How we support Holly Lodge pupils’ journey to a successful career
At Holly Lodge, we recognise the importance of excellent Careers Education, information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) which is designed to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain by providing the knowledge, understanding, confidence and skills that they need to make informed choices and plans for their future learning and career.
Our CEIAG programme runs from Year 7 to Year 13, and prepares our pupils for life after Holly Lodge and we ensure we meet all aspects of Government guidance – ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers – Statutory guidance for schools January 2023’. Our pupils receive the benefit of developing skills that allow them to progress personally and professionally through teaching and learning from the fantastic staff at Holly Lodge.
A ‘positive career’ will mean something different to everyone, but it will typically mean –
- Being happy with the way you spend your time
- Being able to make a contribution to your community
- Be able to have a decent standard of living
At Holly Lodge we provide our pupils with lots of opportunities to learn –
- Through work – our pupils take part in work experience in Year 10 or Year 11 and Sixth Form.
- For work – our pupil are taught a wide range of skills needed to succeed within the world of work.
- About work – our pupils have many encounters with employers and learn about different careers and the various routes into these careers and will be inspired to challenge the stereotypes and discrimination.
The school welcomes opportunities to work with other educational establishments and apprenticeship providers so that they can share valuable information with our students about technical qualifications and apprenticeships as only 4% of young people start an apprenticeship after their GCSEs. The Skills for Jobs white paper schools and colleges states schools should always focus on the student and what is best for them. Although our universities are world-class, it is not the only choice: in many cases, a college course or apprenticeship can offer better outcomes.
A review of post-18 education and funding showed that only 66% of graduates were in high-skilled employment in 2019 and we have a smaller proportion of people with higher-level technical qualifications in this country compared to competitors like Germany and Canada, for example. Research shows that in the UK men with a higher technical (level 4) qualification earn on average £5,100 more at age 30 than those with a degree (level 6). For women achieving a higher technical (level 5) qualification, the difference is £2,700.
Providers of technical education and apprenticeships are welcome to talk to our pupils and our Provider Access Policy is listed below.
We cannot do this alone, we need partners’ support. Our pupils gain impartial guidance from Sandwell Connexions Service (part of Sandwell Local Authority) as well as other providers of technical qualifications and apprenticeships and Colleges and Universities. Holly Lodge is a member of the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Black Country Careers Hub, ensuring we receive up to date information from the Government on policies relating to CEIAG and we receive up to date Local Labour Market information (LLMI).
The Careers tab on our website includes the following information that will help pupils, parents/carers, teachers, governors, employers, other educational providers, training providers, community organisations and past pupils understand how everyone can help our pupils with their next steps when they leave our care and includes:
Careers Team
