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Careers Programme

Information about the different elements of the careers programme at Commonweal

One-to-one IAG careers interviews are provided by our School Careers advisor and are available to you from Year 7.  The careers team provide impartial and personalised information, advice and guidance, about the range of education and training options that are most likely to help you achieve their ambitions. A lunch-time careers advice drop-in session is held once a week on a Thursday. Referrals can be made via your tutor or directly from you or your parent / carer via email to jfalaki@commonweal.co.uk.

‘Futures’ Days – Dedicated Career focussed day, where you come off normal timetable. Available to year group Year 7 – Year 10. Futures Days vary from year to year and include opportunities such as:

  • ‘Spotlight on Careers’ – professionals from a selection of industries eg. Healthcare, Business, Finance, IT, Science, Engineering will provide workshops to expose you to careers in their industries
  • Sessions to help you identify skills you have or need to develop for the workplace
  • Sessions to help you understand your preferences, passions, motivations and strengths and relate them to certain careers / job roles
  • Trips to employers, universities and training providers

Social and Global –You have a Social and Global lessons throughout your time at Commonweal.  In each year group there are topics linked to ‘Careers, Futures and Finance’. The curriculum develops through the school to provide age appropriate careers-based lessons. In year 7 it begins with considering what skills young people need to develop to be successful at school and in a career.  They also research successful people and consider what makes them successful.  We also look at Green Careers and look at savings & interest. In year 8 we explore the skills employers are looking for and consider shoppers rights. In year 9 we have consider motivation for a career, and explore a wide range of finance issues including insurance and identity theft. In year 10 there is a focus on work experience, and support with applications, interviews and CV writing.  By year 11 we look at post 18 options as well as ensuring students have applied for post 16 options. We look at financial education including budgeting, mortgages and rent.

Access to Enterprise Advisor – As a school, we endeavour to facilitate as many student / employer encounters as possible. As such, the school is part of the Swindon Enterprise Adviser Network and we are working closely with our Enterprise Adviser from EDF.

Employer insights / experiences and visits – Commonweal has good links with many other local employers, independent advice services and Universities to promote impartiality and which allow us to offer a variety of employer insights/experiences and visits. We have close working relationships with several employers and education providers including Swindon Borough Council, BMW Mini, Nationwide, Barclays Bank, Thames Water, Catalent, Oxford University, University of the West of England, Reading University, Bath Spa University, STEM NET, Inspiring the Future, National Apprenticeship Service. We have a wide range of these employers who attend our Careers Fair.

Links with Study Higher – Students have the opportunity engage in several external ‘Study higher’ events that complemented our careers programme. This often includes trips to universities and mentoring programmes.

Access to website resources – Good quality careers resources are available to you via the school website the school library, and the careers office. There are also poster and leaflet displays around the school. The school subscribes to Unifrog, and online platform that can help students to consider which jobs they might be interested in. It also provides up to date Labour Market Information, so students can see which jobs are more in demand.

C30 -To encourage our most able 30 Year 9, 10 and 11 to demonstrate outstanding learning and citizenship to lead to an Oxbridge / Russell Group university education, regardless of background (Young foundation – ‘For some of the most disadvantaged, it is their school which is their main driving factor, yet they only spend 17% of their total time there.’)

  • To work on their skills vs knowledge, resilience in times of difficulty and emotional intelligence
  • To build on what is already happening with the smaller cohort of Villiers’ Park You in KS4 and KS5
  • To build on the XPA/C6 scholarships.