Attendance is a key component to your child’s success

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Careers
Education and Guidance

Curriculum Leader Mrs Whitefoot

Careers Education and Guidance (CEG) has an absolutely essential role to play in preparing students for the choices, changes and transitions they will encounter as they become adults.

Through effective CEG, our students can explore and understand the world of work, consider their own values and attitudes and learn strategies to cope with the changing demands and expectations, in order that they can realise their full potential. The 2011 Education Act puts a statutory duty on schools to provide careers education and impartial information and advice which promotes the best interest of the individual student.

Ruskin Community High School recognises this duty towards young people and careers provision has been developed accordingly. Furthermore provision is planned around the framework of delivery laid out in the 2009 Statutory Guidance on Impartial Careers Education.

Careers Champions

  • English – Rebecca Walklate
  • Maths – Noha Loufti
  • Science – Lloyd Sant
  • MFL – Fiona Brown
  • DT & Art – Rebecca Reeves
  • PE – Rebecca Davies
  • Performing Arts – Ceri John
  • Humanities – Shelley Whitefoot
  • IT – Michael Deardon

What does a Careers Champion do?

  • To be the contact point for dissemination of careers activities and information within your department.
  • Give practical advice on how your department colleagues can include careers learning in their subject areas without increasing their workload unnecessarily.
  • Be prepared to complete an annual evaluation/survey and record departmental events on Compass+
  • Work with your department to raise profile of events in the school careers calendar
  • To raise the profile of careers at parents’ evenings, options evenings – wearing a badge ‘I’m a careers champion’
  • Support organisation of employer events e.g. business breakfast, subject talks
  • Support the provision of careers notice board

Careers Advice at Ruskin

All students are entitled to receive impartial information, advice and guidance to help them make appropriate pathway and career choices as they progress through their school life.

We offer support and advice to students making subject choices and can also assist with information on long term career aims.

There is a Careers Library section in the School Library, where students are welcome to browse for further information on careers and the world of work. College, Sixth Form and training provider prospectuses are also kept here.

We have our own Careers Advisor Liz Webster who holds a L6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development.

Provider Access Policy
Destination Data

Contact information

Mrs Whitefoot
Tel: 01270 560514

Email: enquiries@ruskin.cheshire.sch.uk (please mark for the attention of Mrs Whitefoot)

Careers Link Governor – Prof William Ollier

More Information

Careers Advice and Guidance

In line with Gatsby Benchmark 8, all Year 11 students at Ruskin High School receive a 45minute 1:1 career guidance meeting with a Level 6 qualified Career Advisor, ensuring they receive the correct career information to inform their career decision making whatever pathway they decide to follow. Where necessary, or requested, we are happy to arrange a convenient time either during the school day or after school, for parents to attend guidance meetings with students.

Our aim is to be encouraging and supportive of student’s aspirations, strengths and skills. The impartial advice is given to ensure students have a balanced and informed perspective of their options at the end of Key Stage 4 and where appropriate, to begin to consider/research post 18 options. Students are asked to come prepared to discuss their career ideas and use the session to begin firming up any plans they may have for the future.

Preparing for your meeting – A Guide for Students

Work Experience (WEX)

As part of the Careers Education Programme at Ruskin High School, we would encourage all students in Y11 to complete a week’s work experience.

WEX can have a profound impact on people’s careers. In completing WEX, we hope that our students will have their career aspirations confirmed and that they will be able to start building a network that will be useful to them in their future. We also want our students to see ‘behind the curtain’ of a workplace and prepare them for the future world of work.

Why one week?
Evidence shows that an intensive block of WEX has a number of benefits; it can give students a real insight into an area of work that they are interested in and, if it goes well, can act as an ‘extended interview’ which might result in useful contacts, the offer of a part-time job, a longer placement or even an apprenticeship.

When and where?
WEX is normally carried out in December, however, this can change. Ideally, students will arrange their own placement. The benefit of this is that students will find a placement that is linked to their own career aspirations. Contact with businesses can be made via email, a phone call or by just dropping in and making an enquiry. Alternatively, a placement can be made via the company MPLOY – see details below.

Once the placement has been agreed, the student, parent and employer will need to complete the form that your child brought home with them this week. From that point, MPLOY will ensure that businesses are vetted and insured.

Cost (2023)

MPLOY charge the school £31 per student that arranges their own placement and £48 per student that they place. Ruskin is able to subsidise this and therefore the cost to parents is:

Self-placement – £15
Placement arranged by MPLOY – £20
Clearly, these are worrying times financially for many families. If you do need support from school in making this payment we would encourage parent/carers to contact the school as soon as possible.

