Marine Academy Plymouth Careers Programme

Young people are faced with a complex set of demands when making themselves ready for their future careers. All staff share responsibility for preparing children for future careers. Marine Academy aims to ensure that our students are self-confident, skilled and career-ready.

The Statutory Guidance: Careers guidance and access for education, and training providers (October 2018) is the long-term plan to build 'a world class careers system that will help young people and adults choose the career that is right for them'. Its aims are as follows:

All young people in secondary school get a programme of advice and guidance that is stable, structured and delivered by individuals with the right skills and experience.

All schools and colleges are to achieve the 8 Gatsby benchmarks by 2020:

1. A stable careers programme.
2. Learning from career and labour market information.
3. Addressing the needs of each student.
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers.
5. Encounters with employers and employees.
6. Experiences of workplaces.
7. Encounters with further and higher education.
8. Personal guidance.

Marine Academy Plymouth is committed to providing a planned programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) for all students in Years 7-11, in partnership with The Career and Enterprise Company. We follow the CDI Framework for Careers, Employability and Enterprise Education March 2018.

Our Aims

• Provide good quality independent and impartial careers advice to students which inspires them and motivates them to fulfil their potential.
• Provide advice and guidance which will empower young people to plan and manage their own futures.
• Encourage students to develop high aspirations and consider a broad and ambitious range of careers.
• Encourage students to see career development as a life-long process.
• Contribute to raising achievement and promote participation in learning.
• Support inclusion, challenge stereotyping and promote equality of opportunity.
• Provide opportunities to work with employers and be inspired by real-life contact with the world of work.
• Develop enterprise and employability skills.
• Support students at key transition points.

Staffing

At Marine Academy we believe that all members of staff have a responsibility in careers education. We have a specialist Careers Lead appointed and we are well supported by a range of external guests. The CEIAG programme is planned, monitored and evaluated by the Career Leader in consultation with the Careers Adviser who provides specialist careers guidance.

Curriculum

The careers programme includes fortnightly tutor programme sessions about careers, as well as a PSHE programme dedicated to careers activities, career guidance activities (group work & individual interviews), information and research activities (in Careers Office and on the school intranet, internet), work-related learning, and individual learning planning/portfolio activities. Other focused events, e.g. College Taster Days, Apprenticeship talks, careers fairs, interview days and presentations are provided.

The policy is published online (in compliance with statutory guidance) for those external training providers who request access to our students. We are fortunate to work with a large number of external organisations who help us to achieve our aims.

Evaluation

The School will assess the impact of its careers programmes on students by completing an annual student survey and analysing destinations data in line with activities that they have taken part in at school. In addition, the views of students and parents will be surveyed after key events such as Parents evenings, Parent forum, Year 10 Work Experience, Year 12 Work Experience etc. The views of employers will also be evaluated after each engagement opportunity.