Looking to the Future

"Excellent transition arrangements and careers advice help students prepare well for the next steps in their education, training and employment."

Ofsted 2010

Making sure you are suitably prepared for the working world is important to us - that is why we want you to work hard at your studies and get the best qualifications possible. But there’s more to getting a job than simply presenting a prospective employer with an armful of certificates; that’s why we make sure we provide you with a programme of careers education through your PSHCE lessons.

These lessons are designed to make sure you have fully explored and considered all your options, identified what personal qualities and skills you have to offer and what you need to do to make yourself more employable in the future. You will also be shown how to find and apply for the courses you need to consider in order to turn your career dreams into a reality. You will also be given the opportunity to develop the skills you need to manage your career – things like how to put together a CV, how to fill in an application form and how to write a winning personal statement.

We work closely with the local Connexions Service to make sure you have access to impartial careers advice and guidance. Your Connexions Personal Adviser is Miss Christine Kilmartin and her office is located in the library. She can help you make sense of your career and course options as well as help you find jobs, training and apprenticeships.

It’s never too early to start exploring your course and career options – don’t leave it until the end of Year 11 or Year 13. There’s a lot of information available online to get you started – see links below.

www.mycoursemyfuture.com/bolton - Online prospectus of post-16 courses and training options in Bolton.

www.connexions-bolton.com – General information about careers, learning, work and other things that matter to young people.

www.connexions-bolton.com/Home/Practitioners/PractitionersPublications/Handouts.aspx - This link takes you to all of Connexions Bolton’s free handouts; they cover a wide range of topics including where to find careers information online and where to get help and advice about other things that matter to you.

www.direct.gov.uk/nextstep - National website with links to over 700 job profiles.

www.apprenticeships.org.uk – National Apprenticeship Service.

www.ucas.com – Explore what university courses there are out there.

www.icould.com – Film clips of people talking about what they do and how they got their jobs.