We appreciate the support from parent/carers with this process: we know that students benefit enormously from WEX and it is our sincere hope is that it will allow them to develop their confidence and start to see their place in the world of work and the valuable contribution that they will make.

Further and Higher Education

Further Education is the term given to any education after secondary school. It’s what you learn between the age of 16-18yrs and is predominantly provided by Colleges and Sixth Forms.

You’ll be classed as completing Further Education if you’re studying for A Level, Btecs or any other full-time vocational course. If you have secured an apprenticeship, this will also count.

Higher Education is the term used when talking about education post 18, usually university. You normally have to be 18yrs or over to take a higher education course. The most common forms of Higher Education are: Bachelor’s Degree, Foundation Degree and HNC/HND.

For anyone wanting to explore FE/HE further the following websites are a good starting point:

Further Education

https://www.ccsw.ac.uk/

https://www.reaseheath.ac.uk/

Alsager Sixth Form – Alsager School

https://brineleas.co.uk/bl6-sixth-form/

https://www.malbank.com/

https://www.sandbachcollege.co.uk/

https://sixthform.sandbachschool.org/

https://utccrewe.co.uk/sixth-form

Higher Education

https://www.ucas.com/explore/courses

https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-where-study

Five reasons why it’s never too early to think about universities (whatuni.com)

Compare the Best University Degrees Courses UK | Whatuni

Think uni isn’t for you? Here’s how to decide – The Uni Guide

T Level Qualifications

T Levels were introduced in September 2020, they are a two-year qualification for 16-19-year olds designed in collaboration with employers to meet industry needs. Each T Level is broadly equivalent to 3 A Levels, with the aim to support the young person to develop their skills, knowledge and to thrive in the workplace. Students choose different T Level specialisms, and develop the key skills required in industry.

Every T Level includes an industry placement with an employer focused on developing the practical and technical skills required for the workplace; these placements will last a minimum of 315 hours (approximately 45 days).

Students who complete their T Level get a nationally recognised certificate which shows their overall grade and a breakdown of what they have achieved.

The T Level certificate includes:

  • An overall grade for the T Level, shown as Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction*
  • A separate grade for the core component, using A* to E
  • A separate grade for each occupational specialism, shown as Pass, Merit or Distinction

A student’s overall T Level grade is worked out from the grades they achieved on the core component and the occupational specialism(s). Students who do not pass all elements of their T Level get a T Level statement of achievement which shows the elements they have completed.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/templates-and-designs-for-t-levels

https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/careers-advice-help/choices/t-levels-guide-what-are-t-levels/

https://www.theparentsguideto.co.uk/post/t-levels

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship provides professional on-the-job training and allows individuals to study for qualifications at the same time. When you do an apprenticeship, you are an employee of the company that trains you.

Currently, the national minimum wage for apprentices is £5.28 per hour.

The minimum apprenticeship wage applies to those aged 16-18, and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year. All other apprentices should be paid the national minimum wage for their age, or more. The apprenticeship wage is reviewed every year, usually in April.

A Guide to Apprenticeship Levels

Title

Level

Equivalent Educational Level

Intermediate

2

GCSE

Advanced

3

A Level

Higher

4.5.6 & 7

Foundation Degree & above

Degree

6 & 7

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree

For anyone wanting to explore Apprenticeships further, the following websites provide information and advice:
https://www.gov.uk/become-apprentice
https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
https://amazingapprenticeships.com/
https://amazingapprenticeships.com/app/uploads/2024/03/IWD_Apprenticeships-A-Z-Flashcards.pdf – Find the apprenticeship that interests you and use the QR code to find out more.

Labour Market Information (LMI)

Labour Market Information (LMI) is a useful tool to help research future jobs, locally or nationally. It allows students to understand the skills needed for different employment sectors and occupations; the wage levels and the qualifications required. It may also help individuals to understand where the demand for future employment might be.

LMI refers to any relevant information about the current state of the jobs market and can help eliminate any confusion that surrounds career planning, job hunting, career progression. When students have access to accurate and up-to-date information, they are more likely to make more informed choices and to plan appropriately.

LMI provides information on:

  • The industries and businesses that operate locally and nationally.
  • The types of jobs that currently exist and what each involves.
  • How many of those jobs there are available at any one time.
  • The skills that are currently in demand, or will be in the future.
  • Typical rates of pay and salaries.
  • Opportunities for progression.

Exploring LMI further:
Job profiles | Prospects.ac.uk
Job Profiles Jobs | Indeed.com
Careers advice – job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service
What is LMI, How Can It Help Young People, and How Do You Use It? (youthemployment.org.uk)

For information on LMI in the Cheshire East area, please use the link below:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1946157071/report.aspx

The Ruskin Careers Roadmap