Careers
Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance (CEIAG) at Newtownhamilton High School
The Entitlement Framework Curriculum ensures that young people have a much broader access to a wide range of subject pathways at Key Stage 4 (both general and applied) that will meet their interests, talents and aspirations. Therefore there is a greater responsibility on schools to make sure that young people have the highest quality Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance.
Aims
CEIAG at Newtownhamilton High School is seen as part of the whole programme of preparing pupils for the choices, changes and transitions affecting their future education, training and life as adult members of society. To this end, Newtownhamilton High School, through curricular programmes and other guidance activities promotes the following aims:
Self-Awareness & Development - enable pupils to understand their own personal needs, abilities and interests together with a growing awareness of their particular strengths and limitations in order to choose and implement an appropriate career plan
Career Exploration - foster opportunity awareness in order to understand the nature of work and occupations, paid and unpaid and how these effect people’s lives and attitudes
Career Management - enable pupils to develop the qualities and skills to manage transitions, within education, from education to work and in life generally. The development of decision-making skills will enable students to be effective in a variety of adult roles and occupations
Careers Education
At Newtownhamilton High School, Careers education is embedded in the curriculum. In Key Stage 3 it is taught mainly through Education for Employability within Learning for Life and Work (LLW). Year 10 is an important year in terms of making choices for GCSE subjects so it is critical that pupils are given the correct information and guidance at this stage. Support is provided by the Careers Co-ordinator, DEL Careers Adviser and the Vocational Enhancement Programme Co-ordinator from SRC (Newry campus). At Key Stage 4 Careers education is a discrete subject however Year 12 pupils also study Education for Employability as a strand of LLW. Additionally all subject teachers have a role to play in helping pupils to make informed and realistic decisions about their future.
Careers Information
The Careers foyer (outside Careers classroom & interviewing office) provides pupils with access to a wide range of up-to-date careers information which includes the latest labour market information. Three computer workstations with internet access are also available in this area so that pupils can access relevant websites for information on possible career paths. A designated Google Classroom for CEIAG is also available to all Year 10, 11 and 12 pupils.
Careers Advice & Guidance
The Careers Co-ordinator is responsible for helping pupils to integrate their Careers lessons and activities into their personal career planning and linking this work to Progress Files.
As part of our CEIAG learning offer we are fortunate to be able to avail of the expertise of Cathy O’Neill (pictured right) our DEL Careers Adviser. Cathy plays an important role in:
Providing balanced, comprehensive and up to date information on education, training and employment options.
Contributing to the CEIAG programme by working in partnership with the school.
Providing impartial advice and guidance.
Participating in evaluation and development of the CEIAG programme within the school.
Such support includes interviewing all Year 11 and 12 pupils (parents may choose to be present) in order to draw up Personal Career Plans (PCPs) and providing guidance to Year 10 pupils with information regarding GCSE option choices in relation to local trends in the labour market. The Careers Adviser attends all Parents’ Evenings.
Work Experience
A Work Experience scheme is completed by pupils in Year 11. All pupils are visited by a member of staff during their Work Experience. Placements are arranged to suit the requirements of each individual pupil.
Those pupils participating in the Work Experience scheme do so in order to:
experience interpersonal relations in the workplace.
sample different work situations.
have the chance of getting steady jobs with particular employers (if vacancies arise) by proving that they are honest, trustworthy, hardworking and all the other things that go to make up good employees.
help build up their self-confidence and ICT skills by delivering a PowerPoint presentation to their peers on returning to school.
Interview Skills Day
All Year 12 pupils participate in an Interview Skills Day which is delivered by the outside career training organisation Sentinus. This event gives pupils the opportunity to prepare for and attend a mock interview that is conducted by leading individuals in the local business and educational community. The aim of this highly popular event is to give pupils experience for performing at real interviews. See gallery for pictures from this event.
Presentations
Throughout the school year a number of guest speakers are invited into the school with the aim of informing pupils about the courses or career paths that their organisations offer. Examples include Southern Regional College (SRC), College of Agriculture, Food & Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Army Recruitment Team, etc.
