Careers
AWARDED QUALITY IN CAREERS 2023
CAREERS TEAM AT OLCC
CAREERS Lead & Assistant Head Teacher – Juliet Duncan
Juliet is responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of the careers curriculum, ensuring all activities fit with the Gatsby Benchmarks for Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance.
Contact: j.duncan@olcc.lancs.sch.uk
Careers Advisor & Events Co-ordinator – Louise Mosey
Louise oversees the day to day running of the careers programme. As a qualified Careers Adviser, Louise also provides 1:1 careers guidance interviews for all students in key stage 4 and 5.
Contact: careers@olcc.lancs.sch.uk
Link Governor – Stuart Pyne
Enterprise Co-ordinator – Tina Milner, Inspira
As our Enterprise Coordinator, Tina provides additional support with careers related activities and helps to create links with local employers and business to inspire students.
Enterprise Adviser – Ruth Wilkinson
Ruth is OLCC’s representative from industry and works in business growth in digital services.
CAREERS EDUCATION
Our Lady’s Catholic College aspires to ensure that every student achieves their potential in full. The staff and governors recognise that an effective careers programme is vital to contributing to the raising of aspirations and enabling learners to make realistic and informed choices about their future employment and training options.
At OLCC we have an exciting careers programme designed to encourage students to reflect upon who they are and who they would like to become. In order to complete this journey, we provide a broad range of aspirational activities across all the year groups that support careers exploration and the development of skills. We provide an array of opportunities through lessons, drop-down days, assemblies, careers presentations and workshops. We run National Careers week events every March with subject specific career delivery.
Our Lady’s Catholic College will continue to work collaboratively with internal and external providers to build a cohesive programme of careers education. The development of careers has been a priority in the school’s strategic development plan in recent years. The careers programme follows the Gatsby Benchmarks for good career guidance and we have made significant progress across the benchmarks by embedding a progressive programme of careers learning in school.
AIMS
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The named Governor, Stewart Pyne and the Careers Leader, Juliet Duncan oversee the Careers provision and the planning and running of the Careers programme will be undertaken by Louise Mosey Careers Advisor & Coordinator.
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The Careers Leader is well supported by the Leadership Team, enabling attendance at relevant courses to keep up-to-date with current issues.
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A structured Careers Programme is delivered to all Years in KS3, KS4 and KS5.
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The school uses the Gatsby Benchmarks to develop and improve careers provision (the Compass self-evaluation tool audits existing provision and tracks progress towards meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks).
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All students by the age of 16 will have an opportunity for a 1:1 guidance interview whenever significant study or career choices are being made and a further 1:1 interview is available in Year 12.
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Careers events and visits take place - both on and off site - in KS3&4 throughout the school year involving employers and FE & HE providers.
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From the age of 11, pupils will participate in a meaningful encounter with an employer every year.
CAREERS PROGRAMME
Year 7 & 8
Introduction to Careers & Skills
- Careers lessons PSHE - Developing skills: teamwork, enterprise. Raising aspirations.
- Pathway assemblies and visitors in school.
- National Careers week, focus on careers in the curriculum.
YEAR 9
Future Pathways & Options
Year 9 students narrow their focus on future pathways as they decide on which subjects to choose for their GCSE options.
- Careers lessons PSHE -Employment rights & responsibilities, Options, managing emotions, employment and career progression.
- Assemblies on Options, making decisions & choosing subjects.
- Parent’s Information Evening
- National Careers week, focus on careers in the curriculum.
- Industry Day – Employer/HE encounters
YEAR 10
Planning & Preparing
Year 10 Careers education involves being ‘future ready’. We start to plan post-16 routes and get ready for the world of further study and work.
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Careers lessons PSHE Work Experience, Work Preparation
- Subject focussed trips and visits linking with local employers
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National Careers week, focus on careers in the curriculum, employer visits.
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Work Experience Programme planned for July 2024
YEAR 11
Decisions & Applications
Building on lessons learned throughout their schooling, students are now required to explore their options and determine the best route forward for their individual strengths.
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1:1 impartial careers guidance interview with Louise Mosey/Jane Wann, Careers Advisors.
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Pathway assemblies – 6th form, college, apprenticeships
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Careers lessons PSHE – Pathways, LMI, Online Brand, Growth Mindset (Future U)
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EDF visit for pupils interested in STEM
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Targeted pupil visits to colleges
Sixth FOrm
The exploration of careers continues in Year 12 & 13 with higher education, employment and apprenticeships being the focus of many talks, workshops and visits. Volunteering opportunities are also encouraged and Year 12 take part in a week of work experience.
Also see Sixth Form
MEASURING IMPACT
The school will assess the impact of its careers programme on students by completing student voice and a student survey via Compass+ and analysing destinations data in line with activities that they have taken part in at school. In addition, the views of students will be surveyed after Industry Day and Work Experience.
PROVIDER ACCESS
OLCC believes in giving FE, HE and training providers the opportunity to talk to pupils at the school. Please use the link at the bottom of the page to see our Provider Access Policy.
RESOURCES
Our local employers & partners
We have developed a wide network of links with our local FE/HE providers and many other local employers (some examples include: Lancaster & Morecambe College, Myerscough College, ASK, Lancaster Training Services , EDF, Army Careers, Lancaster University, NHS) and their involvement in our Careers programme has been invaluable to our students with their post 16 and post 18 choices.
FUTURE U
Future U is the outreach programme that we work with from the University of Central Lancashire, a government funded project which helps raise aspirations and supports students in their choices regarding further education. The programme holds the data for our students and the attachment below explains what and why.
LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
Students are kept up-to-date with current Local Labour Market Information to enable them to make informed decisions.
OUR ALUMNI
We are very proud of our past pupils and love to hear what they have gone on to achieve beyond OLCC. If you would like to inspire our current students as an ex-pupil, please get in touch: careers@olcc.lancs.sch.uk
USEFUL WEBSITES
National Careers Service – a comprehensive careers website with job profiles, outlining: the skills required, main tasks, pay levels and career prospects for hundreds of different jobs. In addition, valuable guidance on the different stages involved in getting a job.
Unifrog – a careers programme available to our students to organise their work experience. It is a wealth of information and useful for comparing University and apprenticeship courses.
Apprenticeships – find out how to become an apprentice and find out more about employers that offer apprenticeships.
UCAS – a very helpful website for students thinking of applying to higher education. Valuable information on different options, including apprenticeships.
Lancaster & Morecambe College – a local college that offers academic and vocational courses and work based learning via apprenticeships and T levels.
Myerscough College – The North West centre for land-based, science, engineering and sports education. The college offers courses in further & higher education.
Kendal College - full-time courses, part-time courses, higher education and apprenticeships. Staff help develop and support student entrepreneurial activity.