Careers
Ormiston Chadwick Academy is committed to providing Careers Education, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to all students through the curriculum and organised activities. The information on this page will be reviewed in September 2024.
Introduction to Careers
At Ormiston Chadwick Academy, our comprehensive Careers programme is integral to laying the foundations to encourage a successful future for our students. We offer a bespoke programme, tailors to each year group and accessing all Gatsby Benchmarks, including National Careers Week in order to make the biggest difference to the lives our all students.
We are proud to have been re-accredited in the Quality and Careers Standard career mark in July 2023 after our initial accreditation in June 2021 to acknowledge our CEIAG provision.
Intent:
“Our intent is to give students the education, advice and guidance to empower them to have high aspirations and self-belief so that they can achieve personal happiness and future success”
NCW: The Careers Download
Career Contacts
Miss Davies: [email protected]
For careers related enquiries, please ask for Miss Davies when calling reception: 0151 424 5038
Due to tighter work-place regulations and an increased number of the British workforce working from home post-pandemic, the way in which Ormiston Chadwick Academy offer work experience has had to adapt. Nonetheless, please rest assured that we remain committed to ensuring that every key stage student is given multiple opportunities to gain valuable and meaningful work experience by the time they graduate from the academy.
Our Work Experience Offer
Last academic year, we brought in to a new platform, Springpod in order to provide year 11 students an opportunity to partake in bespoke virtual work experience within our brand new Futures sessions. At the end of this work experience, students receive a certificate to help build their CV.
SEND Virtual Reality Work Experience (VRWEx)
In today’s world, technology plays a vital role in how young people interact with the world around them. Some students will find larger benefit from accessing a work experience virtually via a VR headset. Those students will have the opportunity to participate in an experience across three exciting sectors: Housing, Engineering and The Visitor Economy. This opportunity is available to ALL SEND students across ALL year groups.
In-House Work Experience Y9
As a taster to the world of work, we offer all year 9 students a 1-day work placement within the academy. Students will sign up for their area of interest and placements take place across four calendared weeks in the academic year. Placements include working with the site team, IT technicians, Library Assistant and many more as our students are given an opportunity to experience our community through a professional lens.
Self- Placement Work Experience – Y10
Ormiston Chadwick Academy are offering year 10 pupils an opportunity to self-place for external work experience. This allows students to secure their own work experience placement outside of the academy. Both securing and undertaking these external work placements helps student build social, emotional and professional skills as they enjoy a taster of the world of work in and around our local community.
OCA Virtual work experience
Ormiston Chadwick Academy have invested in the Springpod platform to allow students to undertake virtual work experience both at school and at home. Year 11 students will access Springpod during curriculum time as part of their ‘Futures’ lessons. The experiences on offer change regularly, but are ran by reputable companies such as Volve and the NHS. On completion of the experience, students will be awarded with a certificate that they can put onto their CV. There is no limit to how many students can complete, and we urge students to complete as many as possible.
Students will be updated regularly with external opportunities for virtual work experience which will provide them with the vital experience they need to build upon their essential skills.
Subject Specific Work Experience
Finally, departments will be sourcing work experience opportunities for students who have expressed an interest in career paths linked to their subject. Correspondence regarding these opportunities will be sent out by departments as they become available.
Other ways to get work experience
There are other useful ways of gaining work experience, like:
Definition: A labour market is the place where workers and employees interact with each other. In the labour market, employers compete to hire the best, and the workers compete for the best satisfying job.
Careerometer
KS3 Careers Resources
The BBC Bitesize careers website contains lots of useful information about careers including a careers A-Z to help you find the perfect job!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers
Careers – BBC Bitesize
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers
Get the low-down on the world of work, with Bitesize Careers. A site to help you find out what jobs you may be suited to, with videos and profiles from young people sharing their real-life career pathways, and honest descriptions of the work they do.
www.bbc.co.uk
Year 10 Careers Resources
Year 11 Careers Resources
Information
As parents and carers you play a vital part in ensuring your child gains the best information, advice and guidance to prepare them for life once they leave OCA both with the skills they have developed and the knowledge they have. Therefore, this website should provide you with all the information you need to help support you and enable you to take an active role in your child’s Careers Education. Understanding the changes in the Labour Market is equally important as knowing the education providers that are available, as it is this information on the growth market that may help develop a successful career.
and potential improvements for the CEIAG programme.
