Welcome to our dedicated page for Careers Leaders working in schools and colleges across the Solent region.
Siobhan joined the Solent LEP in April 2014 to deliver the Skills Plan, in conjunction with the Strategic Economic Plan and European Investment Strategy. Prior to this Siobhan held a number of economic regeneration posts across district, unitary and county councils in the sub-region. Siobhan has significant experience, both strategic and operational, of projects and programmes ranging from labour market interventions for unemployed residents to SME support and workforce development. Siobhan also has a background in European funding.
Siobhan has a degree in Geography from Portsmouth and a post-graduate diploma in local and regional economic development from Coventry, Sheffield Hallam and Dundee Universities. Siobhan is also a member of the Institute of Economic Development.
Chloe joined the Solent LEP in November 2018 with a background of working within further education and with employers. Chloe started her career with an Apprenticeship in Business and has worked within the careers and education sector for over 7 years.
Chloe uses her knowledge and experience to engage with a number of schools and colleges across the Solent area to help build relationships between education and employers to support the skills gap and help prepare young people for the world of work.
Nicki joined the Solent LEP in October 2018 bringing 15 years of experience in the secondary education sector alongside industry knowledge and experience of running a small business.
Drawing on her background of enterprise, skills and work related learning, Nicki creates partnerships between educators and business to transform careers education across the Solent region, close the skills gap and promote local growth.
Nicki has a BA (Hons) in Leadership, Business and Management from the University of Portsmouth.
Sara joined the Solent LEP in October 2018 having worked at the University of Portsmouth for 15 years as a widening participation practitioner and manager.
Drawing on her previous experience of Pre-16 outreach in both further and higher education, Sara worked with schools, colleges and businesses to establish the Solent East Careers Hub.
Sara holds two degrees from the University of Portsmouth; a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and an MSc in Educational Leadership and Management. Sara has been a Portsmouth school governor since 2001.
Lorna joined the Solent LEP in May 2020 in a joint venture with Maritime UK to lead the national maritime careers campaign. Her priorities are to support the work of Maritime UK Solent and the development of a robust and delivery driven network of maritime organisations.
Lorna previously worked in Further Education, is a qualified careers adviser and holds qualifications in Leadership and Management.
Hannah joined Solent LEP in June 2021 in a joint role, co-funded by Havant Borough Council to support local schools and encourage young people aged 16-24 into employment.
In 2013, the charitable organisation The Gatsby Foundation commissioned Sir John Holman to set out what career guidance in England should look like, which resulted in the Good Career Guidance report. The eight benchmarks set out in the report serve as a framework for improving careers provision and have been adopted as part of the Government's Careers Strategy and statutory guidance for schools and colleges.
Every school should have a stable, structured Careers Programme that has the explicit backing of the senior management team, and has an identified and appropriately trained person responsible for it.
All students and parents should have access to high-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities.
Schools and colleges should have a strategic overview of a student’s journey and should have in place a scheme of learning which is underpinned by inspirational encounters and activities which actively challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations.
All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career paths.
Every pupil 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 an enterprise schemes.
Every pupil 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.
All pupils 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 the workplace.
Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a Careers Adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided that are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available wherever significant study or careers choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.
Definition: Every school should have a stable, structured Careers Programme that has the explicit backing of the senior management team, and has an identified and appropriately trained person responsible for it.
Evidence required for Compass:
Quick wins:
We are often asked the difference between a Careers Programme and a Careers Strategy.
A Careers Programme:
A Careers Strategy:
Example Objective 1
Support students to progress to positive destinations and reduce their risk of becoming NEET by:
Example Objective 2
Support positive attendance and behaviour data through high levels of engagement by linking curriculum learning to Careers and meaningful employer encounters.
Example Objective 3
Improve engagement and raise attainment through linking curriculum learning to Careers.
Template - Strategic Careers Plan/Careers Strategy
The Strategic Careers Plan designed by Teach First could be used as a guide for achieving your strategic objectives. It includes timeframes, responsibilities and evaluation plans and contains all the information needed to lead improvements in your Careers provision. If the Careers Leader was absent or left the school, it could form a comprehensive handover document for any successor.
The format follows guidance from Teach First from the accessible online Introduction to Careers Leadership modules available on the Careers and Enterprise Company website and includes:
Example 1 - Careers Strategy
Example 2 - Careers Strategy
Schools and colleges need to continuously evaluate the impact of the Careers Programme, analyse destinations data, track student progression after they leave school or college and take into account student, parent/carer, employer and staff views.
Various approaches can be used to collect quantitative data, such as through feedback forms, surveys or Google forms, or to gather qualitative data from focus groups, student voice etc. When designing your evaluations, consider the outcomes you are trying to achieve, this will then shape your questions and the format used.
The feedback should be used to inform decisions about the future development of the programme and feeds into the whole-school evaluation process. Evaluation provides insight into the effectiveness of the Careers Programme, so views from different stakeholders are key.
From September 2018 schools and colleges must publish:
In addition, under section 42B of the Education Act 1997, schools should include a policy statement on provider access, otherwise known as the Baker Clause.
You must ensure information regarding your school or college’s Careers Programme, the types of activities offered and the timetable of events is accessible by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.
Each stakeholder does not have to have a specific area, although it would support easier navigation. Ofsted will look at the school website before visiting your school. You could include content for:
The Technical and Further Education Act 2017 inserts section 42B into the Education Act 1997 and came into force on 2 January 2018.
This Baker Clause requires schools and academies to ensure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to access all students in Year 8 to 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. See Provider Access Statement info.
A Provider Access Statement is a policy setting out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to students at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer, for example colleges and apprenticeship providers. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997. An example statement can be found here.
Definition: All students and parents should have access to high-quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities.
Quick wins:
Definition: Schools and colleges should have a strategic overview of a student’s journey and should have in place a scheme of learning which is underpinned by inspirational encounters and activities which actively challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations.
Quick wins:
Definition: All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career paths.
Quick wins:
Definition: Every pupil 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 an enterprise schemes.
Quick wins:
Podcasts on T Levels, apprenticeships and other topics.
Definition: Every pupil 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.
Quick wins:
Definition: All pupils 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 the workplace.
Quick wins:
Definition: Every pupil should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a Careers Adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided that are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available wherever significant study or careers choices are being made. They should be expected for all pupils but should be timed to meet their individual needs.
Quick wins:
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