Parents & Carers
Careers Guernsey Newsletter - Spring 2017
Welcome to the spring edition of our parents & carers newsletter
Our intention was to have this newsletter ready for you in February, however the start of 2017 was a particularly busy period for us with numerous events, new school initiatives and an office move! More details about this below. We hope you find the information in this newsletter useful, if there is specific information or topics that you would like covered in future newsletters then please get in touch with us using the contact details at the bottom of the newsletter.
Our next newsletter will be available in the summer term.
INFORMATION FOR YEARS 7 - 11
YEAR 11
At the time of writing this, Year 11s have about one month left of school and will be commencing their final GCSE exams very soon. Post-16 applications to the College of FE and Sixth Form Centre were submitted in March and students will be receiving their offer letters very soon. Applicants to the Sixth Form Centre will also be receiving details of bridging courses which take place after GCSE exams, between 26 June – 7 July. Attendance on bridging courses are highly recommended as a way for students to prepare for their Sixth Form studies over the summer period.
It is not too late to still apply for a course at the College of FE or Sixth Form Centre, any late applicants should contact the respective institution asap, see contact details below and links to websites for more details about course options:
Guernsey College of Further Education - 01481 737500
The Sixth Form Centre - 01481 256571 (ask for Mr. James for Sixth Form applications/queries)
Applications to the College of FE and Sixth Form Centre are subject to students attaining specific GCSE results, confirmation of places on courses will take place on the 24th August as this is when GCSE results are announced.
Some students might be aspiring to start an apprenticeship or to enter employment straight after Year 11. It is not too late to contact employers and to search for an apprenticeship, some opportunities do get advertised on job sites and in the press, however employers are also increasingly using social media such as Facebook and Twitter to advertise their opportunities.
To support your son/daughters with looking for an apprenticeship or a job opportunity after Year 11, there are a number of job sites on Guernsey to check for vacancies, however many young people will find job opportunities by networking, word of mouth and by going into businesses enquiring about any openings with their CV and letter. See links to some job sites below:
States of Guernsey opportunities
YEAR 10
The summer term is a busy period for Year 10 students going out on work experience. Students from Les Beaucamps High School recently completed their work placements in March, the remaining schools are due to go out on work experience on the following dates:
La Mare De Carteret High School - 2nd to 5th May 2017
Le Murier School - 19th to 23rd June 2017
Grammar School - 26th to 30th June 2017
St Sampson’s High School - 11th to 15th July 2017
We are very grateful to all the local businesses and employers who offer work experience placements and who support students to gain a valuable insight into different careers and working environments.
Schools also recognise the value and the many benefits of work placements for their students. We recently received some positive feedback from Le Murier School about the benefits of work experience for their students. Julie Plummer, Le Murier teacher with responsibility for Work Related Learning, contacted us to say:
"Le Murier is so grateful to everyone at GWEx for ensuring that our students have a chance to participate in vocational experiences on a regular basis. The Work Experience Manager works so hard to match each student’s individual needs and interests to the right placement. Work placements allow the students to put into practice all the work ready skills and knowledge in a real life setting. Work placements also gives our students a chance to meet new people and to become more confident and independent.”
Le Murier have kindly shared some photos below of some of their students out on work experience
WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?
WE'VE MOVED!
After years (too many to remember!) of being based at the Education Department on the Grange, we have recently moved to new premises at the College of Further Education, Coutanchez Campus.
Photo of our new home at the entrance to the College of Further Education, Coutanchez Campus
SCHOOL LEAVER DESTINATIONS 2016
We have recently finalised the school leaver destinations for 2016, some headline information includes:
An increase in the proportion of 16 year olds staying on in full time education after Year 11
A decrease in the number of 16-18 year olds starting an apprenticeship
27% of 18 year olds went to University with Winchester University the most popular institution in 2016
For more details about the 2016 destinations for 16-18 year olds, see our destinations infographic: 2016 School Leaver Destinations infographic
EVENTS
The start of 2017 has been a busy period for us with our annual events such as the Higher Education Event at the Sixth Form Centre and the EY Careers & Skills Show at Beau Sejour. We have also introduced some new events for 2017 including a Recruitment Event at Beau Sejour in January which attracted over 40 employers and we have also recently concluded our new Year 10 Raising Aspirations events.
EY Careers & Skills Show - 23rd March 2017
Over 1600 students from Years 9-13 attended the EY Careers & Skills Show at Beau Sejour with this year seeing more emphasis on the skills required for different careers. To help showcase these skills, employers developed 'have a go' activities and student challenges which helped to engage students. We are thankful to our sponsor EY, the support of Business, Innovation and Skills and all the employers and businesses involved in helping to deliver another successful Careers & Skills Show.
Photo from the Careers & Skills Show at Beau Sejour
Year 10 Raising Aspiration Events
In addition to attending the EY Careers & Skills Show, Year 10 students recently participated in our new raising aspirations events. Year 10 students were invited to the Higher Education Event at the Grammar School in March where they received a presentation about the option of university from Winchester University and a Guernsey Undergraduate who gave useful information and advice from a Guernsey perspective. After the presentation, students completed a fact finding task in the main fair where they met with other University representatives from across the UK and Europe to find out more about the option of University.
