Careers Guidance

All students require information, advice and guidance at key times in their secondary education in order to make informed decisions about their future education and career options. This information is designed for students, teachers, parents, and employers.

We seek to inspire all students to have the highest expectations about the careers they might enter and to prepare them for such careers. Our ultimate goal is to provide all students with the qualifications, skills and confidence to achieve lifelong well-being in their work.

WBGS has a statutory duty to provide impartial careers information, education and guidance to all students from Year 7 to Year 13. We provide information, advice and guidance to students so that they are inspired and motivated to fulfil their potential. We also aim to provide students with real-life contacts with the world of work which can help them understand where different choices can take them in the future.

The aims of careers provision at WBGS are:

-To thoroughly prepare all students for the next stage in their education or training;

-To promote a culture of high expectations in students and inspire students at WBGS to think imaginatively and ambitiously about their future career options;

- To promote the value of all subjects, but to emphasise the importance of English and mathematics; above and beyond most schools, to make students aware of and provide opportunities to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and maths;

- To expose students to a range of interactions with employers;

- To liaise with and secure access for students to all relevant other sources of CEIAG provision, including local employers and Hertfordshire County Council Services for Young People (HCC SfYP) (formerly known as Youth Connexions Hertfordshire)

- To manage the resources available for CEIAG such as to maximise the effectiveness of the provision

The school's careers leader is currently Corinne Groves, Assistant Head

Tel: 01923 208900

The options and careers guidance that students at Watford Grammar School for Boys can expect in each year group is set out below.

Other ad-hoc and subject-specific services and events may be arranged in addition to what is set out below.

Full details about the school's policy for Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is available in the policies tab.

Year 7 Career Guidance

Curriculum

An introduction to the world of work during some form times and/or the summer Enrichment Week.

Year 8 Career Guidance

Curriculum

Skills for the world of work during summer Enrichment Week.
Independent information and guidance lessons during Spring/Summer Terms in form times.
‘Launchpad - Young Enterprise’ – day for whole year group during summer Enrichment Week.

Employer Talks

Schedule of lunchtime talks by parents on Monday lunchtimes throughout the year

External Advice Services

Herts Services for Young People, group independent information and guidance sessions in Spring Term.

Herts Services for Young People Assembly in Spring.


Internal Advice Services

GCSE Options Evening in Spring Term.

Year 9 Career Guidance

Curriculum

Skills for the world of work during summer Enrichment Week

PSHE  – Transition to GCSE & Time Management

STEM Careers Day

Extracurricular
 

Young Engineers/ Go4Set

Lego Challenge

Employer Talks

Schedule of lunchtime talks by parents on Monday lunchtimes throughout the year

External Advice Services

Herts Services for Young People

1:1 independent information and guidance sessions

Year 10 Career Guidance

Curriculum
‘Learning to Earn’ – day for whole year

PSHE – lesson on CV writing

Extracurricular
National Citizenship Scheme

Employer Talks
Schedule of lunchtime talks by parents on Monday lunchtimes throughout the year

Testing
Morrisby Psychometric Testing (inc. assembly)

External Advice Services
Herts Services for Young People

1:1 independent information and guidance sessions
Linked with INVESTIN - promoting careers experience days to student in Year 10 to 13

Year 11 Career Guidance

Curriculum
Programme of talks on post-16 pathways

Options Advice

PSHE – Money, employment and financial management, CV writing

Apprenticeship Awareness presentations and follow up workshops – the ASK Apprenticeships service 

Extracurricular
National Citizenship Scheme

Employer Talks
Schedule of lunchtime talks by parents on Monday lunchtimes throughout the year

Work Experience
Work experience – 1 week July


External Advice Services
Herts Services for Young People

1:1 independent information and guidance sessions

Assembly from local college on post-16 choices

Mind Skills programme
Linked with INVESTEC - promoting careers experience days to students in Years 10 to 13

Internal Advice Services
A Level Options Evening

Advice on applications to FE

Sessions on apprenticeships and CV writing

Assembly on Apprenticeships

Year 12 & 13 Career Guidance

Curriculum
Programme of careers-related lectures across 2 years on Friday afternoons

Y12 Careers Day

UCAS preparation – talks and advice service

Apprenticeship Awareness presentations and follow up workshops – the ASK Apprenticeships service

Enrichment week/summer Friday lecture and form time focused on careers:
A series of talks and from internal and external advisers on a range of topics, including:

- Preparing a UCAS personal statement;
- How universities approach admissions;
- Degree apprenticeships;
- Life Skills post-18.

