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Careers Leaders Blog

MISS H LAWES

I am very proud to introduce myself as the Careers Leader at the Hessle Academy.

If you wish to contact me, please use the email address below. I will respond to you in due course.

hayley.lawes@hessleacademy.com 

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  • WEEK 21 - Friday 23 February 2024

    Published 26/02/24

    It was that time of year again when we welcomed nearly 50 employers onto our school site to conduct interviews with our students as part of the Year 11 Mock Interview Day. We are very lucky as a school that we have such a wide network of external support, and that is a testament to our students as each year we see many of our employers wanting to return and take part in this event which is always a highlight in the school's calendar and never fails to deliver! Students have been preparing for this event since December when we launched, and they received the job profile they were being interviewed for. Students worked on their CV as well as attending interview skills sessions with tips and advice to help them prepare. We ourselves know that interviews can be a daunting part of the career process, so our aim is to give the students a ‘real-life’ experience of what an interview entails so that when they attend their first interview in the world of work, it may not feel as scary, and they will have gained some useful feedback from the employer to help them moving forward. As well as this, there is also the competition element to the event as five students are interviewed for each role and one winner selected ‘for the job’. Again, this is what happens in real life and it’s good to have a bit of healthy competition. It’s always a heart-warming moment to see how proud and supportive the students are during the Celebration Seminar. Each year we have a wide range of roles to interview for based off the questionnaire students completed at the start of the year, take a look at this year's list: 

    Royal Marine 

    Electrical Engineer 

    Nurse 

    Social Worker 

    Electrician 

    Therapist 

    Aerospace Engineer 

    Photographer 

    Construction Worker 

    Police Officer 

    Physiotherapist 

    Senior Sports Coach 

    Tattoo Artist 

    Beauty Therapist 

    Accountant 

    Cabin Crew 

    Midwife 

    Journalist 

    Eating Disorder Therapist 

    Bricklayer 

    Hairdresser 

    Primary Teacher 

    Personal Trainer 

    Software Developer 

    Wind Engineer 

    Sports Coach 

    Estate Agent 

    Football Coach 

    Mechanic 

    Army Recruit 

    Customer Service Administrator 

    Actor 

    Founders Assistant 

    Paramedic 

    Secondary Teacher 

    Legal Assistant 

    Animal Care Assistant 

    Solicitor 

       

    …and this is why we put on the event: 

    Student responses  

    97% students enjoyed the experience  

    96% students found the event useful  

    98% enjoyed their encounter with the employer  

    99% found the feedback received by the employer useful and will use this in the future  

    Some comments  

    I enjoyed telling people about myself and being put out of my comfort zone   

    Good to talk to someone with experience in the job role I’m interested in   

    The interviewer was lovely and made me feel calm 

    It was good to see how an interview would work and be set out   

    Enjoyed seeing how I would do in the situation and helped me to improve for future   

    Good feedback – personal to me and will help me in the future 

    A new experience (in a good way)   

    My interviewer was lovely and incredibly helpful. The full experience was great! 

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  • WEEK 16 - Friday 12 January 2024

    Published 15/01/24

    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. 

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  • WEEK 9 - Friday 10 November 2023

    Published 17/11/23

    An eight-week half-term was a slight shock to the system for many following a six-week summer holiday break, but it certainly meant we could hit the ground running and fit in a variety of careers activities and events to start of the new academic year! We said goodbye to our Year 11 and 13 leavers but welcomed our new Year 7 students and our current students moving up into the next year of their education journey. 

    I began the year by delivering a careers assembly to each year group, focussing on the Careers Programme and highlighting the different events and activities we have in store for the students over the next year. I talked about the importance of CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) and how their time in school and involvement in these events and activities can prepare them for the decisions they will make in the future. My Year 9 assembly was teamed up with Miss Moore who coordinates and delivers the Duke of Edinburgh programme, which has proven to be very popular amongst students over the years. Demand continues to be higher than ever with nearly 100 students signing up to take part this year. 

    It is particularly a busy time for our Year 11 students, and full of mixed emotions as they prepare for their GCSE exams and the transition from school life to their post-16 destination! An exciting time for many as students can really start to take some ownership on their life. The ‘Careers Info’ group on TEAM’s is up and running and open events have been shared for a wide range of Colleges, Sixth Form and Training Providers so that students can move forward with this process. It is hugely beneficial for students to look around, get a feel for a place and ask questions in order to help them make the right decision for them. Students can now begin completing their post-16 applications whether that be for the Consortium Sixth Form College, other sixth form and college providers, apprenticeships, Armed Forces, employment with training etc. and as a school we provide information, advice and guidance (IAG) on all the different options available to students so they can make a well-informed decision. 