Parent Packs 2023-2024
As staff we play a vital part in ensuring our students gain the best information, advice and guidance possible to prepare them for life once they leave OCA. It is our duty to ensure CEIAG is embedded into the curriculum so our students understand not only its importance, but also its relevance.
We will strive to make sure students are aware in every subject how various roles, responsibilities various workplaces and life skills fit into that subject area, alongside the potential career paths that may be derived from exploring a pathway in that subject.
CEIAG literature, posters and information is displayed in each subject areas of the school and staff submit a yearly overview of how they will embed careers into lessons. You will also see evidence of this in the CEIAG programme for each year group as the subject content id identified throughout the year.
Any further information you need please see the CEIAG leads Miss Davies
Miss Davies – [email protected]
As an education provider you may be interested in the information, advice and guidance we provide to our students within both further and higher education. We have our OCA Careers Fair as well as our Post 16: Your Choice, Your Future event every year in which we invite all local education providers to come in, host a stall and chat to our students and their parents/carers in Years 10 and 11.
Our Heads of Department are familiar with the importance of CEIAG and ensuring it is embedded within their subject area, therefore if you wish to work with any particular subject area, they would most certainly welcome further and higher education involvement to enhance the current provision.
In the summer term, in preparation for Taster Days, you are welcome to host an assembly, take tutorials and anything else that may help you encourage and advertise to our students what you have to offer them Post 16. The same applies to the Autumn term on the lead up to applications and interviews for Post 16 provision.
The website should provide you with an insight into the events and opportunities planned throughout the year for various year groups, however, if you wish to find out anything more or you would like to work in an identified subject area, please contact the designated CEIAG lead.
Miss Davies – [email protected]
Please click on the links below to find further information on Education Providers in the local area.
- OBA sixth form https://ormistonbolingbrokeacademy.co.uk/page/?title=Sixth+Form&pid=200
- LIPA – http://www.lipa.ac.uk/
- Priestly College – https://www.priestley.ac.uk/
Paragon Skills is a national apprenticeship training provider with a Grade 2 Good Ofsted rating. They offer a wide selection of programmes across many sectors and help thousands of people to successfully start or further their career every year, with many well-known employers across the UK. DfE Update of Apprenticeships during COVID-19
Why choose a Degree Apprenticeship?
We work with various large companies including L’Oreal, BBC, IBM and Transport for London. Working as a Degree Apprentice will give you the benefit of:
- Earning while you learn, you will receive a competitive annual salary of £18k+
- Gain a degree in Business Management
- Have your tuition fees paid by your employer which means zero student debt
Graduating with invaluable industry experience
Degree Apprenticeships are becoming increasingly competitive and this is your chance to prepare and make your application stand out!
Success at Schools will be launching their new Degree Apprenticeship webinars very soon! These webinars will give you an overview of how Degree Apprenticeships work and a chance to ask any questions you may have!
https://www.pearsoncollegelondon.ac.uk
STEM Online Summer Internships
We are delighted to offer STEM-related Summer Internships in 7 different industries ‘Live & Online’ throughout August, which students aged 15-18 can register for now.
On these Internships, your students can gain invaluable summer work experience from the comfort of their own homes; with successful Doctors, Engineers, Computer Scientists, Investment Bankers, Psychologists, Architects and Entrepreneurs.
Our STEM-related Internships are listed below, with highlights and available dates. You can simply click on any of the icons to read full details and register now.
Places are limited. We kindly ask you to forward this email to relevant students and parents so that they can register.
You may also download a PDF of this email by clicking here (https://investineducation.us6.list-manage.com).
All our ‘Live & Online’ Summer Internships last 4 days and take place in July and August.
The first 3 days are dedicated to immersive experiences of that career alongside top professionals and Q&A/virtual networking time with them.
Day 4 is dedicated to personalised career coaching – a sector recruitment expert will look at your credentials and create a bespoke development plan so you can maximise your chances of success.
