Careers Information Advice & Guidance

Preparing students for their future opportunities

This page contains careers information for students, employers and parents. It also includes links to resources and the latest BSG careers policy and the link to the Baker clause provider access statement is here.

Careers Programme

Our careers education and guidance provision aims to prepare all students for the vast range of opportunities open to them for their future and the changing nature of the world of work. Students are encouraged to develop an understanding of themselves, their strengths and skills to assist them in their future choices on leaving school. In line with the government’s statutory strategy and Gatsby Benchmarks measures, the careers education and guidance programme is embedded across all departments and delivered both through the PSHE (personal social and health education) and separate careers activities. We now provide a completely Impartial guidance interviews service delivered by a market leading provider to help us deliver our Provider Access Legislation commitments, ensuring all of our pupils are given the chance to explore the wide range of further study and careers options they have available to them.

Careers Staff

Miss Nikita Lee is our Careers Coordinator. She works alongside the Sixth Form Team and is also supported by the Senior Leadership Team. Miss Lee provides the link between our external provider of specialist careers advice and careers interviews (EDT) and Enterprise Advisers working closely with Dorset Careers Hub to ensure our careers service is fit for purpose and meeting all Gatsby benchmarks. She works with the school PSHE co-ordinator and Head of Sixth Form to devise the careers education throughout the school. For further details please contact nlee@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk.

Careers Leader

Nikita Lee

Link Governor

Zeena Bonds

Introducing Unifrog

Supporting students to #beambitious

Explore Future Pathways with Unifrog!

We’re thrilled to introduce Unifrog, an award-winning online careers platform now available to all students from Years 7 to 13. Unifrog empowers learners to make informed decisions about their futures through a range of tools suitable for every age group.

Key Features:
– Exploring Pathways: Personality quizzes, career profiles, MOOCs, and webinars.
– Recording: Track extracurricular activities and essential employability skills.
– Opportunities: Find live vacancies, courses, apprenticeships, and virtual work experiences.
– Applications: Build CVs, Personal Statements, and more.

Access:

Students use a unique sign-up code for their year group. Log in with email and password from any device. We are delighted to let parents know they also have access to their own account with UniFrog, if you would like the code, please email nlee@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk.

Support Your Child:
Engage with your child on Unifrog, providing valuable support in their decision-making journey.

For more information, visit [www.unifrog.org] or contact [careers@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk]

Review Process and Date

We are regularly assessing the success of our careers programme to ensure that we provide the best advice that we can to all of our students when choosing their own career path. We use the Gatsby benchmarks as a guide, in addition to regular Compass + evaluations of more than 50 careers-related activities that we plan for this academic year. These are reviewed with the Careers and Enterprise Company advisers in addition to our external careers advisers provided by EDT.

In addition to this, we conduct a formal review of all activity on an annual basis. The next formal review will take place in July 2024.

Information for Students

Year 7 to 11

Careers education starts from year 7 where students complete activities that help them learn about the wider world. This continues in Year 8. In year 9 students take part in a business project where they learn about setting up a business and the roles involved. They also take part in an employability skills workshop where they learn about work related skills to help prepare them for their year 10 work experience. Students explore their interests and GCSE option choices through PSHE and have the opportunity for individual guidance if appropriate. In Year 10 students complete work experience preparation. They may have the opportunity to have a mock interview with a local employer to help them prepare for their work experience in the summer term. Regular careers events are open to all students from Year 7 upwards. We have links with over 50 organisations including universities and employers who attend school and arrange talks on a wide range of careers.

. A Microsoft teams page has been created for the students to have frequent access to career related opportunities, there is a KS3 Careers page for the Year 7-9 and KS4 Careers Page targeted at the Year 10-11.

Year 10 Work Experience- the date for this years work experience will be Monday 19^th May-Friday 23^rd May 2025. Students have received a Work Experience Launch, a focus session ran by Laura from EDT; as well as a Parents Information Evening to help with the whole experience- please see the link to the PowerPoint if you were unable to attend (click here). Students have access to support from Miss Lee during Wednesday Lunchtime during the Work Experience Workshop, as well as access to speak to Miss Lee during Interval and Lunchtime. There is a teams page which students have access to, which will be frequently update with opportunities.

Whilst the majority of Year 11 move into the Sixth Form, we ensure that we help them explore all of their post 16 options through PSHE. We organise external speakers to help them explore their future opportunities.

