Careers at The Macclesfield Academy
Career Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) contributes to student achievement by raising aspirations, confidence and motivation. Our careers programme informs students of the range of pathways available and raises awareness of the workplace skills and careers relevant to curriculum subjects they study. As well as engaging and inspiring students in the world of work through employer and educational encounters and visits.
Career related learning provides our students with a range of opportunities beyond the core curriculum which support their development, so students are fully equipped for the next phase of their lives. Delivery through personal, social health education, personal development time and curriculum areas; helps students understand the relationship between their own employability skills and the needs of the local labour market, whilst improving their career management skills.
Our careers programme allows students to be ambitious and empowers them to make informed choices at the final stages of their time at The Macclesfield Academy through impartial careers advice.
Careers Education Vision
"Students at The Macclesfield Academy are ambitous, positive and open minded to explore opportunities and make informed decisions. Our students aspire to achieve positive career outcomes as they engage in meaningful discussions embedded through our curriculum. Students are known and valued as they strife for academic excellence to successfully transition to their post 16-destination.”
The Careers Team
Mrs M Fallon
Careers Lead
Responsible for delivery of the school’s careers programme and holds an overview of careers provision for the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Email: Mikaela.Fallon@macclesfieldacademy.org
Mr P Reed
Assistant Headteacher
Responsible for student development, including Careers provision.
Email: Paul.Reed@macclesfieldacademy.org
CEIAG delivery
CEIAG is delivered through our PSHE and PDT programme for Years 7-11. The programme is delivered by school staff and co-ordinated by the Careers Lead and Pastoral Leaders with additional input from impartial external providers. Students in Years 7-11 engage with careers activities through the weekly personal development programme including a variety of activities such as Labour Market Information (LMI), Careers Action Plans (CAPs) and meaningful discussions as well as interacting with external providers. Curriculum areas promote careers related learning by relating subjects to employability skills and future pathways and career opportunities.
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All students in Years 7-11 have access to the START Platform. Start is a free, online careers platform designed to connect 11-16 year olds with their future career potential. It combines the most comprehensive source of information with a personalised experience and career planning tools, helping our students to make more informed decisions about their future study and career options, as well as developing their employability. Students also receive impartial careers advice through careers guidance interviews through our external provider Mploy Solutions.
If you are an employer or education provider and wish to come into school, please contact Mr C Worstencroft. For further information on opportunities available and post 16 destinations please visit the post 16 – destinations and providers webpage.
Baker Clause Statement
As a school, we welcome the opportunity for our students to find out about technical education qualifications, apprenticeship opportunities and university prospects. We encourage our local education and training providers to visit the school and engage with all our year groups.
If you wish to arrange a visit, please contact our Careers Lead Chris Worstencroft.
At The Macclesfield Academy CEIAG includes:
Year 7:
- Develop practical team building skills
- Discuss jobs & careers of the future
- Investigate Labour Market Information (LMI)
- Create their own online ‘Start Profile’, including their interests and working styles and careers to investigate
- Have an encounter with an employer/employee
- Have an introduction to university
- Access to careers events, guest speakers and enterprise morning through the PSHE collapsed day
- Have the opportunity to request, or be directed towards, specific careers guidance interviews with our independent Careers Advisor
Year 8:
- Develop problem solving knowledge and continue to develop practical team building skills
- Discuss up to date LMI and local opportunities
- Participate in ex-student talks
- Discuss their aspirations
- Further develop their own online ‘Start Profile’, including:
- Updating skills and interests
- Identifying additional career areas to explore
- Have encounters with employers/employees
- Receive Year 9 Pathways advice, including EBACC and Preparation Pathways
- Access to careers events, guest speakers and enterprise morning through the PSHE collapsed day
- Have the opportunity to request, or be directed towards, specific careers guidance interviews with our independent Careers Advisor
Year 9:
- Opportunities to meet and talk to:
- Local and national employers and employees
- FE providers
- HE providers
- Apprenticeship providers
- Traineeship providers
- Volunteer organisations
- Further develop their own online ‘Start Profile’, including:
- Updating skills and interests
- Identifying additional career areas to explore
- Receive Year 10 Pathways advice via parents evening, pathway evening and PDT engagement which including EBACC opportunities
- Access to careers events, guest speakers and enterprise morning through the PSHE collapsed day.
- Have the opportunity to request, or be directed towards, specific careers guidance interviews with our independent Careers Advisor
- Discuss up to date LMI and local opportunities
Year 10:
- Mock interview process for Y10 students supported by Macclesfield Rotary Club.
- Bespoke opportunities to engage with employers
- Have encounters with FE providers – Colleges, Sixth Forms, Apprenticeships, Training Providers (assemblies)
- Further develop their own online ‘Start Profile’, including:
- Updating work experience
- Identifying additional career areas to explore
- Have encounters with HE providers
- Have encounters with Apprenticeship providers
- Attend local careers fair
- Have the opportunity to request, or be directed towards, specific careers guidance interviews with our independent Careers Advisor
Year 11:
- Have encounters with FE providers – Colleges, Sixth Forms, Apprenticeships, Training Providers (assemblies)
- Be provided details about open events held by Post 16 providers
- Attend taster days at local Sixth Form providers
- Complete application forms
- Complete an interview with an external partner
- Have encounters with HE providers
- Have encounters with Apprenticeship providers
- Review online reputation
- Further develop their own online ‘Start Profile’, including:
- Updating work experience and CV
- Identifying additional career areas to explore
- Have an individual careers guidance interview with our independent Careers Advisor
All students will have access to Careers displays in each subject area to highlight possible jobs where the subject can lead (Department Handbooks URL). Careers elements are also embedded into lessons by all subject areas.
Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
By having a structured programme of events, monitoring and evaluation allows us to ensure the quality of our provision and this informs our future programme planning.
Monitoring activities adopted by The Macclesfield Academy are:
- Learning walks
- Lesson observations
- Questionnaires – students, staff, parents & carers, external agencies
- Student voice
Evaluation activities are used to measure the impact of our careers programme and inform planning of future events.
Evaluation activities adopted by The Macclesfield Academy are:
- Analysis of whole school careers tracking
- Feedback from personal guidance interviews
- Lesson observations/learning walks
- Questionnaires – students, staff, parents & carers, external agencies
- Student voice
- Destination data