Tag: employers

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Career Connect school and colleges team shortlisted for national Advice and Guidance award

Posted on | by Andrea Young | Leave a Comment on Career Connect school and colleges team shortlisted for national Advice and Guidance award

Career Connect’s Education and Business team – which provides careers services and employer links to more than 200 schools across the country – is a finalist at the 2024 Children and Young People Now Awards.

The team is shortlisted in the Advice and Guidance category of these prestigious awards, which showcase innovation and outstanding practice, and champion the vital work of services supporting children, young people and families across the UK.

The shortlisting recognises the charity’s 20-year commitment to helping school and college pupils to access impartial careers advice and make the best career choices for themselves.

Central to the team’s success is its links with employers, helping bring careers to life and new opportunities to the young people they support. 

The Wirral Skills Show – which is set to return for another year – brings 2000 school students together with more than 60 employers from a range of industries every year.

In-school motivational workshops, which bring employers into classrooms, include topics such as challenging stereotypes, digital careers and enterprise.

The Charity also organises work experience and careers fairs for schools across the country, alongside one-to-one careers interviews and advice sessions for students. All delivery is fully aligned with the Gatsby benchmarks, the national standards for careers provision. 

The team also helps schools to achieve the Quality in Careers Standard and provides training for school and college careers leads.

Career Connect has also received funding from Local Authorities to deliver services that specifically target groups in geographical areas of high unemployment, to help raise aspirations. They have also delivered a Higher Education awareness programme for Year 8, 9 and 10 students in secondary schools and in Years 5 and 6 in 15 primary schools in Merseyside. Career Connect delivers in primary and secondary schools, specialist SEND provision, pupil referral units, secure accommodation providers, hospital schools, multi academy trusts, post-16 colleges and alternative provision.

Sheila Clark, CEO of Career Connect said:

“Our Education and Business team’s mission is to help raise aspirations and give young people the tools needed to follow their chosen path. We are proud of the relationships we build with young people, with schools and colleges, and with employers, to make this happen. I am delighted that our team’s work, and vision to create better futures, is being recognised.

“We understand the life-changing impact of receiving expert careers advice, and access to employers, at the right time. We also know we can achieve even better outcomes when we equip staff in schools and colleges with what they need to lead their careers programme. We are proud to deliver both.

“We have an ambitious vision to further increase our reach and our impact, helping us to change even more lives for the better.”

A group of students studying at a table with a laptop.

Your Results Day cheat sheet

Posted on | by Chloe Elliott | Leave a Comment on Your Results Day cheat sheet

Deciding what to do next after exam results can be quite daunting for pupils – especially if they’re not entirely sure what career they want, or just need some advice or guidance on the options available. We’ve compiled a special list of local careers fairs and events around Merseyside and Greater Manchester to help them do just that.

  1. Career Connect: 
    • Offers careers advice and information for young people.
  2. Apprenticeships:
    • Students can use the National Government Website to search and apply for vacancies.
  3. The National Careers Service:
    • Provides help with career choices and education.
  4. Not Going to Uni:
    • Offers advice, guidance, and alternative career paths for school and college leavers.

Numbers To Know:

National helplines

  • Exam Results Helpline – 0800 100 900
  • National Careers Service – 0800 100 900            

Local/Regional numbers

University of Liverpool Clearing – 0151 794 6800 (open 6.30am)

Liverpool John Moore’s University Clearing – 0808 5 564 565 (open 6.30am)

Liverpool Hope University Clearing – 0151 291 3636 (open 7.00am)

Edge Hill University Clearing – 0800 028 6677 (open 7.00am)

Chester University Clearing – 0808 1642710 or clearing@chester.ac.uk (open 7.00am)

University of Manchester Clearing

  • General: 0161 306 6000
  • Clearing: 0161 672 8770
  • Confirmation of place: 0161 804 0050

Manchester Metropolitan University Clearing

  • General: 0161 247 2000
  • Clearing: 0161 247 3000

University of Salford Clearing

  • General: 0161 295 5000
  • Clearing: 0300 555 5030

Exciting Events:

There are a whole host of upcoming events in the local area that could further help your students find their perfect path!

Liverpool

  • Liverpool Jobs Fair – 10.00am-1.00pm on Friday 27th September 2024 at Anfield stadium.  Book tickets on Eventbrite
  • Nursing Live – 9.30am-5.00pm on Wednesday 23rd October 2024 and 9.30am-4.30pm on Thursday 24th October 2024 at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool, ACC Liverpool.  Register for a free ticket.

Manchester

  • Manchester Jobs Fair – 10.00am-1.00pm on Friday 11th October, Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester.  Book tickets on Eventbrite.
  • Manchester Careers Fair – 10.00am-2.00pm on September 13th, Brittania Hotel, Portland Street, Manchester, M1 3LA. Tickets are optional but can be registered via the link below.

St Helens

Wirral

Need more information?

Reach out to us via email schoolsinfo@careerconnect.org.uk or visit our website at https://careerconnect.org.uk/get-support/.

We’re here to help you support your students to reach their full potential.

How to ace A Level Results Day
A group of students sharing news of their A Level results.

How to ace A Level Results Day

Posted on | by Chloe Elliott | Leave a Comment on How to ace A Level Results Day

Ready for the results? A Level results day is here and we want to ensure you have all the resources at your fingertips to help Year 13 pupils. Check out these tips.

