As part of Princethorpe College’s aim to develop well-rounded young citizens who are prepared for the world they will be entering, we have made some changes to our approach to Employability Skills and Work Experience.
Pupils currently in Year 10 will benefit from an enhanced programme designed to give them an even greater insight into the world of work and therefore assist with their career decisions and aspirations. This will also put them in the best position to apply for competitive courses and employment opportunities.
The most important part of this process is Work Experience. It has been shown that all pupils gain immeasurable benefits from their placements; not only can a good placement teach a pupil a lot about an area of work that he or she may be interested in, but it can also develop communication skills, self-confidence, initiative and teamwork.
We are therefore dedicating the week beginning Monday 29 June 2020 to Year 10 work experience placements. This focus reflects the importance that we place on pupils gaining experience in a real working environment.
Pupils are expected to find their own placement(s) through friends, family or through other initiatives. Although we expect pupils to complete a minimum of a one-week placement, two weeks are better, and pupils can, if they wish, undertake more than one placement. Many of our previous pupils have done this.
Many large employers offer work experience placements through competitive application processes and I will publicise these through the Careers section of the Flagpole over the coming months. Many of the most prestigious ones are very competitive and fill up by January and February. Where employer placements are fixed dates that do not coincide with the dates above, please let me know as soon as possible. If these fall within term time, then authorisation will be considered on a case by case basis depending on the nature of the experience and the timing. Obviously, pupils may also complete extra work experiences during their holiday periods as they wish.
As soon as a placement has been found, please return this form to me. Please return completed forms by Friday 24 May at the latest (earlier if possible!)
In order to help pupils prepare for this process and to give them an insight into employability skills we have an employability programme delivered in school. This started with a REAL time session on Thursday 3 October where pupils heard from Sixth Formers about their own work experience placements. They were also given a login to Unifrog, our destinations platform, which they will use throughout the rest of their time at Princethorpe to write CVs, record key competencies, look for university courses and apprenticeships, research different careers and prepare applications. Please ask them to share this with you as I’m sure you will find it a fascinating resource.
Pupils will have the opportunity to become more familiar with Unifrog during forthcoming tutor sessions led by Upper Sixth Formers. They will also use one REAL time session later in the term where they will be directed which areas to focus on.
Also, to assist pupils with finding out more about Careers, we will be holding our bi-annual Careers Fair on the morning of Saturday 21 March 2020. Please put this date in your diary as it promises to be bigger and better than ever.
The Careers team will also start conducting one-to-one interviews with Year 10 pupils later in the year and these will continue into Year 11. I will also be available at Parents’ Evenings and Academic Review Evenings if you want to discuss any aspects of work experience or the employability programme. If you have a pressing question however, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers