term. This is a great opportunity for students to experience the world of work, develop new skills sets and try out a profession they have an interest in. We encourage students to source their own placement in the main, but if required can offer support through local companies and MPLOY solutions.
During the Personal Development lessons, students will begin this process by drafting application letters before preparing themselves during the spring term to approach employers which they may have an interest in.
All placements undergo a rigorous checking process through MPLOY to ensure they have the correct insurance requirements and safety protocols.
If you are an employer who would like to support the school and offer a placement for our students to apply for please contact the school directly asking for Mr Holt.
Evaluation and Quality Assurance
The school is committed to the CPD for the Careers and all team members and actively seek CPD opportunities. Regular meeting between the Careers Lead, SLT members and Curriculum Leaders allow for discussion in relation to the Gatsby Benchmarks and Government Statutory Guidance.
As a school we also complete a Compass+ review with our challenge partners from The Pledge on a termly basis to ensure we are regularly monitored and doing the best for our young people.
https://youthfed.org.uk/programmes/the-cheshire-warrington-pledge/
The school will next review the information in December 2023.
Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship allows you to learn on the job, developing knowledge and skills whilst gaining qualifications and earning money at the same time. There are no set entry requirements as this depends on the apprenticeship, however, apprenticeships have grown very popular in previous years and there is a lot of competition, so good qualifications are important, as well as being motivated and committed.
During your apprenticeship you will spend most of your time in the workplace gaining job-specific skills, but you will also be supported by a specialist learning provider to build up your knowledge and qualifications. Apprenticeship training can take between one and four years to complete and the length of your apprenticeship will depend on its level, the industry you’re training in and the skills you already have. It is important to note that there are different levels of apprenticeship and higher level apprenticeships will require higher grades and/or experience.
For further information to find an apprenticeship use the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-your-education-and-training-choices/apprenticeship
https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
The EPCHS Careers Programme – Information for employers
Local employers are encouraged to engage with the schools career programme, particularly (but not exclusively) where Apprenticeships and other Technical qualifications are key to your business. We have worked with a range of employers at EPCHS including:
· Bank of America
· Brownlow Furniture
· CCSW
· Countess of Chester Hospital (NHS)
· Innospec
· The Russel Taylor Group
· TTE