You can choose to attend either all 4 days or just the first 3
1st – 4th August OR 29th August – 1st September
- Take part in a patient consultation with a GP
- Shadow doctors on a simulated ward round
- Personalised medical school application coaching including mock interviews
- Design an Artificial Intelligence solution to an environmental crisis
- Experience a live engine teardown and explore automotive design
- Design a space expedition into the unknown
8th – 11th August
- Work with top Software Engineers to programme the ultimate app
- Carry out a data forensics investigation to uncover cybercriminal activity
- Carry out penetration testing on a ‘secure’ website
- Discover AI and the evolution of machine learning
- Design two unique buildings in accordance with client briefs, following RIBA processes#
- Create flash sequences and fly-through videos of your designs
- Present your designs to a group of senior architects and get feedback
- Use the latest cutting-edge software, including 3-D designs and Virtual Reality
- Design a business strategy to create a multi-million dollar company, with coaching and feedback from top Entrepreneurs
- Pitch the idea to real-life Venture Capital investors and get live feedback
- Coaching on key entrepreneurial skills: Leadership, Negotiation, Networking, Public Speaking and more
15th – 18th August
- Diagnose and develop treatment plans for patients
- Act as a psychological expert witness in a simulated criminal trial
- Experience sports psychology by consulting with real players
ASK Apprenticeships
Under the current circumstances with COVID-19. ASK Apprenticeships have been working hard to ensure that the ASK Programme is best placed to carry on helping and supporting students during this challenging time.
They’ve adapted the programme to provide high-quality apprenticeship information in a safe, engaging way that’s appropriate to the times we’re all living through.
Please read through the attached brochure and if you have any questions at all please email and ask for further information or clarification.
M&S Apprenticeship
Big Assembly
We’re celebrating our biggest National Apprenticeship Week Big Assembly!
The Big Assembly will give you and your students the opportunity to receive advice about apprenticeships from a variety of companies including the BBC, Bakkavor, Morrisons, Virgin Media and Workpays. You will also have the opportunity to ask our panellists questions using our chat facility and get involved with interactive polls throughout the broadcast.
We’ve created lesson plans that you can view and download by clicking here (https://content.thetalentportal.co.uk) to help you integrate the broadcast into the school day.
You can now watch the Big Assembly on demand (https://content.thetalentportal.co.uk)
WATCH ON DEMAND (https://content.thetalentportal.co.uk
Springpod
Springpod Broadcast – https://www.springpod.co.uk/
Activities During National Apprenticeship Week:
There will be a range of activities going on throughout the week that introduce and raise awareness of apprenticeships to our young people.
Monday 3rd February – 10.30am OCA will be taking part in the BIG ASSEMBLY (UK wide assembly on Apprenticeships).
Wednesday 5th & Thursday 6th February – Assembly will be held for Year 9 (wed) and Year 10 (thur) introducing apprenticeships.
Friday 7th February – Assembly for Year 11s on how to register and apply for Apprenticeships.
All week – Access the link from the website to watch a range of 20 live broadcasts throughout the week hosted by some incredible companies covering a range of sectors. These will bring learning to life and show the links from the curriculum into many future careers.
Please use some of the activities in this pack to improve your knowledge and understanding of apprenticeships.
Employers
As an employer you may be interested in the information, advice and guidance we provide to our students within your field of work. We will be looking to host an Employers Event from 2019/20 every year in which we invite employers to come in, host a stall and chat to our students and their parents/carers in Years 8, 9 and 10. There will also be opportunities throughout our ECM days, ECM time and Assemblies in which we would welcome employers to come in and either talk or present to our students or work with them in smaller groups.
Our Heads of Department are familiar with the importance of CEIAG and ensuring it is embedded within their subject area, therefore if you wish to work with any particular subject area, they would most certainly welcome employer involvement to enhance the provision from an expert in that field. Our Heads of Department may also be able to inform you of students who express an interest in going down your career path.
The website should provide you with an insight into the events and opportunities planned throughout the year for various year groups, however, if you wish to find out anything more or you would like to work in an identified subject area, please contact the designated CEIAG lead.
