As a parent/carer, you are extremely influential when it comes to the decisions your child makes in all areas of their lives – especially true when it comes to their education and next step choices. The careers and education landscape has significantly adapted and is always changing in regards to opportunities and requirements. With that in mind, we want to support you in talking to your child about their options confidently; knowing that the information you have is as accurate and as up to date as possible.
As a parent/carer you can access support and guidance from the careers team at Sirius North, however there are multiple things you can do. The most important thing you can offer is the knowledge of where to find the right information, so you can do the research into their options together.
Miss Norman is your point of contact for Careers Information. You can contact drop into the Careers Office or call the academy on 01482 349600.
Below is information which will help to support you and your child with making those all important decisions.
Post 16 Pathways
Young people must stay in some type of education or training until the age of 18. There are many options available for your child when they turn 16, explore with your child what option best suits them and their situation, strengths and interests.
Some courses keep options open by giving them the chance to study different subjects or they could take a work-related course that will give them skills and work experience. They may need specific qualifications for their career choice, so always do some research.
CEIAG addresses the needs of every learner. Individuals who are supported by an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan will have careers provision supporting their planning.
Parent Guides
Options with an Education Health and Care plan | National Careers Service
Department for Education Post-16 Choices Animation – YouTube
Post 16 options | National Careers Service
How Parents Can Help With Post GCSE Options | UCAS Progress
A parents’ toolkit for career conversations (talkingfutures.org.uk)
Virtual Work Experience
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You can learn from the best in class.
Labour Market Information
What is Labour Market Information?
Labour Market Information (LMI) is a useful tool to help research future jobs in the local area, understand the skills needed for certain roles and the demand for future employment.
LMI helps to break down the complex ‘world of work’– ranging from descriptions of different careers, their entry routes, promotional prospects, salaries paid, skills and qualifications needed, etc. Crucially for young people, LMI also covers future demand – what kinds of jobs will be in demand after leaving school and what kinds of skills will be needed.
Why is Labour Market Information Important to Young People?
‘It is vital, in an environment where new industries are emerging and many of the most important jobs of the future don’t yet exist, that individuals have access to high-quality labour market information and earnings data to underpin their choices’. Anne Milton MP
Below are some useful links which will help to support you and your child to understand Labour Market Information and explore local and national information.
Home | Skills Hull and East Yorkshire
How labour market information (LMI) can help you make career decisions (icould.com)
shape-your-future-humber-2021-_final-web.pdf (together4all.co.uk)
What is Labour Market Information (video)?
Explore different occupations using Careerometer.
Careerometer can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations, help you learn about different occupations and identify potential careers. Have a go with your child to see the differences in professions.
It provides access to a selection of UK headline data relating to pay, weekly hours of work and future employment prospects for different occupations, as well as a description of the occupation.
Simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you. You can then look up another two occupations and compare. You can also select ‘display the UK average’ and compare the information with the occupation you have selected.
Be mindful that pay can fluctuate dependent on where you live in the UK.
Careers Research
The links below will take you to a wide range of careers websites giving you up to date information to help you plan your future.
We have also provided a few quizzes for you to explore with your child and maybe gain some careers inspiration.
The National Careers Service is a good starting point to get advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work.
Higher Horizons have all of the facts about higher education. Information includes, pathways to studying at university, the application process, student life, accommodation, student finance, and subject specific information. There is also an option to ‘ask the expert’ if you have any specific queries.
ICLOUD is a platform were you can receive information from current employees/employers. icloud has videos, articles and quizzes to help you find out more about the different careers available.
Find an Apprenticeship search tool on the gov.uk website to find the latest apprenticeship vacancies.
The Uni Guide offers advice and guidance on what to study beyond further education. Explore options and insight into Higher Education and how to get there.
Prospects offers practical advice to get you started with your career plans.
Take The Careers Quiz. What Job Could You Do? (ucas.com)
Take our careers quiz | Health Careers
Quiz: Which career could be perfect for you? – BBC Bitesize
Skillsometer
The Skillsometer can help an individual discover what jobs they might like to do in the future. Support your child to access the quiz. They will be presented with a series of statements. They need to select the emoji which shows how they feel about each statement. They will then be given suggestions of jobs linked to what they most enjoy doing. For each job, they will be presented with some headline UK data.
Why not give it a try yourself!
Sirius Academy Events Calendar
At Sirius North we provide as many opportunities for parents/carers to engage with their child’s education. Careers is embedded within their curriculum and wider academy events – National Careers Week/ National Apprenticeship Week.
We also host providers and employers at our Parents Evening Events, alongside our in-house Careers Support. This is a great chance for you and your child to speak with companies and education providers about upcoming opportunities, requirements and wider support.
Careers at Sirius North also plan trips to inspire and connect our learners to ‘world of work’ insights and prospects. We advise all families to ensure that their MyEd is updated, as all our communication is received and confirmed via our MyEd platform. We do not want your child to miss an opportunity to attend. All Careers Provision is free and supports learners with free school meal status – if necessary.
Milestones:
Year 9
Options Year (April)
In Year 9 your child will be introduced to your first experience of deciding on their subject choices. This will be an opportunity for you to start asking questions and learning about the subject offers, which will make up your child’s GCSE results. Sirius North hosts an Options Evening, which we would highly advise you attend.
Crete discussions with your child on their ideas and interests, it will make a difference when it comes to choosing. They will be studying the subjects for the next 2 years.
Year 10
Introduction to Log On Move On
Attending College/Provider Open Events (October onwards)
In Year 10 your child will be introduced to Log On Move On and how applications for their next steps work. They will be educated on how they can support themselves on further education and training options. This is a time where we can make it make sense – how their achievement open doors and breaks the barriers for further opportunity.
Open events will also still be available from October, so please support your child to attend as many as possible.
Year 11
Applications (October – February)
Apprenticeship Applications (Dependant on provider – Start looking October onwards) Open Events (October onwards)
College/Provider Interviews (Dependant on provider)
GCSE’s (June)
In Year 11 your child will be a Career Champion. Their Log On Move On profiles will be ready to go, they will be ready for applications and have a sound knowledge and reasoning to make informed decisions on their next step destinations!
By the time their GCSE’s start in June, they will be all set with their choices and can concentrate on their exams, knowing that everything is in line.
Links to partner websites:
The Beginner’s Guide to a Career in Law 2024 (flippingbook.com)
Careers Events
Providers come to support our Year 9 to Year 11 Parent/Carer Evenings.
STEM:
WiME:
Foundations Live:
Aspiring Leaders:
Network Rail:
NextGen Nurse:
Sustainability:
