In Year 10, your child will be starting their GCSEs. This is a crucial first step towards achieving their careers aspirations, it is a chance for your child to start seriously thinking about their future and whether further education, apprenticeships or employment (post-18) would suit them.
We will start the year by providing your child with an opportunity to complete the Morrisby aptitude questionnaire. This questionnaire is different from the one they will complete in Year 9, as the aptitude questionnaire focuses on skills, strengths, abilities and learning styles to provide your child with a comprehensive careers’ recommendations report with information about the various routes into the careers that interest them, as well as career and workforce data.
Throughout KS3, the focus is to expose students to the different careers available to them in the future, but at KS4 our aim is for students to decide what careers interest them and provide them with bespoke information about these careers. Your child will also participate in skills development workshops focused on developing a positive personal brand, developing assertiveness, resilience, and growth mindset, with a focus on developing their employability and soft skills. These sessions will take place as part of our PHSRE programme during tutor time.
To get your child excited and curious about their future career prospects, we will not only provide them with careers knowledge, but they will also have an opportunity to experience the world of work, through our 2-week professional work experience programme and apprenticeship insight day.
What should parent/carers be doing to support their child with their careers journey?
As a parent/carer, we understand that you have a vested interest in your child’s future, and you want to ensure they are making the right decisions.
Things that you can do to support your child include:
- Having regular discussions with them about their skills and interests, linking these to potential careers
- Discuss your child’s next steps with them, looking at college and sixth form courses that they can enrol on post-16
- Use the Apprenticeships parent guide to explore apprenticeships and the opportunities available
- Encouraging your child to enrol on virtual work experience placements and industry insight days
- Support your child with seeking additional work experience opportunities
- Encourage family members and friends to discuss their careers with your child, so that your child can gain an understanding of the variety of careers available to them in the future
- Look for extra-curricular and wider career opportunities within the industry they are interested in
- Have discussions with your child about what they would like to do post-18 such as attending university, applying for an apprenticeship, or starting full time employment and begin researching possible options
For more information about how you can support your child’s career journey, please click here for a parent and carers guide to helping your child begin their careers journey.
What should your child be doing to realise their future career aspirations?
- Explore the opportunities available within the industries that interest them
- Participate in virtual work experience, face-to-face work experience and career events
- Attend college and sixth form open days or course insight days
- Speak with family and family friends about the industries they work in and the job opportunities available within these industries
- Attend career fairs, career events and any other opportunities focused on the industries/careers that interest them
- Speak with teachers and industry professionals about the different careers available to them and the careers available within the subjects they are studying to aid with making post-16 option choices
- Research higher education (college and university) courses and apprenticeship options
What we offer students in Year 10:
- Morrisby aptitude questionnaire – an online career profiling system, providing career recommendations to aid your child future career aspirations
- Careers drop-in sessions to discuss their future career plans
- Access to a fully resourced careers library
- Be Ready employability, wellbeing, and soft skills sessions
- Apprenticeships insight workshop
- Opportunity to undertake a professional work experience placement
- Speaker of the month – monthly after school careers talk, led by an industry professional
WRL ambassador programme – cross-key stage enterprise and entrepreneurial skills-based program
- Speakers for Schools career talks
- Financial education tutor-led program
- Professional interviews day
- Unifrog Psychometric testing for future careers
- Careers Interviews with external Careers Advisor