Apprenticeships
Parent and Carer Pack Apprenticeship Information:
An apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeship also enables practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulated profession.
If you are interested in an apprenticeship, sign up to the National Apprenticeship Service which is a government agency.
The following guide to apprenticeships will help inform you on the facts and structure of apprenticeships:
https://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/top-employers/?utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=int-30102019-schools-t100launch&dm_i=30Z2,YHUP,6P6MD6,3MA8B,1 (https://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/top-employers/?utm_source=emailCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=int-30102019-schools-t100launch&dm_i=30Z2,YHUP,6P6MD6,3MA8B,1)
We are delighted to reveal that the new Top Apprenticeship Employer Table 2019 – 2020 is now live on RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk (https://ratemyplacement-email.co.uk/30Z2-YHUP-6P6MD6-L186L-1/c.aspx) !
Based on thousands of student-written reviews from RateMyApprenticeship, the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers highlight those companies that offer your students the most valuable, effective and beneficial apprenticeship opportunities. We’ll be promoting the Top Employers all year round and they will be featured in our ‘Guide to Career Options 2020’.
To find out who made the table, click the link above
The following websites will also allow you to look for apprenticeships:
- https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch
- https://www.indeed.co.uk/
- https://www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk/
- https://www.reed.co.uk/
- https://www.totaljobs.com/
- Links to:
- Waterside Training Apprenticeships
Active Apprenticeships
The following are link to live apprenticeship vacancy reports. Please email the National Helpdesk if you would like any help in relation to these vacancy reports.
For more information about local Work Based Learning provision and Apprenticeship providers in Halton you will find a copy of the directory at www.halton.gov.uk/yourfuture (https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/www.halton.gov.uk/yourfuture) . You can view local apprenticeship adverts on the @HPSYourFuture Facebook page.
Vacancies can be searched for at www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and at the Liverpool City Region apprenticeship website – https://be-more.info/
You can access resources to help teachers and careers advisers offer information, advice and guidance, about apprenticeships on the GOV.UK website (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeships-resources-for-teachers-and-advisers#resources-for-learners.html)
If you are interested in applying for an apprenticeship, please check the following apprenticeship vacancies:
Applications are due to open on November 25th. In the meantime, potential applicants can register their interest.
https://careers.unilever.com/uk/en/apprenticeships
Applications are now open for business/technology apprenticeships at various levels, including higher and degree apprenticeship at Unilever. Some are available at Port Sunlight (Wirral).
You can register your interest for Research and Development (Chemistry) and Supply Chain and Engineering.
https://careers.unilever.com/uk/en/apprenticeships (https://careers.unilever.com/uk/en/apprenticeships)
Waterside Apprenticeships and Open Event
Waterside Training Limited, successful recruited 24 apprentices last year and we are shortly due to release our next Engineering and Manufacturing Apprenticeship vacancies for our 2020 Apprenticeship Intake to commence 2/3 September 2020.
Currently, we already have 15 vacancies available with companies such as;
AB World Foods at Leigh offering Manufacturing Apprenticeships
Diageo at Runcorn offering Engineering and Manufacturing Apprenticeships
Essity at Skelmersdale offering Engineering Apprenticeships
NSG (Pilkington) at St Helens offering Manufacturing Apprenticeships
Stateside Foods at West Houghton offering Engineering Apprenticeships
Tremco Illbruck at Wigan offering Engineering Apprenticeships
with many more yet to be confirmed, we are hoping for a bumper intake of 45 apprentices which means some fantastic opportunities available for apprentices to join some fabulous companies.
Our vacancies are due to be released week commencing 24 February 2020 and will be released on our Twitter accounts along with our website apprenticeship page.
https://www.waterside-training.co.uk/apprenticeship/apprenticeship-vacancies
Students can apply for either a generic apprenticeship or for a company specific one once they appear upon the above link next week.
We also have our open evening next Wednesday 26 February 2020 running from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. of which students and their parents can attend to find out more about our opportunities.
Keep a check and link to our Twitter page @WatersideT for further details of our Apprenticeship Vacancies.
Should you require any further information, then please do not hesitate to contact Kathryn Kirby on 01744694661.
