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The Norwood School

Sixth Form Careers Roundup 

 

Welcome to our new Careers Roundup where we plan to keep you up to date with careers developments and opportunities in school and beyond. Today we are focusing on opportunities for the Sixth Form.

 

And now, the end is near

And so I face the final curtain

My Way, Frank Sinatra

For those of you in year 13, the end is in sight, as there are effectively only 8 months left of your school career. If nothing else, this thought should motivate you to get ready for your new life in 2018.

If you’re making an application to a competitive university course (Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry or vet science), it is time to make those final tweaks before the 15 October deadline.

Other intending university students – well, you have a couple of months longer, but you should bear in mind that early applications are much more likely to get an offer than those that arrive with the bulk of forms in December and January. Don’t sit on it, you should get going too!

If you are applying to a school leaver scheme, apprenticeship or gap year scheme, it’s time to start preparing to apply as well. Some of the top employers open their applications in the autumn, others will wait for the spring term. Don’t miss out! If you do your research now, you will be ready to target the ones you want when they come up. Student Ladder (www.studentladder.co.uk ) is a great resource for these schemes.

 

Listen as your day unfolds

Challenge what the future holds

Try and keep your head up to the sky

You Gotta Be, Des’ree

Welcome to Year 12! So you’ve just arrived and you trying to get to grips with Level 3 work, surely careers can take a backseat right now?

Well, that depends. If you want a good work experience placement, you should be starting your research shortly. Arranging work experience can take a surprisingly long time, so some effort put in now will pay big dividends later.

Likewise, if you are planning to apply for a competitive degree course then you should be making sure that you are aware of the kind of preparation required for your application. Reading widely, talking to people, attending events, exploring new concepts, visiting universities and keeping a reflective diary are all activities you could benefit from. Make sure you give yourself the time and keep your head up to the sky.

 

I'm A School Leaver... Get Me Out Of Here

Many employers have already started recruiting this year’s school and college leavers.  If you are a Year 13 who wants to move into work after the sixth form you should meet with the careers adviser for help with a personalised job hunting plan. Speak to your tutor for an appointment.

Vacancies can be found on the government's Find an Apprenticeship service, as well as the CLC Building Futures website which has a Weekly Opportunities bulletin focusing on London.

Student Ladder is also a good source of information on school leaver programmes including higher and degree apprenticeships (See below for more on this).

 

On Your Marks, Get Set, UCAS.

Year 12s wishing to continue into higher education after next year, will begin the process of applying to university via UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service - towards the end of Spring, start of next summer.

It is never too early to start your research.

A Degree without Fees?

Degree apprenticeships offer students the chance to gain a degree while working and have all their university fees paid for by their employer and the government. They are an excellent opportunity for anyone who is looking at a vocational degree subject such as engineering, IT or finance, even law.

This is an excellent summary of the what, where and how of degree apprenticeships:

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/apprenticeships/degree-apprenticeships  

Use the websites mentioned above, to find vacancies or try UCAS who have introduced a Career Finder which has apprenticeship - including degree apprenticeship - vacancies.