HGS Careers support
CAREERS GUIDANCE AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENT (CEG)
The CEG Department provides students with skills, knowledge and guidance that they need to make informed Careers decisions at key points in their schooling and so prepare them for the world of work. Our aims are:
To develop students through careers and work-related education and promote learning about careers and the world of work.
To develop students so they can use career management and employability skills.
To create a stable Careers Programme to prepare students for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life and support inspiring careers and enterprise activities in a stable careers programme
To help students make informed decisions thus helping students cope with a challenging labour market
To improve motivation, attendance and attainment and promote ‘social mobility’ for the benefit of students, their families, their community and our wider society.
Hitchin Girls’ School HGS is committed to giving high-quality Careers Education opportunities and Careers Guidance to students about progression choices and ensuring that these choices are realistic and attainable for each student. The provision offered includes the following:
Personal Guidance and how to use Labour Market Information
Promoting the use of resources selected available on Google Classroom platform
Supporting student’s transition to their next destination, for example, CVs and applications for apprenticeships, higher education and employment
Engagement with local and national employers.
Providing Work Encounter provision available to students in Year 8, 9, 11 and Year 12
Monitoring and tracking careers enrichment and engagement so career link activities and skills have been captured on UNIFROG
Promoting Careers education in the curriculum
Engaging Alumni to inspire students in their careers choices and pathways
Ensuring students have the opportunity to access specialist guidance when making a change to their career plan
Examples of Sixth Form careers Provision
Visit to UCAS Higher Education Convention
Visit to the Oxbridge Convention
Support for potential UCAS Oxbridge and Medicine students
Talks from Student Finance, Employers, apprenticeship providers, Gap Year providers and HGS Alumni
One-to-one academic mentoring on UCAS applications and personal statements
One-to-one GEG interviews on UCAS applications, apprenticeship, employment applications and Gap Year applications
Day of workshops delivered by Young Enterprise
Mock Oxbridge, Medics and Vets interviews
Partner School Scheme with Invest In Education
Opportunities to be Learning ambassadors and Community ambassadors within the local community
A dedicated careers team to support students exploring their Post 18 options
Unifrog
https://www.unifrog.org/Unifrog is a careers Internet application that allows students to explore the information on all of the pathways that are available to them at each stage of their school education. Students can explore the many different careers and find information about what qualifications and experience might be needed.
The Gatsby Benchmarks
https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidanceThe Gatsby benchmarks are a set of standards provided to schools to help them in the delivery of careers education and as a way of measuring CEG which can be used by Ofsted in an inspection. Unifrog along the school provision provides CEG in line with the statutory guidelines and the Gatsby benchmarks.
Labour Market Information (LMI)
https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/interested-in-the-lm-and-want-lmi/Student and parents can explore good quality information about any future study options and labour market opportunities. Careerometer 2 allows students to investigate pay scales and compare different occupational employment patterns.
Working with Local Companies and Providers
HGS works with ELSA an Educational charity which engages with schools and business to create links so that young people are given the opportunity to experience the world of work and encounter real people working in employment and so discover aspirational pathways. We also work with the Careers Enterprise Company to create links between business and schools, enhance our CEG provision implement best practice. HGS also supports students to experience work experience with local and national employers and we welcome links with employers who can offer work experience placements.
A number of Universities currently are running virtual open days and subject talks. This link takes you to a central list on the UCAS site. The university of Law was advertising an essay writing competition open to students in years 10 -13. this list a live and will change throughout the academic year so it is worth looking regularly to see what events and opportunities are available.
Oxbridge
If you are thinking about applying to Oxford or Cambridge university their website have lots of useful resources about the process and also wider reading suggestions.
Oxford University suggested Subject Resources can be found using this link:
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/suggested-subject-resources
Use this link to find out more about aplpying to Cambridge University
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying
Here are some examples of Oxbridge events that we have shared with our students through the weekly newsletters.
Languages and Literature Event – A day for high-achieving students who have an interest in English, Modern and Medieval Languages (MML), Classics, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) as well as Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC). This event will be held on Thursday 22nd October from 10:00-15:00.
https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bypA3qOAfGaWeCV
Physical Natural Sciences and Engineering Event – A day for high-achieving students interested in Physical Natural Sciences, Chemical Engineering and Engineering. This event will be held on Tuesday 27th October from 10:00-15:00.
https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_00XeDUwkc153vKZ
‘They did what?’ Event - A day for high-achieving students interested in studying History, Classics, and Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC). This event will be held on Monday 9th November from 10:00-15:00.
https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9nPMeeHDTgodeTj
ClickCambridge
We are excited to announce the launch of ClickCambridge - a new online programme for 2020/21, which aims to equip eligible students with the information and skills needed to apply to selective universities. A group of Cambridge Colleges are working together to provide two different streams, one designed for Year 10 students and one for Year 12 students.
The Year 10 programme is for UK-domiciled Black/mixed Black students. The Year 12 programme is for UK-domiciled Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Arab (BPA)/mixed BPA students.
Each programme contains a range of events, which will address various aspects of university applications and the student experience. There will be sessions for parents as well as potential applicants, and plenty of chances to ask questions! Each month, there will be a webinar on a different topic, which will be run several times so that as many people as possible can attend. These sessions will take place on weekdays after school - dates will be made available once a place on the programme is confirmed. Once you are registered on the programme, you will be updated about upcoming events by email.
More information can be found at https://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/outreach/clickcambridge. For any queries about the programme, please contact ClickCambridge@gmail.com.
Target Oxbridge
Target Oxbridge is a free programme that aims to help black African and Caribbean students and students of mixed race with black African and Caribbean heritage increase their chances of getting into the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge. Since launching in 2012, Target Oxbridge has helped over 200 students to secure Oxbridge offers.
The programme is open to UK-based students in Year 12 (as well as, in certain circumstances Year 13). The students accepted onto the programme will be high attainers – they will ideally have achieved, 5 grades at A*, 9, 8 or 7 at GCSE. In the case of students hoping to study Medicine, they will ideally have achieved 8 grades at A*, 9 or 8 at GCSE. The programme will be run in accordance with social distancing regulations, using online resources where necessary.
More information can be found at https://targetoxbridge.co.uk/
Exploring Gap Years
Some of students select to do a gap year at the end of their studies. The following information provides with some links that you may find useful in exploring this as an option.