Go on, university goers!

  • Have your fantastic students got the grades they need? Congratulate them! They can accept their University offer and their chosen institution will tell them what they need to do next.
  • Were the grades not what they were expecting? If your students are unhappy with their grades and think they need reviewing, talk them through the options and how they can submit an appeal to the exam board. You may need to guide them to talk to their university choice to see if a place can be held, or if they need to enter Clearing while they wait for their appeal.
  • Be prepared for Clearing. Let your students know it’s ok to be disappointed if they didn’t get their place. A listening ear is always welcome. Be optimistic about the new options they can explore. If you have examples of students who had great clearing outcomes, let them know! Encourage them to have an open mind.
  • The UCAS search tool provides a handy list of the course places that go live during Clearing.
  • Some students may be having second thoughts about their chosen university. That’s also where Clearing can help! Encourage them to think about why their first choice wasn’t right for them and use that to help decide on another.
  • Sometimes students might get the grades they need, but realise they aren’t quite ready to dive into the University life. You may have to remind them that deferring is an option for anyone who has met all conditions for entry, but they should be prepared to explain their decision.

All aboard the UCAS Track:

Traversing UCAS can be stressful for your students just after receiving their A Level results. Break down the stages of the website to them to help them find their way.

  1. Checking UCAS Track will let them know if they’ve received any offers. Remind them that, in some cases, you can receive offers from universities even if you haven’t met the conditions, so it is always worth checking!
  2. If their firm choice hasn’t offered a place, urge them to check their ‘insurance’ choices.
  3. Have any students gone above and beyond? If any of your students have done better than anticipated, they can check on adjustment to see if there are any other courses they are interested in that have opened for them.
  4. Remind them that it’s a busy train. The system might not update instantly due to the volume of students, so be a calm and friendly point of contact to help ease the nerves while they wait for the update.

Clear the way for Clearing:

You will be the first port of call for any students who are heading towards clearing. Students will be relying on your expertise to be a calm in the storm, so ensure you have a checklist ready to go!

  • The UCAS website compiles a list of available courses.
  • Help them locate their clearing number on the your Track home page and their UCAS ID Number.
  • Direct them to clearing hotlines that will be open throughout A Level results day, linking them to the universities directly.
  • If a verbal offer of a place has been given, help them add their choice online through the ‘add a clearing choice’ option, making sure they fill in all the details of the course.
  • Alert them that if they change their university course they’ll need to inform their Student Finance and any Accommodation plans.

Open to ideas?

University isn’t the only option for your students; there are plenty more pathways that could be a much better suit!

  • HND/HNC via a local further education college
  • Foundation Degree
  • Apprenticeships: which UCAS has a helpful list of here
  • Employment
  • Gap Year
Check out our bank of A Level contacts, links, and upcoming events!

Insights: What works in engaging employers with school events?  

Posted on | by Andrea Young | Leave a Comment on Insights: What works in engaging employers with school events?  

This National Careers Week, Wendy Lavin, Employer Engagement Officer at Career Connect, shares best practice on how schools can engage well with employers and build long-term relationships that can benefit students for years to come.  

“Offering school pupils meaningful employer encounters is not only a key Gatsby Benchmark, but regular contact with employers is also a proven method for increasing future employment prospects,” says Wendy.     

“One of the key drivers for our team is to support schools and colleges in delivering inspirational and motivational events that are relevant for young people. It can be challenging to align the curriculum, the school day, and inspirational volunteers from the world of work, but there are things that you can do to make your event a success and build lasting relationships with local businesses and national employers.” 

Here are Wendy’s top tips. 

 Some of our non-negotiables when arranging employer events  

Give employers a lot of notice. A minimum of 8 weeks’ notice to attend events often yields the best return in terms of attendance  

Over-invite the number of people you need. Often things don’t go according to plan, and people have to drop out both prior to the event and on the day. Make sure you have invited more people than you need  

Think about the timing of the event. Some people will not be paid before 9am and others will work shifts, therefore sometimes a later start (such as 9.30am) can really help in achieving good attendance rates 

Preparation is key. Offer employers a chance to discuss with you what is expected of them. It can be really intimidating to stand up in front of a group of young people and talk about yourself, especially if you didn’t realise you had to!   

Prepare your pupils. We often find that the most positive relationships are built when pupils are well prepared for events and embrace the opportunity to meet with employers. Let young people know who is attending in advance, and perhaps ask your students to research them.  

It’s all about the welcome! It is essential there are enough staff on the day to manage lots of visitors throughout your event.  

Make sure you have a budget for refreshments. Everyone appreciates a tea, coffee and something to eat. It makes visitors who have given their time feel valued. It’s small but goes a long way. If there are specific times for refreshments or breaks, try to let them know in advance – employers may want to use this time to reply to work emails or take a call.    

Ask for feedback every time. It all helps you to plan your next event, and it keeps the conversation going with the employer. Hopefully this is the start of a long and fruitful relationship!  

For a chat about how Career Connect can help you with your employer events, contact us on: schoolsinfo@careerconnect.org.uk

Pictured: Career Connect’s Education and Business Team at an employer Skills Fair organised for schools