School leaver employment

Although the majority of our students move on to full time university courses we are keen that they consider the full range of options before making a decision. A growing number of employers offer high quality school leaver schemes, sponsored degrees and apprenticeships, and students who are interested in exploring these opportunities are offered on-going support from our Careers Advisers. Some students decide to keep their options open by applying for employment as well as university or college and then make their decisions once offers have been received.

Students who do not know what type of career they would like to go into are encouraged to spend time carefully considering their own skills and interests and exploring different careers using the wide range of careers information which is available on-line and in the Careers Library. Once students have begun to narrow down their choices they are supported to explore their ideas in more depth through work experience, industry insight days and discussions with professionals who work in their chosen career area.

Our careers programme includes job search techniques, employability skills, preparation of CVs and covering letters and opportunities for practice interviews. In addition students can access individual advice and guidance on all aspects of the recruitment and selection procedure such as on-line applications, psychometric tests and assessment centres at the time when they require support.

Our Careers Advisers are well informed about apprenticeships and school leaver training schemes and we keep abreast with job market information locally and nationally. The Careers Department is regularly notified of school leaver opportunities in local and national companies and students can get details of the current vacancies which we are aware of from the careers library and job vacancy noticeboard.

Apprenticeships take between one and four years to complete and are offered by over 240,000 workplaces, across all the employment sectors, in areas such as design, IT and healthcare as well as business and engineering related roles. Apprentices earn a wage, which is paid by the employer, and learn job specific skills alongside study for nationally recognised qualifications. There are 4 entry levels – intermediate, advanced, higher and degree apprenticeships. Some higher apprenticeships offer the opportunity to study for a foundation degree and the possibility of progression to an honours degree. Additionally there are now 24 defined degree apprenticeships, across a wide range of industries, involving 63 Universities. Information on the different types and levels of apprenticeships can be found on the Apprenticeships website which also has a vacancy search facility.

School Leaver Training Schemes, which are separate from the National Apprenticeship Service, are also offered by a wide variety of employers. They usually involve part-time study for a degree or professional qualifications through day release or block release alongside paid employment and on-the job training. There is no central register of these schemes but they are often advertised on a company’s own website and on some of the websites listed below. There is strong competition for these schemes but those students who have allowed sufficient time to build up evidence to demonstrate the skills and enthusiasm that the employers are looking for have often gained offers of employment. Current school leaver vacancies that we are informed about are displayed on the School Leaver Jobs Board in the 6th Form Careers Area of "SharePoint".

Self-employment requires a good business idea, as well as the skills and knowledge to run your own business and a source of finance to cover start-up costs. Students interested in this pathway are strongly encouraged to develop their business acumen through participation in the enterprise activities offered in school as well as external events and competitions. Shell LiveWIRE provides free advice and support to young entrepreneurs aged between 16 and 30 who are starting or running their own business and the Princes Trust offers business start-up advice through its Enterprise programme. More information is available from the National Careers Service including practical advice from webinars.

Useful websites

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk
Information on over 750 job profiles, advice on job hunting, starting up your own business and regional job market information provided by the Local Enterprise Partnerships

www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Information on all types of apprenticeships. Register to search and apply for vacancies

www.notgoingtouni.co.uk
Advice and vacancy information for school leavers on school leaver programmes, apprenticeships, sponsored degrees, gap year activities and distance learning

www.studentladder.co.uk
Includes an extensive list of school leaver programmes and internship opportunities

www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk
Advice, jobs and career information for students interested in school leaver schemes

www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk
Information on a range of apprenticeships and top employers

www.future-talent.com
Details of a range of current apprenticeships, training schemes and courses for young people

www.careersworld.co.uk
Subscribe to the newsletter and magazine for information on apprenticeships and school leaver programmes

www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk
A job search website where you can register your details and get information about current vacancies that match your interests, qualifications and location

https://schoolleavers.milkround.com
Job vacancies and careers advice for school leavers

www.thebigchoice.com

Search by location and employment sector for school leaver vacancies

https://careerfinder.ucas.com/

a variety of apprenticeships, graduate jobs and internships are advertised in this section of the ucas website

www.e4s.co.uk

Employment4Students contains a wide range of holiday and gap year jobs, part time work, internships and graduate opportunities

https://www.gov.uk/jobsearch

Universal Jobmatch is the Government website where you can search and apply for full and part time jobs in Great Britain and abroad.

www.jobs.nhs.uk

The NHS job vacancy website

www.directions.org.uk
Information on careers in the finance sector. Register to be kept up to date with job and work experience opportunities

www.nyyss.org/
The North Yorkshire Youth Support Service website includes details of all current apprenticeship vacancies in the region

www.alec.co.uk
Provides tips on writing your CV, finding a job and handling interviews