When the work of the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) began in 2014, most schools were starting at a similar point in relation to the provision of careers support to their students.
With the ten year anniversary of the creation of the CEC, and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Careers Hub moving into our third year of operating as a full Careers Hub, it is appropriate to review how we support schools.
We have moved beyond the point of providing the same level of support to all schools recognising that some schools may require more support than others to deliver good careers support.
Your Careers Hub has therefore devised two levels of support for schools:
A “Core Offer” which will be available to all schools. They can choose to avail themselves of those elements of the core offer that they feel will be of benefit. Not all elements will be available from September 2024 as some may be in development or available at specific points in the year.
An “Enhanced Offer” which will be available to SEND Schools, Alternative Providers and those schools who have significant numbers of students eligible for the Pupil Premium. The nature of the “Enhanced Offer” will depend upon the development of the careers programme, the needs of the individual provider and their capacity to engage in a change programme.
The Core Offer includes:-
- A local Provider Register of organisations prepared to support the delivery of PAL compliant sessions.
- A local volunteer network to support the delivery of careers events supported by half termly newsletters to volunteers
- Access to a local CEIAG specialist
- Access to CEC resources via their Resource Directory
- Access to the Careers Hub Website and resources
- Access to webinars for school staff and others provided by the Careers Hub and the CEC
- Careers and Enterprise Company funded Careers Leader Training
- Careers Hub engagement at MAT level
- Careers Hub engagement with your SLT
- Careers Hub Newsletter distributed on a weekly basis during term time
- Careers Hub provision of an LMI slide deck and wider resources
- Careers Hub Termly network meetings both virtual and physical
- CPD for your workforce provided in person by Careers Hub staff and live and recorded webinars
- Free attendance at the Careers Hub Conference
- Future Skills Questionnaire via Compass + provided by the CEC
- Induction for new Careers Leaders provided by the Careers Hub and the CEC
- Oversight and feedback on careers development plans by your Enterprise Coordinator
- Participation in school careers fair by the Careers Hub Enterprise Coordinators delivering support focusing on Labour Market Information and Sector Specific Information
- Provision of an Enterprise Adviser, a volunteer from the business world, to support with your Career Development goals
- Raising awareness of Apprenticeships and Technical Education among the school workforce through local, regional and national schemes
- Signposting to resources and organisations that can support the development and delivery of school careers programmes.
- Support for Governors provided by the Careers Hub and the CEC
- Support to upgrade to Compass + provided by your Enterprise Coordinator and the CEC
- Support with the local implementation of the Careers Improvement System developed by the Careers and Enterprise Company
- Templates and guidance for Careers Events from both your Careers Hub and the CEC
- The opportunity for Teacher Encounters with a range of employers organised by the Careers Hub and partner organisation.
- Virtual 121 support from your allocated Enterprise Coordinator
- Virtual support with Compass completion from your allocated Enterprise Coordinator
The Enhanced Support offer includes:
The range of services on offer will depend upon availability, school performance, capacity to change and readiness to engage with the Hub. Schools should discuss with their Enterprise Coordinator to review what may be appropriate but may include:-
- Active support with referrals and signposting from your Enterprise Coordinator
- Joint delivery of a Careers Carousel for SEND Schools
- Participation in Careers Hub pilots supporting disadvantaged students
- Physical engagement with Enterprise Coordinator to support the development of careers programmes and activities
- Summer break interventions to support AP students
- Support for parental engagement where ESOL is an issue
- Supporting disadvantaged students with accessing Apprenticeships and Vocational opportunities
- The development of employer support for SEND and AP schools
- Workshop for SEND students in relation to the Creative Sector
