Our school is vibrant, and genuine work-related learning and ambition is at the heart of this. As a student you can take ownership of your career plans and demonstrate engagement and enthusiasm. All students leave school progressing confidently into their plans which are realistic, well researched and ambitious.
We support students with their plans in relation to careers and employability including (but not limited to):
- Identifying strengths and skills
- Post 16 options
- Helping students to link to employers through work experience and volunteering opportunities
- Employability skills (support with interviews and applications)
- Signposting students and parents to career resources and pathways
All students will be seen individually for careers coaching sessions whilst studying at Digitech and will receive an individual action plan.
Students are encouraged to undertake careers research and be curious about their options. The following websites may help with research.
South Gloucestershire Council is required to understand what young people in our area are doing after they leave Year 11 up to the end of the year that they turn 18 (or up to the age of 25 if you have an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP)). The information you have provided will be used to help us achieve this. We need to collect the following information:
- Your name and address
- Contact details
- Whether you are in education, employment or training and the name of the provider.
We are required by law to gather this information and share it with the local authority in which you live.
Objectives
Our Objectives
- Collaboration with employers and meaningful project work enhances the delivery subject areas.
- Students can clearly articulate their skills and ambitions and have opportunities to practice doing this on a regular basis.
- Digitech brings the ‘real world’ to students. They are aware of employer expectations and have regular contact with employers, both through external visits to companies and meaningful partnerships with a range of organisations.
At Digitech we invite employers and providers to support our students in a number of ways including:
- Weekly Digitech Inspire talks – guest speakers provide an insight into a wide range of career roles and pathways.
- Provider and employer ‘Pop Ups’ – stands during break times to help students to explore different routes after school.
- Our careers event held during National Careers & Apprenticeship week to which a wide range of employers and providers are invited to speak to our students.
- Trips out to employer events – recent examples include the BBC’s Digital Day, the MoD’s apprenticeship experience day and a Digital Explorers event at Airbus.
- Involvement with the Envision Community Apprentice project. This year our students are working with business mentors from IoP Publishing.
- Workshops for students within Digitech Plus lessons to explore progression routes. Visitors this year so far have included the Western Outreach Network, the University of Law, the National Careers Service and the National Apprenticeship Service.
- Working with Higher Education providers to introduce our students to the idea of studying at a higher level. For example, a group of students from the University of the West of England have recently worked with some of our Year 10 students to deliver educational workshops as part of their SPARK programme.
- Developing real life projects with employers for our students to work on. This provides a work experience opportunity within the school environment.
All students have the opportunity to access 1-2-1 support from our Careers and Employability Coach.
Information for Parents & Carers
As a parent or carer you have a leading role when your child is making decisions about their future.
Parents and carers of Digitech students can contact Digitech’s Careers and Employability Coach Jane Morgan for information or to request an appointment by email [email protected] or by phone 0117 992 7100.
For websites which may help you when supporting your child’s research please see the “Information for Students”.
We also value parents and carers sharing their experience of work with our students. If you are able to support Digitech students with careers and employability activities please complete the below contact form or email [email protected] directly to discuss this further.
DSSB Careers Programme
Information for Employers
Benefits of work experience for employers
Student engagement benefits other employees
When you have a young person in your workplace, they may need guidance and perhaps even a mentor. As an employer, you benefit from work experience because the morale of your existing team can be boosted. Employees may develop their own supervisory skills as they mentor a young person. As well as staff engagement, you are also giving your team opportunities to show any leadership qualities they might have.
Work experience can be a useful marketing tool
If you create an effective and organised programme of work that is genuinely beneficial to young people, there will be a demand for work experience with your company. This means you can get a direct talent stream into your company. Offering quality and beneficial work experience can also have a follow on effect when it comes to recruitment. Your company’s reputation for investing in young people will be right up there will encourage others to want to work for your organisation.
Young people bring a whole new energy and perspective
Young people with little or no experience of the workplace can provide a new perspective. They can bring a whole new dynamic and energy to your company and provide feedback into the most effective way to market your company to their demographic.
If you are an employer interested in supporting Digitech students please contact Digitech’s Careers and Employability Coach, Jane Morgan, via email [email protected] or by phone 0117 992 7100.
