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Academy Life

Careers in Year 10

Year 10 and 11 encounter another important stage of transition. Students are working hard towards their GCSEs / Vocational subjects Throughout Year 10 students have opportunities to attend more bespoke college or specific career pathways taster days. Our Higher Prior Attainment (HPA) students attend Keble College, Oxford University to further raise their aspirations. Students will have meaningful encounters with a wide range of apprenticeship, further and higher education providers during ‘futures week’ and apprenticeship fair.

As well as having an enrichment day focus on interview skills, students also have two separate schemes of learning as part of the Erdington Edge which focuses on Skills to ‘get that job’ at the start of Year 10 and look at how to develop a CV and develop interview techniques towards the end of the academic year. Students in Year 10 will all complete a one week work experience placement in the Summer term.

Work Experience 2023

As part of our ongoing improvement we continue to review our processes and practices. As such we have reviewed our year 10 work experience programme,

As a collective the decision has been made that students will not be going off site during term time to complete work experience this year.  A leaflet with a list of virtual work experience opportunities will soon be available and will be emailed to their school email account. We are proud of our careers programme that runs from year 7 to 11 and have taken this decision based on a range of factors and weighed up the impacts that each activity has on students’ careers experience. We are fully committed to giving students meaningful employer/ careers encounters throughout their time here at Erdington Academy.

If your child wishes to carry out Work Experience during the school holidays & with parental consent, you can choose to do this. This can be arranged through a range of employers. 

I have attached a parent’s letter for START which is a digital careers platform to help you to help your child with career choices and a Next Steps leaflet so you know what options are available Post 16. 

Also attached is the most up to date LMI -Labour market information for jobs in the West Midlands.  This gives an excellent interactive insight into the future of employment.

We would be really grateful if you complete the questionnaire below to help us to plan for the Careers Education for the coming year and your views are important to us.

Please click on the link      https://forms.office.com/r/sS4ykDA53c    (this can be completed on your smart phone.)

If you have any questions please do email a.odonnell@ erdington.fmat.co.uk

Please click here for LMI Guide – My Way into The World Of Work.+

 

 

 

Start – Letter to Parents & Carers (19.04.21) Y10

Please click here for information on Next Steps – Life After Year 11.

Careers Entitlement

During Year 10 students will have access to:

  • Timetabled careers education lessons in Erdington Edge focusing on the development of employability skills.
  • A 1:1 careers interview with an independent, impartial advisor (available to students for whom the school feels it is the most suitable support).
  • CV preparation workshops and interview practice, culminating in a mock formal interview with an employer.
  • A one-week work experience placement in the Summer Term
  • Access to impartial careers information and advice via the careers pages of the website and Unifrog careers programme


By the end of Year 10 students will:

  • Have developed a wide range of employability skills
  • Have gained genuine insights into the world of work
  • Planned your personal targets for Year 11.

What our students say about Careers Education

Year 10 HPA Oxford University

“Keble College visit has inspired me to work harder for my exams and I definitely want to attend University in the future. I have learned to succeed you need not just academic qualifications but also have a passion for the subject that you want to study.”

“I like the way school takes us on amazing educational visits about our future possible pathways when we leave school. It was a very good trip.”

Year 10 HPA Insight into Law

“I’m more confident in deciding if I would like to pursue a law careers and what I need to do to achieve it.”

Year 10 HPA Insight into Optometry

“Today I learnt about the different roles and about different eye conditions and qualifications needed.”

“I’m going to become an Optometrist – no matter what.”

Year 10 Graphic Designer Workshop

“I had fun exploring graphic design and spending the day creatively.”

“I enjoyed making my own company logo and company name.”