Wellingborough School


Careers in a changing world


Jo Matthews Head of Careers Wellingborough School


Careers advice has never been more important in a school as it is today, as students face many challenges from an ever-evolving business and economic environment, compounded by COVID, competition, too much choice and technological advances. I am lucky enough to be Head of Careers at


Wellingborough School and I have had to adapt as ‘Careers’ changes. It is about supporting young people in a changing, global world so they have the skills and confi dence to make their own choices and time to change their minds. T e Head of Sixth Form, Sarah Baxby, and I work hard to support the pupils individually through the maze. Careers has been embedded in the curriculum to ensure we meet the high standards set by the Gatsby benchmarks. We are proud of our delivery! One-to-one interviews in Year 11 and Lower Sixth


have proved vital as transferable skills are identifi ed. By having interviews in each year there is room for developing ideas, responding to work experience and having time to formulate ideas. As a generation, the


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students of today will move across jobs and sectors, unlike their parents and grandparents. Students need to have self-awareness and tenacity to meet this challenge. Taster courses and Head Start courses are a great way to fi nd out more. Coming from a media background, I soon realised the need to get vast


amounts of career information out to pupils and parents was paramount, so we introduced a Wellingborough School Careers Newsletter. T is enabled pupils to take ownership and apply for courses, rather than information sitting on my desk. In a changing world, apprenticeships have grown, suiting many


learners. We launched an apprenticeship evening where businesses and apprentices came in to introduce themselves. Many successful alumni joined us to share their experiences. Although the uptake is relatively small compared to those choosing Higher Education, it is increasing and remains a valuable alternative and one without the university student debt. T e largest career events in the School’s history were the Careers


Conventions in November 2017 and 2019 where over 130 employers, universities, gap year providers and armed forces came together for our young people. Both were exciting events and the pupils did not waste time in chatting to the guests and fi nding out more; a useful skill in itself. Links with businesses have been instrumental, and no more so for our


work experience provision for our Year 12 students. T ey have helped support over 1,000 pupils with work experience whilst I have been in post, enabling them to have invaluable insights into the real world. Whether it has been Westminster, Weetabix, Unilever, Travis Perkins, Nationwide or Pacesetter Sports, we have tailored the experience to the student and made them work for the placement with CVs and letters of introduction. Feedback from the businesses has been shared with the pupils, enabling them to learn from the experience. T is is not an easy process for some pupils, but it will never be as hard to walk into a job or business again.


ALL THINGS BUSINESS


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