Three, small group career sessions
What is Next Step Ready?
Next Step Ready offers, 3 small group careers sessions to students who might benefit from this additional career support in Y9, 10 or 11 delivered by qualified career advisers from the Careerpilot Team based at the University of Bath (costs apply).
Target groups include NEET, Refugees, Pupil Premium, students from Service Families and SEND in some contexts.
The sessions are delivered over three separate days to groups of 4-5 students at a time - one hour per session - 5 sessions per day, so we can work with a maximum of 25 students over the duration of the programme.
The aim of the careers programme is to support students to get 'Next Step Ready', helping them explore their motivations, develop their skills, explore their next steps and plan for their future career.
We are based at the University of Bath so the sessions are only available in a reasonable 'travel to work' area from our base, mainly the West of England and Swindon & Wiltshire Careers Hubs areas.
Feedback on Next Step Ready
What the students say:
We've already worked with 145 students on the Next Step Ready programme and have had some great feedback. Here are some things students found useful about taking part in Next Step Ready:
"it helped me decide what I want to do for the future"
"learning all the different things I can do involving the things I'm looking for in jobs"
"speaking with someone about my options"
"being able to check where the best place is for what I want to do"
"learning about the job I want and being open minded"
What the teachers say:
"The sessions supported students with all aspects of career planning. The students feel much more confident."
"Amazing help for students."
"The project was the first of it's kind and I think there is a definite gap in the market to help students of this background (from the refugee community) with deciding their future options, and help their understanding of British systems and the decisions they will have to be making in Year 11. Well worth doing, and the staff delivering the sessions are professional, knowledgeable and compassionate, your students will be in safe hands." Teacher in one school
Teachers agreed the Next Step Ready sessions had the following impact on their students:
- 80% - more able to make decisions;
- 100% - explored jobs and future courses;
- 80% - can see how doing as well as they can in school links to future career options;
- 80% feel more confident to make a plan for their future.
How it works:
- The school identifies the students who will benefit from these sessions and provides a space with a computer/laptop for each student.
- Students will be in groups of 5 for a 50-60 minute lesson and have three sessions over a period of one to three months. The sessions will be delivered to align with the career choices they are exploring or making in that year. A member of school staff will be expected to support the sessions.
- The sessions will be delivered by a qualified career adviser with either a Level 6 or 7 career guidance qualification, all work for the Careerpilot Team and are employed through the University of Bath. All have Enhanced DBS Certificates.
- The sessions will help students through a career decision-making process and support them in understanding more about their own motivations and where these could take them. As they proceed through the 3 sessions students will complete a workbook of their personal choices.
- In the final session the adviser will support the students to create a next stage plan which will be written as a short report with useful and personalised links, available to the student and the link school staff member.
- As part of the session the students will set up their own Careerpilot account and have access to it until they are 20.
Costs:
The costs of this programme in 24-25 will be £1500 for all three sessions, that's £60 per student!
The Careerpilot Team provides all the materials which includes a workbook for each student.