We have also recently delivered Year 10 raising aspirations events in schools, the aim for these events was to help inspire and motivate students about their future. To help with this we invited a range of school alumni including self-employed/entrepreneurs, apprentices, graduates and employees covering a wide range of professions to talk to groups of students about their career journey and to give important advice such as being resilient and working hard for your goals.
These events proved very popular with the students who particularly enjoyed meeting with the school alumni. As part of our evaluation we asked the students to list some statements to describe the event, the most popular statements that the students highlighted included: inspiring, positive, motivating, insightful, beneficial, engaging, helpful, fun, interesting, interactive.
We also asked the students how the event helped them, popular responses included:
- I feel I know more about some of the career options open to me after school
- I know more about some of the pathways after Year 11
- I feel more positive about my future and next steps after Year 11
- I feel more motivated and confident
Below are some photos from these raising aspiration events
Les Beaucamps High School
La Mare De Carteret High School
Aspirations wall
St Sampson's High School
Grammar School
Aspirations wall
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A CAREERS INTERVIEW
We do not tell you what to do!
If your son or daughter has a careers interview with one of our Careers Advisers in the future you may like to know what a careers interview consists of and what we do to support your son or daughter. A careers interview is not about telling your son or daughter what career they should do or finding them a job, it is much more about listening to them in an impartial manner and helping them to understand all the options available to them so that they can make an informed choice about their future.
To find out more about what to expect from a careers interview and to understand the difference between careers information and careers guidance, click on the button below.
FEATURE CAREER - NURSING
A challenging but rewarding career
Nurses monitor and assess the physical, psychological and social needs of patients, and plan and deliver the care required. The practical care tasks involved vary from job to job.
Nurses work as part of a healthcare team including doctors and other healthcare professionals. They are often supported in their work by healthcare assistants.
Nurses need professionalism and dedication. They should also have:
- sensitivity, understanding and consideration towards their patients
- good communication skills
- the ability to work in a team
- good organisational skills
- the ability to think things through and solve problems
- observational skills and sound judgement
- the personality to remain calm and clear-headed when patients or their relatives are distressed
- confidence in using technology
There are four fields of nursing:
- adult nursing – caring for adults of all ages with a wide range of illnesses and injuries
- children's nursing – providing care to newborns right through to teenagers
- learning disabilities nursing – supporting clients to lead independent lives
- mental health nursing – helping people with such difficulties to cope, usually in community settings.
Once qualified, all nurses must continue to update and build on their skills and knowledge in their chosen area. Trained nurses can work in a wide range of settings, not just in hospitals, clinics and health centres. For example, there are opportunities in schools, nursing homes, patients' own homes, hospices, family planning clinics, industry, prisons and even on board ships.
In hospitals, nurses may work in a range of areas including accident and emergency, acute, psychiatric and children's wards, operating theatres, intensive care and neonatal units (nursing newborn babies who are premature or ill). Nurses working in the community include district nurses, occupational health nurses, practice nurses, community mental health nurses and school nurses.
Entry requirements
Qualifying as a nurse is through an approved degree course and institutions will set their own entry requirements. Courses generally take 3 years and at least half of the programme will be spent in clinical practice. Relevant subjects for degree course applications include A-Levels in Science (e.g. Biology), Social Sciences (e.g. Psychology) or BTEC diplomas such as Health & Social Care. Universities will also usually require GCSEs at A*-C grade in English, Maths and Science.
There is currently an opportunity to train on-island as a nurse, this is in adult nursing and the degree programme is delivered through partnership with Middlesex University and can lead on to a professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This is currently a 3 year programme and student nurses receive a wage, there is however an expectation that upon graduation, nurses commit to work for a further 3 years on Guernsey. For more information about nurse training on-island, contact the Institute of Health & Social Care Studies: https://www.gov.gg/theinstitute
You can contact us for advice on careers in nursing and other healthcare professions, for further information on nursing and other healthcare professions see the buttons below.
The feature career in our next newsletter is a Computer Games Developer
CAREERS THAT USE BIOLOGY
The science of life
Biology is the study of living things from tiny micro-organisms, plants and animals to human beings. Biology is an important part of the curriculum in schools and it is a fundamental subject for careers in the science and health sectors.
Biology offers a wide range of career options and opportunities, below are 10 careers we have chosen that use biology:
1. Biochemist
2. Pharmacologist
3. Forensic Scientist
4. Dietitian
5. Research Scientist
6. Paramedic
7. Sustainability Consultant
8. Conservation Officer
9. Veterinary Surgeon
10. Sports Scientist
To find out more about our top 10 careers and for further information on the opportunities with biology, click on the buttons below
The subject in focus in our next newsletter is Information Technology
CAREERS ADVICE FOR ADULTS
It's free!
In addition to our work in education and with supporting young people to make positive transitions into adulthood, we also offer free careers advice and guidance for adults. Our Adult Guidance Manager, Richard Vivian, supports adults from different situations including:
- Facing redundancy
- Wanting to retrain and up-skill
- Preparing for an increase in retirement age
- Unemployed
- Parents wanting to return to work
- Looking for a career change
- Returning to work after health problem
- Returning to learning
If you would like some careers advice you can contact Richard via email at Richard.vivian@gov.gg or 01481 706565
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Email: CareersGuernsey@gov.gg
Website: www.careers.gg
Location: Route de Coutanchez, St Peter Port, GY1 2TT
Phone: 01481 706565
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Careers-Guernsey-155612177817916/
Twitter: @CareersGuernsey