Students are entitled to a Careers Programme which will:

1. Enable students of all abilities to make informed choices relating to their education and future Career Plans.
2. Support all of our students to become confident, independent, lifelong learners and achieve their full potential.

Why is it important?

1. Preparation for work.
2. Provides access to accurate, relevant and up to date information about pathways to Further Education, Employment & Training.
3. Supports your understanding of the current labour market and how the changes affect you.

How does it support student development?

Careers Education is an important part of Work Related Learning.

It involves:

Who can help?

Parents/Carers, your involvement is very important. Please talk with your child about future Career plans and use online resources together.

It is important that students at Joseph Leckie Academy are given as much information, advice and guidance as possible when considering their future aspirations. Please click on the links from the students drop down menu in order to explore the information that is available in greater depth.

​This website is here to help you, but even more important is that you also discuss your future with people who will be able to give you advice; these include your parents / family members, teachers, Form Tutor, Head of Year, the Careers Advisor and our Careers Leader.

​If you would like to book in for a 1:1 Careers information, advice ad guidance session with our Careers Advisor, please see the Careers Administrator in reception or email C.Ebanks@josephleckieacademy.co.uk from your school email address and give your name, year group, form and why you would like to book the session. The Careers Advisor is available for drop-in's at break time on a Tuesday and Thursday in the PDP office.

​Volunteering is an excellent way to boost your CV or UCAS application and gain valuable experience of the workplace. Volunteering is also a great way to give back to your local community. Here are a few ideas to get started:

• Ask your Form Tutor, Head of Year or Head of House if there are any roles or clubs you can join in the Academy.
• If you have your own idea for a new extra-curricular club, speak to your Head of House.
• Year 11 and 12 students can take part in NCS (National Citizens Service), an excellent fun filled project: www.ncsyes.co.uk
• www.vinspired.com
• www.ncvo.org.uk
• Think about joining a local Cadet Force. 

This area of our Careers Website is aimed at helping parents and carers source the information to help support young people in their future decisions. 

​Unifrog: A large part of your child's careers activities will take place on Unifrog which is an online careers platform. Your child will have a login for Unifrog, and you could ask them to log in and use their account or you could contact our Careers Leader, Mrs C Ebanks-Powell who can get you set up with a parent account. There is a lot of information on careers, college, sixth form, university and apprenticeships on Unifrog, so this would be a great first port of call when looking to help your child with their careers decisions.

​Go to https://www.unifrog.org/sign-in to sign in to Unifrog.

​Educational Options: Helping your child decide their next options whether that be choose their Key Stage 4 subjects, or what to do after completing Year 11/13 can be a difficult thing. There are a variety of routes available once your child leaves Joseph Leckie Academy, please click on the links below to find out more.

​Types of Jobs: Students who have a vision of where they want to be in the future may find it easier to plan their next steps more easily. To help students and parents to get an idea of what jobs are out there we would suggest using the Careers Search function on Unifrog and also looking at some of the following websites:

• https://www.careersbox.co.uk/ Useful careers advice videos
• https://www.careeralchemy.co.uk/inspired-teenager.html Information to support you and your child
• https://www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk/ Support finding a job after school
• https://www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk/ Support finding a job after school
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-parents-guide-to-apprenticeships A parents guide to apprenticeships
• https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/ Advice on alternatives to university
• https://www.shaw-trust.org.uk/ Careers advice specially tailored for disabled students
• https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/ Take a Skills Health Check to help your child decide on a future career
• https://icould.com/ Explore different career profiles
• https://www.milkround.com/school-leavers/jobs/ Careers advice for school leavers
• https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ Fantastic overall careers advice, with job profiles giving lots of information of different careers
• http://www.futuremorph.org/ Carer opportunities in science and maths
• https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles NHS job roles

​Local Labour Market Information: With development in technology there are now numerous jobs that did not exist 10 years ago. It is important to keep up to date with what is happening locally, nationally and internationally. In regards to local industry, the Black Country is a hotbed for engineering and there are many new and exciting opportunities which are available to young people in this sector. For More information about Local Labour Market Information, click here

Joseph Leckie Academy is committed to providing high quality Careers, Education, Information, Advice and Guidance to help inspire students and to enable them to make rational informed career decisions. Joseph Leckie Academy aims to meet all eight benchmarks identified by the Gatsby Foundation.

Mrs Ebanks-Powell our Careers Leader believes that the provision and delivery of careers education as not being the responsibility of a Careers Leader and a small number of teachers in the Academy, but of all staff at Joseph Leckie Academy.

