Year 9 Careers Talk - Routes into Work

'Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it'

This quote from British journalist, columnist, author and radio presenter Katherine Whitehorn set the scene for a session for Year 9s about “Routes into work”.

Delivered by Mrs. Visram, Alleyn’s Head of Careers, pupils were encouraged to lean into their careers curiosity and learned about different pathways to employment and entrepreneurship. “Routes into work” is a topic in the PSHE curriculum under "Living in the wider world". The focus around choices and pathways includes pupils:

• Knowing about the options available to them at the end of key stage 3, sources of information, advice and support, and the skills to manage this decision-making process
• Gaining insights about routes into work, training and other vocational and academic opportunities, and progression routes
• Understanding the benefits of setting ambitious goals and being open to opportunities in all aspects of life

... and more...

It is essential for us here at Alleyn’s, to ensure that our students never feel like they did not know they had a multitude of options in relation to what their journey from education to the working world could involve.

As such, this session not only gave some insights into the traditional university route but was also clear about the availability of apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships – all of which will be options for them in the coming years.

Interactivity was a key part of the session. One Y9 took up the challenge to name 20 jobs (which he did brilliantly – encouraged by peers) and all staff members in the room kindly answered the question “Did you always want to work in education?” which yielded some fascinating responses. Their shares reflected a key message we share at Alleyn’s, about career paths being "squiggly" (a term coined by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis in their book Squiggly Careers). Careers may be a 50+ year journey so do develop and morph over time. Where you begin in your career is not always where you end up – one of the many reasons why quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) isn’t just necessary in schools, colleges and universities – but also beyond.

We’re looking forward to future careers initiatives with Year 9s and in the meanwhile, they are encouraged to explore the Careers section of the Hub, reflect on employability skills they are building (via their Unifrog accounts)... and Alleyn’s pupils as well as any other pupils aged 13+ can also explore a variety of career areas through virtual work experience platform Springpod.