Apptentice Opportunities at Airbus
Want to be part of a global leader in Aerospace? It’s not as difficult as you may think! Joining the Airbus Craft Apprenticeship Programme could be the ideal start to your career!
This is not just an Apprenticeship, it is also your opportunity to become one of the skilled crafts people working hands on with our exciting and innovative products whilst receiving a competitive salary!
There are a number of options for our craft Apprenticeship including:
• Craft Manufacturing
• Engineering Technician
• Plant Mechanical & Electrical
• Customer Services Engineering.
We also have two Higher Apprenticeships on offer. The Plant Engineering & Manufacturing Aerospace Apprenticeships will help you work toward a Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing.
New this year is the Quality Engineering Apprenticeship where you can work toward a Higher National Certificate in Engineering & Level 2 Diploma in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering.
Whichever route you choose you will be given full training and opportunities for personal development in an excellent team environment.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 1st March 2020.
For more information, and to apply, visit:
www.airbus.com/careers
We look forward to hearing from you!
Airbus Recruitment Team
Degree Apprenticeship Open Evening Airbus 30th January
https://www.airbus.com/careers/news-and-events.html
DATES & VENUE:
Degree Apprenticeship Evening: 30th January, from 17:00 – 19:00
Deeside Sixth Form Centre, Kelsterton Road, Connah’s Quay, Deeside, CH5 4BR
WHY JOIN US?
Airbus invites students currently studying A-Levels to find out more about our Degree Apprenticeships in Engineering, Business and IT. Representatives from Airbus will be available to speak to you about the opportunities on offer.
Presentations will take place at 17:30 and 18:30.
DATES & DIRECTIONS:
23rd January, from 17:30 – 19:30
Craft Apprenticeship Evening: Engineering, Coleg Cambria, Kelsterton Road, Connah’s Quay, Deeside, CH5 4BR
WHY JOIN US?
Airbus invites students currently studying GCSE’s who are interested in finding out more about our Craft and Technician Apprenticeships to join us at our Craft Apprenticeship Open Evening at Coleg Cambria. Representatives from Airbus and Coleg Cambria will be available to speak to you about the opportunities on offer.
Presentations will take place at 17:40 and 18:40.
Carol Fardoe – Careers Adviser
2023/2024 Advisor – Dan Hunt
For 2023/2024, Ormiston Chadwick Academy continue their longstanding relationship with Careers Connect to ensure that all students leave school having received at least one face to face appointment with a qualified careers advisor.
Our Careers Advisor will provide the following services:
- Year 7 – Identified Group Sessions.
- Year 8 – Identified Group Sessions.
- Year 9 – Identified group sessions for those at risk of NEET post-16.
- Year 10 – Identified one-to-one sessions for those at risk of NEET post-16. Beginning of one-to-one sessions for general cohort (Summer 2).
- Year 11 – All students to receive one-to-one personalised guidance. Additional one-to-one and group interviews for cohort identified as at risk of NEET post-16.
Our Careers adviser, Dan, is based in the CEIAG office located at the bottom of the upstairs N corridor every Monday from 8:30am-3:00pm.
Students are encouraged to drop in and see Dan at breaks or lunchtimes to seek any guidance or find out information on potential career steps. Dan will follow this up with a record of the discussion and any actions.
Student Destinations
Students destination figures are another indication of how we can assess the impact of the careers programme at OCA. According to the new government statutory guidelines:
‘every student must receive impartial guidance in the form of a 1:1 interview before they leave school at 16.’
Our partnership with Career Connect provides every Year 11 students with an impartial careers interview that will provide them the necessary advice and guidance to steer them onto the correct and most suitable career path for Post 16 education. This may be in the form of a further education establishment, an apprenticeship or other training providers alongside employment.
We are very proud of the fact that when the students leave us in Year 11 the vast majority have all been allocated provisional places at Post-16. Our careers team and attendance officers work hard to ensure bespoke student needs are met and catered for.
The careers programme is paramount to ensuring students are well-educated and informed of their options both in further and higher education. Events, assemblies, careers fairs, sampling days, employers marketplace and other necessary interventions are put into place from as early as Year 7. Every year group will have access to Gatsby Benchmark 5, 6, 7 and 8 as part of this programme.