At Joseph Leckie Academy we would like all subject areas to do the following:

• have a prominent display that links subject learning and skill development to different careers
• develop links with businesses and organisations
• to invite alumni and other external speakers to come into school (virtually where an actual visit is not feasible)
• where appropriate to organise external visits by students to local businesses/organisations
• record careers learning opportunities for students in schemes of learning - and encourage students to update their activities on Unifrog
• take part in National Careers Week where all teachers start their lesson with a careers focus, such as talking about their career pathway or showing a short film where people in a range of job roles explain the relevance of skills developed in a particular subject area to their role. 
• explore the possibility of developing real projects/challenges for students with a local business or organisation e.g. a local company setting IT students the task of designing/updating their website
• consider the needs and interests of all students and ensure that information challenges stereotyping including gender and disability

Subject teachers will be supported to develop and integrate careers learning opportunities into their schemes of learning through INSET sessions and/or informal discussion with our Careers Team. This will include the opportunity at least once a year, to meet representatives of local businesses and organisations on the Academy site.

There are a range of resources on the market that suggest ways of incorporating careers learning into different subject areas. The Careers Education and Guidance area on SharePoint has lots of useful resources which can be used, and will be updated by the Careers Team regularly.

Useful websites:

• https://www.unifrog.org/sign-in​
• https://www.careerpilot.org.uk
• https://www.startprofile.com/getting-started-teachers/
• https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
• https://icould.com/ 
• https://www.prospects.ac.uk/ 
• http://www.futuremorph.org/ 
• https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles

Local businesses - we need your expertise!

At Joseph Leckie Academy we are busy working with your future employees. We need your help to raise their career aspirations, develop their employability skills and learn more about the opportunities that are available to them in the West Midlands.

​Being part of our business support network will provide you moments of great satisfaction but striving to make a difference can also be an exciting challenge! Having employers like you helping to inspire young minds and transform attitudes through a range of activities and opportunities is the foundation of an excellent careers programme as set out by the Gatsby Foundation's eight benchmarks of good practice and the Careers and Enterprise Company.

​Joseph Leckie Academy has the benefit of a key business volunteer who works with us on a strategic level, encouraging the development of our careers programme and connecting us to the business community across the county. This role is recognised nationally as an Enterprise Advisor (EA) and they are part of the Black Country Careers Hub community of support driving the connection between careers education and the business sector. 

​Our current Enterprise Advisor is Ms K Betts and Mrs C Ebanks-Powell would be delighted to have a chat with you about getting involved in our programme of activity, or to answer any questions about the challenges that you may face in giving time to our careers programme.

​Ways to support our Careers Programme:

• Be part of our Mock interviews with Year 11 students and help them structure their CVs
• Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities
• Give an inspiring talk based on your industry or job role
• Provide a coaching/mentoring service through a structured programme
• Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise
• Be part of our discussions about pathways after school, eg. apprenticeships
• Help champion specific issues and challenge barriers in the workplace around gender stereotyping, disability etc...
• Help bring a subject lesson to life by linking it to your industry
• Offer a work experience placement for students at you business premises
• Become an ambassador supporting employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school

​What to expect:

By getting involved you will not only be supporting future workforce development and helping to broaden the minds of the young people but you will also be developing new skills for your staff, forging community links and building a positive profile for your company. 

​We will support you throughout your visit to us to ensure we maximise the use of your valuable time.  Our Careers Leader is Mrs C Ebanks-Powell (c.ebanks@josephleckieacademy.co.uk) and they will:

• Be your main point of contact for all enquiries
• Organise pre-meets/discussions/information for activities you sign up to
• Provide you details of the local arrangements including parking, facilities and our safeguarding policy. 
• Conduct a short evaluation with you to ensure we are getting things right.
• With your permission add you to our network and keep you up to date with future activities.

Former Joseph Leckie students will have had a unique and diverse educational experience - now you could share your knowledge and skills with our current students to help them on their career paths. Our Careers Team are always on the look out for alumni volunteers to help support our current students via the Academy's Careers Programme.

​Ways to support our Careers Programme:

• Be part of our Mock interviews with Year 11 students and help them structure their CVs
• Get involved in extracurricular clubs and activities
• Give an inspiring talk based on your industry or job role
• Provide a coaching/mentoring service through a structured programme
• Run a hands-on workshop with activities relating to your area of expertise
• Be part of our discussions about pathways after school, eg apprenticeships
• Help champion specific issues and challenge barriers in the workplace around gender stereotyping, disability etc
• Help bring a subject lesson to life by linking it to your industry
• Offer a work experience placement for students at you business premises
• Become an ambassador supporting employment routes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and offer a work experience placement that is co-supported by the school

​We are also keen to feature profiles of our alumni on our website and on display throughout the Academy site. If you are interested in supporting our Careers Programme and/or featuring on our Alumni profiles then please complete the form below and a member of the Careers Team will get in touch.

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