St John Plessington Catholic College

SJP Careers

Click below for information surrounding the many aspects of careers advice and guidance at St John Plessington Catholic College

If you would like to give feedback or feel you could help with our careers programme in terms of opportunities such as work experience, or in being a guest speaker with respect to your own career experiences, please do not hesitate to contact  Mr Les Wellens (HFCMAT Careers Lead).

Telephone: 0151 645 5049 or email: careers@stjohnplessington.com

The Date of the Next Review of Careers Information on this page is September 2023

Unifrog  

Careers at SJP: Unifrog

Helping students find their future

Unifrog is an online platform that allows students to explore different careers, from Year 7 to 9, post-16 and post-18 options. Unifrog brings all the available information into one, impartial, user-friendly platform to help students to make the best choices, provide appropriate information, and support with the submission of the strongest applications when applying for the next steps.

Explore what subjects you would be interested in studying and how these choices can lead to different career paths and higher education.

  • Discover from year 7 and sign up to online courses in areas that you’re interested in.
  • See what is needed to make a successful application to post-16/18 options.
  • Explore how to successfully apply to an apprenticeship or university course, including universities abroad.

www.unifrog.org/

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Policy 2022-2023
 

Career Profiler  

The GetMyFirstJob Career Profiler is designed to give pupils an understanding of personality and the career areas that could be best suited to them, to help guide students down the right path.

Check out the Careers Quiz here

The Complete Guide to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships 

Get my first job - where it all starts. 

A survey showed that 28% of people had no idea what they wanted to do after school. So we've created a useful guide outlining all the available paths candidates can consider. 

Take a look at the Guide

Enjoy Engineering? 

Apprenticeship Information 

Apprentices earn a wage and work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills, whilst studying for a nationally recognised qualification with a training provider or local college. Apprenticeships can be complete in one year or some will last for a total of four years. Apprenticeships are designed with the help of the employers in the industry, so they offer a structured programme that takes you through the skills you need.

Levels

Apprenticeships are increasingly recognised as the gold standard for work-based training.

  1. Intermediate Level Apprenticeships (equivalent of getting 5 GCSEs at grade 9-4)
  2. Advanced Level Apprenticeships (equivalent to 2 A-level passes)
  3. Higher Apprenticeships (equivalent to a foundation degree)

Pay

The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £3.70 per hour. This rate applies to apprentices under 19 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year.

Applying for an Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are open to all age groups above 16 years-old whether you are just leaving school, have been working for years or are seeking to start a new career. There may be different entry requirements depending on the Apprenticeship and the industry sector. However competition for places with employers can be fierce, so you will need to show that you are committed, and aware of your responsibilities to both yourself and the company who would employ you.

All apprenticeships will be advertised @ https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

You will need to register on the site and search for apprenticeships using keywords, job roles and location. If you see any of interest you need to apply on line and you can apply for up to 10 vacancies at any one time. On the site you will complete an application and you will need to complete this to the best of your ability as this may be sent straight to employers. Some vacancies may direct you direct to the employers website to follow their application process.

For other helpful websites please see links below;

 

Parents’ Information Pack download

A-Levels 

If you have a particular interest in subjects or a certain career in mind then studying at St John Plessington Sixth Form could be the option for you. When considering your A-Levels it is important to note there will be entry grade requirements you need to achieve at GCSE.

It is also a good idea to look at your potential future career ideas and map them out looking at potential subject requirements, particularly if you are considering university post-18.  For example, to study engineering at degree level, Maths will be an essential A-Level alongside at least one other science-based subject.  Medicine will require you to study Chemistry and Biology at A-Level and one from either Physics or Maths.

Have an idea of your future ideal career(s) and where you would like to be in ten years’ time and work backwards. Consider qualifications and experience you would need to gain to make that transition possible.

For more information on A-Level subject combinations and facilitating subjects please see the link below.

University visits – Open Days 

Students who are considering university courses are strongly advised to visit a number of universities. Visits on Open Days or at other times may provide a student with a clear idea of where to go or where not to go. The buildings – campus or not – and, in particular, the location of student accommodation is better experienced first hand.

Each student will usually be allowed a maximum of 3 Open Day visits.

University-Virtual-Experiences.

Interview Preparation 

Students can request the opportunity to practise their interview technique prior to attending university interviews. Similarly, students seeking employment may request interview preparation training sessions. This should be arranged via the Head of Work Related Learning.

Community Work 

The expectation is that all students will complete an hour a week of Community Work. This could be working with staff at SJP mentoring or coaching younger pupils or arranged through an outside agency. Students will be expected to keep a log of the hours they complete for this community work which will provide a useful point of information to include in their reference.

Pearson Business School - The employability guide 2021 

Information for Employers 

St John Plessington Catholic College appreciate and welcome all businesses and employers to get involved. 
If you are looking at recruiting an apprentice please visit the Apprenticeship Hub.

If you are looking to connect with schools in your area have a look at the Growth Platform Careers Hub for further details.
If you are willing to contribute to our Careers, Work Related Learning and Enterprise programme in school in any of the following areas. Please get in touch with our Careers Leader all notes above regarding our schools provider access policy:

Mr Stephen Harvey
Direct line: 0151 645 5049
careers@stjohnplessington.com


Can you help with any of the following: We need you!

We have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram if you wish to connect through them platforms also.
All our social media channels use the username: @SJPHeadTeacher

12 Days of Industry Insights 

Application for Provider Access – St John Plessington