CAREERS EDUCATION INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Year 9 Futures Name: Tutor Group: The road to your Career Booklet also available on school website 1
Options at Year 9: Introduction You are about to choose which subjects you want to take as your options. This is an important decision as these subjects will eventually become your GCSE, BTEC or Cambridge National qualifications which will help you get a job. You are at the beginning of the road to a career. You can now choose your own direction and also which career road you want to walk down after school! This is not scary, this is exciting! You can choose your direction and your path in life, you now have control. Choosing the right subjects/courses now can set you up for life and make sure that the road you choose is the one that will lead you to a job you really want. This workbook will help you choose the right option subjects to make sure that you are Suitable and on the right route to apply for your perfect job. It is important to recognise that there are many different routes into a career and every individual should take the path that is most suitable for them, based on their individual likes, dislikes, skills and attributes. SOURCES OF INFORMATION ADVICE and GUIDANCE There are lots of people and places you could go to for information, advice and guidance. In school your subject teachers and tutor will try to answer any questions you have. The following staff may also be able to help: 2 Mrs D Elliott (Headteacher) Miss J Baldwin (Assistant Headteacher with oversight of careers education at school) Room 104 Ms T Jones (Assistant Headteacher) Miss K Dee (Responsible for Year 9 Options)
Ms D Britton (Careers Advisor) LRC Mrs Watts (Events Officer - organises careers events such as the Careers Fair, work experience, work shadowing, etc) Room 101 Mrs F Davies (Events Assistant also helps with the organiisation of careers events such as the Careers Fair, work experience, work shadowing, etc) Room 101 Outside school, you should discuss your ideas with your parents/carers and/or talk to people who are doing jobs you are interested in. Read up about future jobs on these really useful website: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk www.plotr.co.uk Find out about apprenticeships by looking at: http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk Attend our school careers fair on Thursday 24 th November. There will be representations from college, apprenticeships, universities and many different employers from the army to advertising agencies and solicitors. 3
Options at Year 9: Part 1: It s all about you This workbook will help you choose the right option subjects to make sure that you are suitable and on the right route to apply for your perfect job. So.let s get started. The most important thing to think about is YOU! What do you like doing? What do you dislike doing? We shall start with your hobbies or anything you like doing outside of school. Write down a minimum of 3 activities you like to do after school or in your free time. My favourite hobbies are.. 1 2 3 Explain here what you like about your hobbies. This could be that you prefer to be outside, or you love sporting competitions, or being creative and making music or designing things. 4
Think carefully One reason I like each of my hobbies is 1 2 3 It is also important to think about things you do NOT like doing outside of school. Write 3 things you do not like doing here 1 2 3 What is it about these activities you do not like? 3 reasons why I do not like doing these things are... 1 2 3 5
What do you like doing in school? Now it s time to think about your favourite subjects. Before we begin choosing we need to remember that some subjects are compulsory (this means you will all have to take these subjects in your options). This is because these are viewed as the MOST important subjects for all employers as they are necessary for all jobs and they will help you to function within society. These are MATHS, ENGLISH, SCIENCE, PE and RE. For each of the subjects listed below rate them as either GREEN (I like) AMBER (not sure) or RED (I dislike)... MATHS - Green, Amber or Red? Write one reason why you think it is here... SCIENCE - Green, Amber or Red? Write one reason why you think it is here... ENGLISH - Green, Amber or Red? Write one reason why you think it is here... PE - Green, Amber or Red? Write one reason why you think it is here... RE - Green, Amber or Red? Write one reason why you think it is here... Now write down 4 subjects you definitely like here (or as many as you can) For each subject write down a reason why, but you CANNOT use these two reasons (a) Because my friends are in that class (b) Because I like the teacher. 6
Try and think of a reason that has something to do with what you actually do in that subject. SUBJECT I like WHY? 1 2 3 4 Write down 3 subjects you are sure you do not like here You can t use these two reasons: I don t like the people in the class I don t like the teacher SUBJECTS I don t like WHY? 1 2 3 There are some subjects/courses that you may not have studied before or that you know nothing about, that you need to find out about before you choose your options. These are: Business Studies Media Studies Photography Engineering 7
Carry out some research to find out what these subjects/courses are about and think carefully about whether these subjects might interest you. So now you know what subjects you like and dislike. So why not end here? These could be your options! Well yes they could, but there is more to think about than that. Remember, your options are the first steps on the road to a career. The subjects you take now could help you get the job you want after school. They could also make it harder for you to get a job if they are the wrong subjects! Before you start investigating jobs, let s see what you want out of your job. This is called working out your Job Needs and Desires Answer these questions honestly and truthfully circle the statement that is the most important to you. The job is enjoyable Like to travel to lots of places in a job Working inside A creative job A job that is focussed on literacy (reading and writing) Meeting people and working as part of a team Job satisfaction out of helping others Run my own business one day Prefer to work in one place Working outside A more practical job A job that is focussed on numeracy (numbers and problem solving) Working alone Job satisfaction out of making money Happy working for someone else in a job I like 8