Sixth Form

In years 12 & 13 the programme is tailored to informing them of their post 18 choices and preparing them for their next steps. The future planning day allows students to hear from a variety of speakers about their options including a gap year, applying for university, writing personal statements and apprenticeships. Employability talks give them an understanding of the key skills required for university and the world of work. Specialist talks and university visits take place throughout the year including an Oxbridge conference. Interview practice is available from governors and staff to help especially for those applying for Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science. Students are advised to have at least one careers interview to help them explore their options and help them plan their next steps. Our students enter a wide range of opportunities after Sixth Form. Students have regular updates of career opportunities via the Microsoft Teams Page under Careers Sixth Form, as well as emails forwarded to them by the sixth form team.

Information for Teachers

Careers Education is delivered as part of the wider PSHE (Personal Social and Health Education) and Core Studies programme. This is integrated into each year with external speakers such as employers and universities offering talks on preparing for the world of work and future pathways such higher education. The school has excellent links with many local businesses and universities, many attending careers events.

Students are encouraged to develop their employability skills through completing work experience in Year 10 and sixth form as well as through many volunteering opportunities including the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Careers is linked to curriculum subjects with clubs such as coding, STEM, Young Enterprise, FIRST TECH CHALLENGE Robotics and Geography encouraging students to develop wider skills and linking them to careers.

Our specialist external partner for external careers advice and interviews (EDT) provide in depth support in both for all students. All students receive a bespoke 1:1 30 minutes careers interview with our careers adviser in Year 11 and Year 12.

The school careers department are committed to achieving the Gatsby 8 Benchmarks by which schools measure their CEIAG provision. https://www.gatsby.org.uk/education/focus-areas/good-career-guidance

Information for Employers

We have developed good links with local employers who play an important role in raising awareness of the changing world of work through the various activities that take place. Students take part in enterprise activities such as 10X Challenge AND the Young Enterprise Programme.

Employer visits are organised for students to learn about the workplaces and the opportunities for their future.

Work experience takes place both in Year 10 and Sixth Form. We are always keen to hear from employers who are able to offer work experience placements for our students. Please contact us if you are interested in getting involved: workexperience@bsg.bournemouth.sch.uk

Information for Parents

We understand how important parents are in the careers education process. Each year we hold a post-18 options evening to raise awareness of the variety of options available after sixth form. Parents are welcome to attend the careers interviews and discuss their daughter’s career plans at parents evenings. The annual careers convention is a good opportunity for parents to talk to local employers and find out more about the wide variety of career opportunities. The resources section below contains links to a number of websites which you may find useful in helping guide your child.

Events coming up

Alumni

Rebecca left BSG in 2021 to start a degree apprenticeship at BAE Systems. As part of this programme she is working towards an Aerospace Engineering degree at Plymouth University. She is a member of her company’s STEM Courage programme, as well as giving mentorship to Arkwright scholars.

Natasha left BSG in 2017 to join Superior Seals and their degree apprenticeship programme. As part of this programme she is working towards a Chemistry degree at Southampton University. She has been awarded ‘The South West Engineering Rising Star’ award and is now in the final for a this national award, a fantastic achievement. Read the article

Tilly left BSG in 2017 to start an apprenticeship in Financial Services at JP Morgan. Whilst completing this she has had a remarkable impact in raising awareness about apprenticeships and been nominated for a national award. She has gone on to to complete her apprenticeship with distinction and has now secured a permanent role within JP Morgan. Read the article

I left BSG sixth form when the COVID lockdown hit in 2020. I found myself struggling to want to leave home to go to university during such uncertain times so I decided to take a gap year where I found out about degree apprenticeships and never looked back. I’m now a thriving member of my company Ageas, helping out with recruitment processes. Diversity and inclusion issues, planning IT-wide events, alongside my day-to-day job and achieving a first in my first year at university.

Resources

General Careers

The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance on learning and work opportunities. Call 0800 100 900.

Amazing Apprenticeships provides information on the different apprenticeships including a parent pack.

Not Going To Uni provides information on alternatives to higher education.

Unifrog is a careers platform for students in years 9-13 where they can research their pathways and career ideas. They can also use it to submit their university applications. Each student has been assigned a form code which they can use to create an account.

With physical work experience placements difficult to secure due to the current COVID restrictions, here is a resource providing virtual work experience opportunities.

University Choices

http://www.ucas.ac.uk
Information on applying to university and course search.

https://discoveruni.gov.uk
Compare different universities and courses.

https://university.which.co.uk
Search and compare course using different criteria.

Specialist Areas

https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/
LMI for All -Good information on labour markets

Springpod – https://www.springpod.com/

Try before you buy work experience and courses

https://www.speakersforschools.org/

Speakers for Schools – Work experience opportunities

http://www.fulbright.org.uk
Information on studying in the USA.

https://www.astarfuture.co.uk
Information on studying abroad.

https://www.uniq.ox.ac.uk
Summer school at Oxford University.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/summer-schools
Cambridge University Summer Schools.

https://www.etrust.org.uk/the-year-in-industry
Professional placements working in industry.