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St Peter's
Catholic School

Information for Parents

The resources below can help students to start thinking about careers and ‘next steps’.  They cover topics such as choosing a career and different routes into the world of work, as well as providing detailed information on specific careers. They can also help students to make decisions about the next steps in their education, from Year 7 through to choosing degree subjects or apprenticeships in Year 13, even if they have not yet decided on a career.

Year 7

Use START, a careers website that helps students and parents to explore career ideas.  Students are introduced to this software in Year 7 and use it within school to explore options and track their progress.  It can also be useful for parents! Click the START logo to take you to the site.

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Understand that men and women can do any job they want to, don’t be held back by stereotypes.  Have a look at this video for inspiration!  Doctor! Doctor! My Midwife is a Man!

Year 8

Discover the world of work and what it is like to work in different jobs by watching short video clips and interviews.

https://www.firstcareers.co.uk/

https://icould.com/

https://www.icanbea.org.uk/app/game/interests/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers

Year 9

The BBC video below talks about what you need to consider when choosing Options. 
Choosing Your Options Wisely
 

A LEVELS AND T LEVELS

A Levels

Read up on how to select subjects that leave doors open to careers or degree subjects you might want to pursue – even if you’re not yet sure what you want to do in the future. We have lots of career resources in the Library, including university prospectuses, career guides and apprenticeship information.

A useful source of help when deciding what A Levels to take is Informed Choices, a website which helps you understand which subjects open up different degrees.

T Levels

A T Level is a nationally recognised technical qualification for 16 to 19-year-olds that takes 2 years to complete.  Leading businesses and employers helped design T Levels to give students the knowledge and skills they need for entry into skilled employment, an apprenticeship or related technical study through further or higher education.  Students spend 80% of their time in the classroom and 20% on a minimum 9-week placement with an employer.  This means they learn what a real career is like while continuing their studies.  One T Level roughly equates to 3 A levels.

St Peter’s does not offer T Levels, but a list of local providers and they courses they offer can be found here:


UNIVERSITY STUDY AND FINANCE INFORMATION

Use the following links to explore degree options linked to career ideas or to help decide on your A Level subjects.

Detailed information on student finance for university study can be found here.

 

APPRENTICESHIPS

You should start looking for vacancies early as some employers advertise in the summer of Year 12 or early autumn of Year 13 (for apprenticeships to start the following summer/autumn). Others don’t advertise their vacancies until the summer of Year 13 so it is important to keep checking.

Find an Apprenticeship

The official government website lists almost all apprenticeship opportunities and is updated in real time.  Please click here.

ASK Apprenticeship Parent Pack

Get an overview of the choices available at 16 and 18 that combine earning and learning, including apprenticeships of different levels, sponsored degrees and similar programmes.  Please click here.