    The Careers Programme for 2023/24 can be found here

    Our External Careers Advisor, Graeme Peart and I have attended the Year 10 and 11 Parents’ Information Evenings, offering support and information to students and their parents so that the work we do in school can continue at home. Graeme works in school typically on Mondays and Wednesdays conducting careers guidance interviews. All Year 11 and 13 students have had their initial careers interview, and we are now working through the follow up appointments for those who require. Please contact hayley.lawes@hessleacademy.com should your child require another appointment. 

    In my last blog before the summer, you may remember I mentioned a key development to our careers programme this academic year... we are delighted to announce the re-introduction of Work Experience for Year 10 students. This is an opportunity for students to take part in a short-term placement with an employer, gaining an insight into the world of work and develop valuable employability skills. Students are responsible for finding their own placement for three days between Wednesday 3 July and Friday 5 July 2024. The Launch for students and parents took place in October, and completed forms must be returned to their Tutor by the following deadlines: 

    • Parental Consent/Medical Form – no later than Thursday 21 December 2023 

    • Placement Form – no later than Friday 23 February 2024 

    Year 10 students have also completed a pre/post Interview Questionnaire in preparation for their initial careers guidance interviews which will commence from the end of November up until the summer term. Students included information about their initial post-16 plans and ideas; where they are thinking of applying, the types of jobs they’re interested in and there was also an opportunity to rank their priority which will help to determine the order in which the students will be seen across the year.   

    Following a successful event last year, we delivered our newly integrated Year 9 Inspiration Day. The aim of this event is to prepare students for decisions they will be make as they choose their KS4 study options for years 10 and 11. The workshops aimed to motivate and inspire students, as well as prepare for life beyond school, and 92% of students agreed the event was useful in supporting with this.  

    Workshops included: 

    • Careers with STEM subjects – Reckitt's 

    • Careers Advisor – Finance & Budgeting  

    • Choosing your Key Stage 4 Options (to study in Y10 & 11)  

    • Post-16 Pathways (after Y11)  

    • Log On Move On & Employability Passport – ESP Team 

    • Apprenticeships & T-Levels – Hull College 

    • Modeshift – Recruiting Active Travel Ambassadors 

    • Post-14 Transitions and Preparations 

    An important part of my role is to network with external providers, employers and businesses as they play a vital role in supporting our careers events and providing information to our students. At the start of the academic year, I met with a wide range of people to plan for the year ahead and book into our careers calendar of events. We are very lucky to have a strong and supportive network of professionals who engage with the school! 

    Over the last half term, we have been fortunate to take groups of students on visits to the WiME exhibition (Women into Manufacturing and Engineering) at the Guildhall, Hull and Foundations Live Construction Event at Bishop Burton College. Both events had a wide variety of local employers, apprenticeship and training providers for students to explore and find out more about the opportunities available to them.  

    The annual Restart a Heart Day took place on Monday 16th October. Our Year 7 students met some of our local NHS heroes as they learned vital lifesaving CPR skills as well as hearing about different roles within the health sector. This event has been running for ten years and sees thousands of people across the UK and many more worldwide, come together to increase the public awareness of cardiac arrests and increase the number of people trained in life saving CPR and defibrillator use. Anyone would agree a very important day in the calendar. 

    Finally, our Year 13 students took part in their firs Pathways Event of the year. As with previous years, the sessions included interview skills, personal statements, revision & motivation techniques and post-18 plans including apprenticeships, and we saw several providers and businesses attend the event to discuss the opportunities available including BAE Systems, HETA, Siemens, McArthur Dean, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation. 

    Last year, two of our Year 13 students were selected to represent The Hessle Academy by taking part in a Student Voice Careers Panel with the Hull & East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP). This has continued into its second year with a new cohort of students involved and we are proud to have two of our Year 13 students involved again this year, sharing student opinions, suggestions and ideas relating to careers guidance within schools and colleges. 

    Upcoming Events: 

    • Y7 All About Me Day – Wednesday 15 November 2023 

    • Sixth Form Taster Day – Tuesday 14 November 2023 

    • Y11 Careers Week – w/c 18 December 2023 

    • Advanced notice: Year 11 Mock Interview Day – Friday 2 February 2024 

    Please click the links below for local training provider upcoming events: 

    Miss Lawes 

    Careers Leader 

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  • Careers Leader Blogs 2022/2023

    Published 17/11/23

    To view Blogs from 2022/2023 click here

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  • Careers Leader Blogs 2021/2022

    Published 08/09/23

    To view Blogs from 2021/2022 click here.

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  • Careers Leader Blogs 2020/2021

    Published 04/11/21

    To view Blogs from 2020/2021 please click here

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