Plus planning time using the Unifrog platform throughout sixth form. 

A careers advice day hearing about the recent experiences from former WBGS students in a variety of employment sectors.


Extracurricular
Young Enterprise company programme Y12

Y12 Young Engineers (9)

Rampaging Chariots competition

Head Start – STEM  - at university

Employer Talks
Schedule of lunchtime talks by parents on Monday lunchtimes throughout the year

Testing
Y12 Morrisby Psychometric Testing (inc assembly

Work Experience

Y12 Work experiences in Enrichment Week - personalised programme of activities chosen from a range, varying these by day and according to their own interests and the opportunities which arise for them. They can:
- Arrange their own work experience or work shadowing  through a relative, family friend or other external contact;
- Make virtual or real life visits to University open days;
- Arrange their own voluntary work in the local community;
- Volunteer to help teachers in school with the variety of enrichment activities being organised for Years 8, 9 and 10; and/or
- Spend further time in school on work related to their post-18 choices.

German Exchange work experience
 

External Advice Services
Herts Services for Young People

1:1 independent information and guidance sessions

Assembly from local college on post-16 choices

Mind Skills programme

Linked with INVESTEC - promoting careers expereince days to students in Years 10 to 13

Internal Advice Services
General UCAS advice service

Preparing Personal Statements

Applying to Oxbridge

Service for Medics

 

National Careers Education Organisations

Further information about The Careers and Enterprise Company can be found here:

https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/

Further information about The Gatsby Benchmarks can be found here:

http://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance

Further information about The Government’s Careers Strategy can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664319/Careers_strategy.pdf

Finding out further information - key information for students, parents and carers and teachers

Parent access to Unifrog Platform

Unifrog is a platform which helps students compare university courses, apprenticeships, and Further Education courses - then apply successfully.

Parents can access the information on the Uniform platform using the parent code: GRJFparents.

Unifrog sign up

National Apprenticeship Service

Allows you to search for live apprenticeship vacancies across the country.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

Amazing Apprenticeships

Find out about apprenticeships as well as live vacancies.

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/

Hertfordshire County Council Services for Young People

The leading provider of CEIAG provision for young people both inside and outside of school in Hertfordshire.

YC Hertfordshire

UCAS

All you need to know about applying for university and the courses available for you.

UCAS

Hertfordshire Skills Framework

Produced by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership this displays the skills most required by employers across the county.
 

Hertfordshire Skills Framework

Hertfordshire Labour Market Information

An infographic video to explain the types of jobs available and skills required in Hertfordshire.

Hertfordshire Labour Market Information

If you want to learn more about specific employment and skills information from (your District) take a look at this infographic poster:

Get work ready in Hertfordshire Poster

Support from CEC/Hertfordshire LEP and HOP

We are signed up to The Careers and Enterprise Company – The Enterprise Adviser Network – programme. This is a free provision managed locally by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership to support us to achieve all 8 Gatsby Benchmarks – a target set by Department for Education in their Careers Strategy (Dec 2017). We have been matched with Tom Durn of IHS Markit to help us to work towards the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks. Meetings take place half-termly to review progress and plan actions.

We are using the Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal and would encourage all students, parents and carers and teachers to use this portal to seek current live job or apprenticeship vacancies within Hertfordshire as well as being a one-stop shop for a variety of information about the Hertfordshire Jobs Market providing information and inspiration about a variety of careers.

Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal