Careers
Our Careers Education and Work Experience Programmes are led by our Careers and Work Experience Manager, Sue Cronin. ‘Opportunity for All’ is our guiding principle and we are proud of our successes in delivering on the Gatsby Benchmarks – the basis of the statutory guidance The Government has set out for Careers Education in schools:
1: A stable careers program.
2: Learning from career and labour market information.
3: Addressing the needs of each pupil.
4: Linking Curriculum learning to careers.
5: Encounters with employers and employees.
6: Experiences of the workplace.
7: Encounters with further and higher education.
8: Personal guidance.
We work closely with the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) and the Careers and Enterprise Company to review our provision each ‘long term’ and plan improvements.
Careers Guidance
As a parent you are expected to have all the answers, but in a constantly evolving world it can be a struggle to keep up with the latest options out there. Are apprenticeships right for your child? Should they be considering BTECs or A levels? How can you guide your child to make choices at GCSE and A Level that will set them up for a brighter future?
For that reason, we employ an independent careers advisor to offer a further level of one-to-one support for you and your child. To request an appointment, students or parents can contact Mrs Cronin at scronin@ka.vale-academy.org who will make an appointment with our independent career adviser.
Morrisby Profile
We also promote the use of ‘Morrisby Psychometric Testing’ where appropriate. This is a very powerful online assessment tool which can help young people to identify career pathways which suit them. It increases self-awareness by revealing a person’s aptitudes, interests, preferences, and motivations. It includes an innovative online support package for exploring the career and educational choices suggested and enables you to refine these choices over time to ensure they remain relevant.
The Morrisby Assessment is available at a cost of £99. This includes an hour’s one-to-one debrief on the young person's results with a specially trained adviser. For more information, click on the link below.
Below is a link to information on the local job market for young people that will be particularly useful to both parents/carers and students.
Local Labour Market Information
Parents often come to us in search of advice for their children, whether it is about progression options after school, a change of direction during their studies, or what support is available for them. Useful information is available via the following link:
This website, developed by the Careers Writers Association, has lots of useful information for parents looking for impartial and clear advice on careers.
SEND careers Information Hub
This Information Hub area gives you lots of useful information about where you can study Post-16. It will also give you information about local colleges with SEND provision as well as specialist colleges. This area also offers support and information about the local offer, training providers, supported internships, Disability Confident employers, and other useful information about gaining employment in the future. Finally, there is a section of career resources to help you prepare for your future and a video resource directory.
Apprenticeships
King Alfred’s Academy actively promotes apprenticeships and in October 2020 the academy was ‘Highly Commended‘ for the work that is done in this area. Useful information for parents and careers on Apprenticeships can be found below:
For National Apprenticeship Week, we have created a ‘dome’ in the entrance of our Find Your Future online careers platform. Inside the dome are links and resources for students and parents/carers, including short films of our Apprenticeship Ambassadors talking about finding and applying for apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships. If the dome isn’t showing, try clearing your web browser cache. For your information, the links in the dome are below, along with a picture of the inside of the dome:
- Advice on applying for apprenticeships vlog
- Advice on degree apprenticeships vlog
- Apprenticeship advice for Oxfordshire students – Oxme and Oxfordshire Apprenticeships
- Apprenticeship advice for over 18s – National Careers Service
- Apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship vacancies – Not Going To Uni, Find an apprenticeship and Higher and degree apprenticeships
- How much do you know about apprenticeships? quiz
- Which apprenticeships do your favourite subjects link to
- Parents/carers guide
January Parents & Carers Pack
www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/influencers/support-for-parents-and-guardians
The pack explores plans for National Apprenticeship Week 2024, a 10-step plan for apprenticeships, the new Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship, T Levels in Agriculture and HTQs.