Careers Advice

St Bede’s offers a comprehensive programme of careers and work related learning.

Pupils receive advice, guidance and information through a range of different activities including: personal interviews, the St Bede's Careers Fair, a mock interview day, taster visits and advice sessions relating to topics such as Higher Education and vocational training as well as careers related workshops.

For further information please contact:

Mrs K Bartlett-Cosway
Telephone 0117 377 2200

Careers Update

Careers update is produced on a regular basis to keep pupils and parents informed of a range of career and education opportunities, including information about events, courses, workshops and educational experiences.  For further information click here

July 2021 

Please click the link below for a Parents Guide to supporting your child after GCSEs and A Levels

Careers Advice - Getting ahead in the Summer Holidays 

Careers menu

This is a computer careers tool that brings together the best careers websites together in one place, with specific areas for students and their parents to explore different aspects of careers advice and guidance including option choices at 14+,16+ and 18+.

Please visit www.careersmenu.com

For parents using this site for the first time they must register. When entering a username please type your surname.initial e.g. smith.t and please enter a password of your choice. The school exam number (needed for registration) is 50539. Once registered you will be able to enter the site using the school exam number, username and your chosen password.

Further Education, Colleges or Sixth Form College

At college/sixth form young people can choose from a range of courses that may help them progress into further areas of study such as university, apprenticeships or employment.  Depending on the institution, sixth forms and sixth form colleges usually offer courses at Level 3, although some will offer Level 2 courses. Further education colleges, such as City of Bristol College, typically offer a wider range of courses from Entry Level to Level 4 and beyond. At this stage young people have the opportunity to study either a range of academic subjects such as English, Maths. History etc. or vocational subjects related to industry sectors.

Figure 1. Different levels of qualifications (www.thepolishguide.com)

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are a chance for young people to work, earn money and study for a qualification at the same time. As employees, apprentices work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills. Typically an apprenticeship will consist of 4 days full-time work, with one day at college or with a training provider, where apprentices receive training to work towards nationally recognised qualifications. Alternatively, apprentices may work full time for most of the year and then have a block of time at a college or with the company’s training centre. Anyone living in England, over 16 and not in full-time education can apply.

Apprenticeships can take between one and four years to complete depending on the level of apprenticeship, the apprentice's ability and the industry sector. The minimum salary (2021) is £4.30 per hour; however, many apprentices earn significantly more. 
Key benefits:

• earn a salary
• get paid holidays
• receive training
• gain qualifications.
• learn job-specific skills.

An apprenticeship comes in two parts and as well as applying to a college or training provider young people also need to apply for a job. Young people can either contact companies directly or use the national apprenticeships website on www.apprenticeships.org.uk  A limited number of job opportunities are also available via colleges and training providers.

An apprenticeship at age 16 is not for everyone, however, it is possible to start an apprenticeship at any stage of career. Taking an apprenticeship does not mean you cannot go to university and indeed a number of apprenticeships may lead on to studying at university level. For more information about apprenticeships in general, how to apply and vacancy opportunities visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk 

Higher Education

Higher education is an optional final stage of formal learning. Once young people have completed Level 3 qualifications, such as A Levels, BTEC National Diplomas, the International Baccalaureate and some apprenticeships they may wish to continue their studies at degree level. However, some people may choose to study for a degree at a later stage of their life. There are many universities and colleges across the country offering a vast number of degree subject options.

For a number of professions a degree is essential e.g. medicine, veterinary, dentistry, architecture. For other career areas such as business, retailing and accountancy a degree may be an advantage.   

The financial implications surrounding studying for a degree will depend on the individual circumstances of the student concerned. Please note:

• Most students will not have to pay any tuition fees whilst studying.
• Tuition fee loans are available, which are only paid back once graduates earn over £25,000 per year.
• Maintenance loans are available to help with living costs.
• Non- repayable Grants are available for students where there is significant financial or health difficulties
• Financial support may be available through scholarships and bursaries available depending on the course chosen, the place of study and the circumstances of the individual concerned.
• UK students (not EU) are entitled to Maintenance loans to help pay for essential expenses such as accommodation, food, books and travel etc. All eligible students can receive 65% of the
  maximum loan, regardless of their household income. The other 35% will depend on your household income. 

For further information about degrees, university and higher education please visit www.ucas.com

Useful Websites

http://targetcareers.co.uk/careers-advice

http://targetcareers.co.uk/careers-advice/choosing-your-career

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk 

This site contains lots of useful information regarding careers. Areas of particular interest on this site are likely to be the job profiles, which details information regarding specific jobs and careers including qualifications, progression routes and job descriptions. You may also contact an independent careers advisor on 0800100900.

http://www.careerpilot.org.uk 

This site is aimed at young people and helps them to build their career path by considering option choices and examinations, information on job sectors and tools to help put together personal profiles.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/

Although universities will have careers information on their websites, this site is particularly useful when considering further education and exploring particular career areas to see what the job prospects are like in that particular area.

For further information please contact Mrs K Bartlett-Cosway, Careers Development Officer on 0117 3772200 or email: contact@stbcc.org