Careers

 South Bromsgrove High offers independent, impartial careers advice and guidance regarding education, employment, training opportunities to students across years 9 to 13.
The current Careers Strategy can be accessed below.

Information for parents and students can be found below.

Mr Steve Clark	Mrs Nicola Robinson

Our Careers Lead is Mr Steve Clark. All initial enquiries about Careers Education, Independent Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) should be directed to him using sjc@southbromsgrove.worcs.sch.uk

We have an experienced careers' adviser, Mrs Nicola Robinson, who meets one to one with students to offer careers advice and guidance. Appointments are targeted at specific key transition points with a view to supporting students with decision-making concerning their future options. 

Related Documents

• 23 24 Open events Oct
• How to write a CV
• Newsletter1 Sept 23
• SBHS Careers Strategy 2023 24 sep23

Careers in Year 9

Careers in Year 9

During Year 9 there will be opportunity to research different career options and learn more about various career paths. This is done through:

• Use of a powerful online careers tool – Xello.
• Representatives from employers visiting school to talk about their career paths
• A chance to visit the school’s Careers Fair where around 40 businesses, colleges, trainers, the armed services, and universities are available to discuss future options
• Guidance for option choices moving into GCSE
• Visits to universities and local employers

XELLO

Xello will enable you to develop a profile that you will keep updating throughout your time at school. By answering questions about yourself it will make suggestions of careers that might interest you though you can use it simply to research a career that you are already interested in.  You can also record skills and interests that you feel are particular strengths. Xello can be accessed from the South Online homepage.

Visits to Universities and local employers

This list is just some of those that take in our students for a 1 – 2 hour tour during Activities Week in the summer term

MSP Springs, Palace Theatre, Bobst, Thorlux Lighting, Lasercomb Dies, GardnerDenver, Rockline, West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcestershire Fire Service, Basepoint Business Centre, HoW College, GT Access, ColourSource, LGHarris, OGL, Stone Manor, DRPG, University of Worcester, University of Birmingham

Related Documents

• Kudos User Guide
• The Edge User Guide - Student

Careers in Year 10

Careers in Year 10

During Year 10 the big focus is on developing a CV and the job shadowing opportunity in the summer term. The activities are listed here in the order that they are likely to happen through the year.

• Continues use of the online careers tool – Xello, specifically using the CV builder to help prepare for job shadowing applications
• A chance to visit the school’s Careers Fair where around 40 businesses, colleges, trainers, the armed services, and universities are available to discuss future options
• Job shadowing – launched in the Autumn Term, to start making applications, and taking place in the summer term.
• Personal careers guidance interviews with the school’s Career’s Officer will start in the late summer term

XELLO

It is important to go back into Xello regularly and update your profile as you discover more about yourself and your ambitions change. As well as keeping your profile up-to-date you can use the CV builder to create that essential document to promote yourself with future employers or trainers.

Job Shadowing

This will be launched in the Autumn Term with presentations to students and parents about the exact dates, requirements and advice on securing a placement.

There is a form to be completed by the parent, student and placement. An electronic copy will be emailed to all parents and students. It is best to complete online but it is fine to hand in a paper copy at the school office.

The key, most important idea is that job shadowing is to give students the experience of real work. This can happen in any employment setting, whether it is one the student would choose for themselves or not. It may be hard to get a placement in the exact business or sector that a student is interested in so it is best to accept whatever is available, even if it is not a student’s first choice.

The deadline for return of the forms is the February half-term. If this is missed it is fine to hand in forms late. It is also important to keep searching for a placement, right up until the actual week which will usually be in July.

Related Documents

• Kudos Intro with CV 10
• kudos-user-guide
• The Edge User Guide - Student

Careers in Year 11

Careers in Year 11

Naturally, the focus for Y11 is making a good choice for after Year 11 when they have completed their GCSEs. The majority of students at South choose to move into our own Sixth Form but we ensure everyone is given appropriate guidance.

Theses are the key items in the Y11 Careers programme

• Personal careers guidance interviews with the school’s Career’s Officer will be offered to the vast majority of students.
• Students should continue use of the online careers tool, Xello, especially in preparation for their interview with the Careers Officer.
• Mock interviews
• The school’s Sixth Form Open evening.
• A chance to visit the school’s Careers Fair where around 40 businesses, colleges, trainers, the armed services, and universities are available to discuss future options.
• Advice and guidance about making good choices including specific information about some local apprenticeship opportunities.

Careers Interviews

These will usually last 30 minutes. Students will be notified via their tutor. It is very important not to miss their appointments. If 30 minutes isn’t enough there will be a follow up arranged.

By re-visiting Xello and the profile that students have built up over years 9 and 10 they will be able to talk clearly with their ideas with the Careers Officer.

The interviews will take place from late September all the way through to late April, with priority given to those identified as needing the most guidance.

Mock Interviews

In October a day is set aside so that volunteers from local business and enterprise can spend 10 – 15 minutes in a one-to-one interview with Y11 students. The questions are general, interview style questions to enable the student to talk about themselves and promote their strengths and ambitions. 20 minutes is allocated to the activity so that the interviewer can give the student some immediate feedback and tips for the future.

XELLO

It is important to go back into Xello regularly and update your profile as you discover more about yourself and your ambitions change. As well as keeping your profile up-to-date you can use the CV builder to create that essential document to promote yourself with future employers or trainers.

Xello will also help you plan your path after Y11. Use the Explore Options link to see what is available.

Related Documents

• Kudos Intro with CV 10
• kudos-user-guide
• The Edge User Guide - Student

Careers in the Sixth Form

The focus in the Sixth Form very quickly moves into options after leaving school. By the Spring Term of Year 12, the students are started on researching options and given information to help them do this. By November of Year 13 many will have completed a UCAS application, for university, and many others will be looking at apprenticeships and other employment opportunities.

Theses are the key items in the Sixth Form Careers programme

• One-to-one careers guidance interviews with the school’s Career’s Officer are available to the students should they request one.
• Tracking and development of soft skills with the online tool, Unifrog.
• Guidance on the pros and cons of the university and apprenticeship route.
• Use of a powerful online tool, Unifrog, to research apprenticeship and Higher Education (HE) opportunities.
• Opportunity to meet and question former students (alumni) who have taken a wide variety of career paths since leaving South Bromsgrove High.
• Opportunity to attend workshops on going to university and applying for apprenticeships.
• A chance to visit the school’s Careers Fair where around 40 businesses, colleges, trainers, the armed services, and universities are available to discuss future options.
• HE morning in school.
• Visit to the What Career/University show.
• Visit to the UCAS exhibition.
• Guidance direct from a representative from HE regarding personal statements.
• Work experience.

Unifrog:

https://www.unifrog.org/. Unifrog is a complete destinations platform with numerous tools and features to support students’ post-18 applications, including allowing students to search for university courses and apprenticeships, and providing a way of recording key soft skills. Logins for Unifrog will have been sent in emails to students’ school accounts. If they have forgotten their password then they can be reset via the login pages on the Unifrog website.

UCAS:

https://www.ucas.com/. UCAS is the service that students use to apply, manage and track their applications for higher education courses in the UK. Students are shown how to login (and link their applications to the school) and make their applications in the summer of Year 12 before submitting their applications in the autumn term in Year 13.

Information for Employers, Colleges & Trainers