Careers Advice & Guidance
Welcome to Careers @ St. Michael’s
At St. Michael’s we are committed to enabling our students to become the person God intended them to be, supporting them to make sense of the world and to seek out their unique purpose in life.
Therefore, our careers curriculum is at the heart of what we do at St. Michael’s. Not only will our school equip our students with the top qualifications, we also focus on enabling students to develop the skills and attitudes that will enrich their lives and lead to successful careers.
Please see below for a summary of our careers programme; our recently updated Careers Policy; information on Unifrog, the platform we use to aid students in searching for university and careers information and for tracking their engagement with the careers curriculum; a welcome to employers and those who may wish to work with us as part of our careers curriculum; and useful links for students and parents which give information on careers, universities, apprenticeships and the labour market.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mr. Neil Hinnem
Assistant Headteacher: Head of Sixth Form, SENCO & Careers Lead 02084462256
Video from Mr Stonehouse our Independent Careers advisor
Careers Programme
Our careers curriculum begins at the start of a student’s journey in St. Michael’s. In Year 7, students will be introduced to Unifrog and how to find information about different careers. Through tutorial lessons, students will also begin to understand the importance of developing their skills and will attend a careers panel with former St. Michael’s students who will explain their journey from St. Michael’s to their current career.
In Year 8, students have another opportunity to quiz ex-students on their skills, university experiences and jobs. Students will also learn more about how to explore careers options. As Year 9 marks GCSE options choices, students will understand how to link their subjects and interests to their subject choices. They will also make links between GCSE subjects, A-Level options and university study. All students will take part in a finance and enterprise conference where they will learn from employers in these fields. When students make their GCSE option choices, they will also be introduced to some information on the labour market.
Through the Year 10 tutorial programme, students will begin to learn how to sell themselves to potential employers through CVs, applications and interviews. All Year 10 students will complete a two-week work experience to put their careers learning to the test. In Year 11, all students receive an impartial 1-2-1 careers guidance interview as well as support with selecting A-Level subjects. Students will also be introduced to the importance of the super-curricular and how to make their future university application truly stand out.
As students reach the ‘business end’ of their time at St. Michael’s, the sixth form careers curriculum offers an immersion into the world of work through varied and intensive sessions on job applications and assessment centres, apprenticeship opportunities, how a gap year can be used well and vital information on the graduate labour market and the important role of trade unions and work-related legislation. All Year 12 students will take part in a further one week’s work experience and continue with 1-2-1 careers guidance interviews. Students will also attend further education conferences such as the UCAS conference. Bespoke guidance is given to all students whatever degree they have chosen to apply for, including practice interview sessions for those applying for Oxbridge and Medicine.
St. Michael’s is supported by our independent Careers Adviser, Mr. Gerry Stonehouse, who offers individualised and impartial advice.
Unifrog
Every student at St. Michael’s has access to Unifrog (unifrog.org), an online platform that provides both access to the world’s largest database of post-16 and post-18 opportunities (including careers and higher education) and a tool for students to record their engagement with the school’s careers curriculum.
In St. Michael’s, students use Unifrog to:
- Search for higher education and careers information
- Record their interactions and engagement with the careers curriculum, including: one-to-one interviews with the school’s Careers Adviser; relevant school trips; work experience; attendance at careers/higher education events both in and out of school.
- Map their curricular, super-curricular and extra-curricular achievements against competency-based assessments
Welcome to Employers
‘Employers can give an authentic picture of work that schools alone can never convey’ (Gatsby Report on Good Careers Guidance, 2014)
Careers are about employment and employers are an important part of our careers programme here at St Michael’s. Our students need to know and understand the career options which are right for them, to understand enough about the labour market, to know what opportunities there will be, what changes are occurring, and, crucially, what skills will be needed for their future success.
St. Michael’s positively welcomes employer involvement in our careers curriculum for all our students from Year 7 to Year 13. We strongly believe that it is through multiple encounters with employers that our students will be inspired by real life contact to build an informed and rich picture of the world of work.
If you are interested in working with us, please contact:
Neil Hinnem, Assistant Headteacher: Careers Lead (nhinnem@st-michaels.barnet.sch.uk)
Gerry Stonehouse, Careers Adviser (Gerry.Stonehouse@barnet.gov.uk)
Useful links
Careers Information
This site presents a variety of highly informative graduate job profiles, including an excellent section on ‘what can I do with my degree’.
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/
This is the official government careers website which features a vast careers library and comprehensive matching tests.
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/
This site is an accessible starting point to a careers discussion.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/careers
Universities
The links below give advice directly from UCAS, the university and college application service.
https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/ucas-undergraduate-advice-parents-and-guardians
https://www.ucas.com/explore/subjects
These websites give information about key league table information such as student satisfaction with course, teacher to student ratio, and entry requirements.
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings
https://discoveruni.gov.uk/
This site gives important information for those considering applying to Oxbridge.
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/applying-to-uni/guide-to-applying-for-oxford-and-cambridge-university
These sites explain the Russell Group of universities and give advice on what A-Levels suit which particular courses at the Russell Group universities.
https://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/
https://www.informedchoices.ac.uk/Information on Student Finance
https://www.ucas.com/student-finance-england/student-finance-guidance-parents-and-partners
Apprenticeships
https://amazingapprenticeships.com/
https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/
https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/planning-to-study/degree-apprenticeships-guide-for-apprentices/find-a-degree-apprenticeship/
The Labour Market
The Careerometer gives information on the average salary for jobs and whether that area of work is growing or shrinking
https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/careerometer/
Wheretheworkis gives up-to-date data on which occupations have the most openings
http://wheretheworkis.org/
The ONS website for comprehensive statistics about the labour market
https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/nesscontent/dvc126/ashemap.html#select=full&name=All&ind=3