With the introduction of Unifrog we now have additional term time modules that are delivered during form sessions that address vital CEIAG information for each year group. These support our existing comprehensive CEIAG programme. The advantage to Unifrog is that it allows us to measure the success of our programme at the platform is managed and accessed by form tutors, students, parents and careers and this data goes straight into our compass evaluation.
As students’ progress through the years the resources become more tailored and we use the feedback from regular surveys and careers meetings with a professional to address individual need.
We have careers connect who are provided with copies of all the local prospectus by our careers co-ordinator. She will discuss and share these with the students and they are available for them to take away. We have weekly updates on our social media that identifies the LMI and educations the students in popular current jobs.
For the lower years we have the set modules which cover topics like LMI, skills and attributes, communication skills, career paths, financing, employment types and many more. The programme is tailored to give them everything they need before they reach year 11 so they are inspired to start thinking about their own pathway.
We also have a close relationship with shaping futures who are scheduled to deliver vital CEIAG information to all our students with a focus on NEET and target ward learners. They will be delivering tailored information to each learner through our programme plan with them. We have also been given two amazing opportunities this year and we have been selected to be part of the Case study for schools which gives us a deeper assessment of the impact of careers at OCA and alongside this we will receive further bespoke resources for our learners and a small funding pot to help enhance our programme further. We have also been selected to be part of ‘The brilliant club’ this is an opportunity for 12 of our year 10 students to participate and receive access to a challenging online programme of university-style study. This is based on The Brilliant Club’s scholar’s programme. The brilliant club are an award winning organisation which aims to widen access for outstanding pupils in non-selective state schools to the UKs most selective universities. The 12 students enrolled will participate in 6 group tutorials with trained PHD tutors and the content covered will be super-curricular and based on the tutors own PHD research. We feel this is a great opportunity to our students to receive valuable experience in high level education.
The links below will take you to a wide range of careers websites giving you up to date information to help you plan your future.
| Career Connect | Local & national careers resources. | |
| Career Connect: Jobs for Tomorrow | Where will the jobs be in Merseyside in the future? Information on 4 Growth Areas – Visitor Economy, Knowledge Economy, Low Carbon Economy & Super Port. | |
| National Careers Service | Careers advice and information on a wide range of jobs & training courses. | |
| National Apprenticeships | Local apprenticeship vacancies and information on apprenticeships | |
| Careers Box | National online careers film and video library. Real people, real jobs | |
| icould | Find out about jobs from people who are working in them. Videos, articles & quizzes. | |
| Plotr | Explore different career worlds. | |
| Tomorrow’s Engineers | Inspiration, advice and information on the different routes into engineering and the types of jobs on offer. | |
| Futuremorph | Career opportunities in Science & Maths. | |
| Go Construct | Information on careers in the Construction industry from graduate jobs to Apprenticeships and everything in between. | |
| Bright Knowledge | Guide to careers, education & student life. | |
| Studential | A guide to GCSEs, A levels, apprenticeships & university | |
| Growing ambitions | Career routes & job profiles | |
| NHS careers information | Careers and work experience in the NHS | |
| UCAS | A wide range of information on universities and how to apply | |
| Which? university guide | what to study, where to go and how to get there | |
| Buzz Quiz | The Buzz personality profile quiz helps you discover more about what makes you tick and what you’re naturally good at. | |
| Not going to uni | Alternatives to university including apprenticeships and other training routes. |
Other useful websites:
Unsure on what your skills and qualities are? Try out these psychometric tests to help you:
The website Practicereasoningtests.com recently published complete guides for students in dealing with psychometric tests during interview processes for internships and first full-time jobs.
- https://practicereasoningtests.com/cognitive-ability-tests
https://practicereasoningtests.com/practice-aptitude-tests
https://practicereasoningtests.com/aptitude-test-infographic/ - https://s-cool.co.uk/
- https://successatschool.org/advicedetails/161/Seven-of-the-Best-Free-Online-Revision-Tools
Take this careers test and be custom matched to specific careers based on your personality:
https://www.careerenjoyment.com/career-test-free-aptitude-test-and-quiz
