The final week of last half-term was a busy one for our Year 11 students as they took part in a variety of workshops and presentations as part of their Year 11 Careers Week. This event follows on from the Year 10 Careers Week in the summer with a focus on CV completion, post-16 options, specifically focussing on T-Levels and Apprenticeships, post-16 application support, interview preparation, post-18 University insight and useful tips as students head closer towards completing their GCSE exams, including revision and handling nerves/stress. We also had talks from the NHS with information on how to apply for the volunteering programme and Brown Sugar Academy for our students interested in Hair & Beauty. The week gave the students lots to think about as they headed off to their Christmas break. 

We also delivered our Mock Interview Day Launch as part of the Careers Week, in which students received the job profile for the role they are being interviewed. We base this on the ‘Top 3 Jobs’ form they completed in tutor and then, as best we can, we match students up to a particular job role. This is always a great session as students become excited and nervous about the prospect of being interviewed by a REAL employer! Students are encouraged to research the company they’re being interviewed for and prepare to answer questions, as well as think about what they would wear in an interview setting. As part of the process, we provide the employers with the students’ CVs which students have been working on during the careers weeks. All CVs must be emailed to cv@hessleacademy.com by Friday 26 January 2024. If you need any support with this, students can attend CV support sessions on Thursday lunchtimes in the LRC. These sessions are also available for those who need support with post-16 applications. 

It’s great to see that 73% of our Year 11 students have already completed their post-16 applications, with many receiving offers based on their predicted grades, they just need to continue to work hard now to achieve these. I encourage students to complete their applications by February half-term where possible, as this enables me to pick up students who have not yet applied and need more support and it also means students are less likely to miss out on a place at their preferred destination. Apprenticeship vacancies for September 2024 will become more available from March, please email hayley.lawes@hessleacademy.com if your child needs any support with their post-16 applications. 

Our External Careers Advisor, Graeme Peart has been busy conducting interviews with Year 11 students who require additional support with their post-16 plans. We have now moved onto initial careers guidance interviews for Year 10 students and will continue to work through these up until the summer but there will also be an opportunity this half-term for Year 9 students who need additional support with choosing their KS4 options and would like to discuss further with a professional, details will be shared in tutor time. 

We have now passed the deadline for the Year 10 Work Experience Parental Consent forms and are now working towards our next deadline of Friday 23 February for Placement Forms. If any student has misplaced their form, spare copies can be collected from their tutor. We appreciate it is not always easy to find a placement and it can take a lot of perseverance, but it’s great to see that a number of students have already secured placements, particularly as this is our first year running WEX for many years. It is important to return forms as soon as possible so that the safeguarding and health & safety checks can be completed in time. If you are struggling, please speak to Tutors, Head of Year or Miss Lawes, students can also drop in to see Graeme Peart, Careers Advisor for tips and potential contacts. 

From Monday 15 January the Sixth Form Building will be open at lunch each day to all Year 11 students offered a Sixth Form place; this will provide a quiet study space for those students wishing to make use of it. We have received a record number of Sixth Form applicants this year but will still consider students who put in a late application. All students who have been offered a place will be invited into the Sixth Form on Friday 26 January for an extended break to collect their formal offer letters – Mr Jarman and the team are looking forward to celebrating with them. 

There is a lot of support that goes on behind the scenes for students to help with planning for the future and preparing for key transition stages in their careers journey, I continue to attend ECHP annual review meetings across Year 9 – 11 to discuss these upcoming changes and put support in place for our young people. Our All About Me Day for Year 7 took place, which supports our most recent students who have transitioned to secondary school by focusing on important topics to help keep themselves safe, as well as exploring post-16 options and potential career opportunities by reflecting on their strengths, interests and personality and being able to see the types of jobs that link to different personalities. 

Finally, we ran two visits last half-term, a group of Year 11 students attended the East Riding Apprenticeship Event held at Bishop Burton College; this is a large careers fair in which students were able to gain information, advice and guidance from a wide variety of apprenticeship providers & employers in the local area. And back in October a group of Year 9 students attended the WiME (Women into Manufacturing and Engineering) Careers Fair at the Guildhall, as part of the event, students were asked to complete a quiz to help them to interact with the employers and one of our students, Phoebe won first prize out of nearly 300 participants. Phoebe was able to select 5 peers to attend the KCOM Training Academy to hear from current employees and apprentices working there and learn about how the equipment works and what a day in the life of an engineer entails including overhead cabling and excavation... it was a very cold day, so they learnt first-hand how this job is not for the faint hearted.