Which of these plans after school would you definitely consider if your dream job required this? Consider? Not Consider? A Levels or BTECs (2 years) College training (full time) Apprenticeship (working and training) Work Experience (unpaid work) University Degree (3 4 years) Post Graduate Degree (after Uni) 9
Options at Year 9: Part 2: When choosing a future job. Learning which skills employers look for and also what skills you already have is also very important. In this task see if you can match the correct Employability skill to each definition. Only ONE skill will fit each definition. You should end up with NO extras by the end! 1. Independent 2. Natural Leader with initiative 3. Interpersonal skills 4. Literacy 5. Negotiating skills and influencing 6. Risk management 7. Numeracy 8. Motivated and Positive 9. Excellent time Management Skills 10. Creative 11. Problem solving 12. Team Worker 13. Good Communicator 14. Organised A B C D E F G H I J K L M N You are good at, and like working with other people You recognise dangers and are good at planning for them, dealing with them or overcoming them You have the willingness to make the first move and be the first to act if you think something needs doing You are excellent at sorting out what needs to be done and what is the most logical order of doing things is. You are able to stay calm and quickly work out ways of overcoming obstacles or difficulties in order to finish a task. You are good at using your imagination to come up with original ideas or can make something interesting and new. You are able to work alone with ease and do not always need someone telling you what needs to be done. You have excellent reading and writing skills and are creative with the written word. You enjoy and are skilled at meeting people, forming positive relationships and getting on with others. You are very good at calculations and at solving mathematical issues You find it easy to work to deadlines and you always have tasks completed on time. You offer ideas and are talented at convincing others whilst you always aim to reach a mutual agreement You express yourself clearly and always make sure that everyone clearly understands what you want or mean. You believe in yourself and always remain optimistic and have a can do attitude. Great. So now you know some useful skills vocabulary. As I am sure you know employers don t just look for qualifications but they also look for these personal skills. 10
Now think about all the things you do in school. You might be involved in some clubs or activities at school, you might be in a sports team or you might enjoy certain subjects. Think carefully and rate yourself out of 5 for each of the skills and provide evidence for at least three skills that you possess these skill. SKILL EXCELLENT FAIR NEED TO IMPROVE Teamwork/ Creative/ Organised Literacy Skills Numeracy Skills Problem Solving Good Communicator Managing Risks Negotiating and influencing Interpersonal Skills Independent Excellent Time Management Motivated and Positive Natural Leader showing initiative 11
What to do next Options at YR9: Part 3 Research Now it s time to investigate what kinds of jobs you would like to do after you leave school and what subjects you would need to opt for to help you get your perfect job. Knowing this will help you choose your options and get you started on the road to a career that you actually want! Read up on future jobs on this really useful website: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk Answer the following questions. You may find that you will have different answers for these questions for each course/job you are interested in. 1. When do you have to have made your choices by? 2. Where are the places that you can choose to further your education and training after Year 11? 3. What types of courses are available? 12 4. What qualifications are available to you in the future?
5. Would you consider taking these types of qualifications after school? 6. What else might you want to consider when making your choices? 7. Who else can help you with making your choices? Take into consideration HOW you like to learn and WHAT you want to do in future. Job 1 Job 2 Experience Pathway 1 Pathway 2 Option choices needed Other information 13
Activity 3: Job research Write down all the different routes you would personally consider after school. You need to make sure that you are considering more than one option. Now answer these questions: 1 Which job are you more interested in at the moment? 2 Are there different option choices that you need to make? 3 What additional research do you need to do? 4 Are there other jobs that you need to find out about before making your option choices? Excellent work! You have recorded your favourite subjects, favourite hobbies and also investigated your future job needs and desire. 14
It is a good idea to re-cap on your choices so far. Fill in the following details: Favourite Subjects Least Favourite Subjects Top Employability Skills Job Needs and Desires 15
ACTION PLAN You need to think carefully about your future choices, so try to make an action plan which you can look back on as you consider you options. Final choice of subjects for Year 10 Careers I have researched which involves some of these subjects GCSE Grades I need in these subjects Skills I need to develop to succeed in these subjects 16
Targets for preparing me for the start of GCSE work I need to improve: I need to speak to: I need to research: Your signature: Parent/Carer s signature: 17
Appendix LEVELS OF QUALIFICATIONS 18
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