Ormiston SWB Academy

Raising aspirations from Year 7 onwards.

Here at Ormiston SWB Academy we encourage students to raise their aspirations from Year 7 onwards.

You can get in touch with our Aspirations and CEG Lead Mr L Wall via email or call the Academy on 01902 493797.

To view our Provider Access Policy and Careers Policy please visit our Policies Page.

Please see below for links to our careers programme.

NEW! In our on-going mission to provide all students with outstanding careers education and support, this year we have subscribed to the award-winning careers platform Unifrog. You can now sign up as a parent to access the same tools as students and support them with their journeys. Find more information about how to do this here.

The Ormiston SWB Academy Careers Lead is Mr Wall. Mr Wall is available in school all week and can be seen both through booked appointments and drop in sessions. Parents are also welcome to arrange an appointment.

All students are involved in the Academy’s Careers Education Programme which starts in Year 7 and runs through into Sixth Form. We aim to raise student aspirations, support them into further learning and equip them with the skills they need to achieve success in their chosen pathway. This programme develops their career skills covering self-development, career exploration and career management. Our programme is developed to map the Career Development Institute guidelines and the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Within the academy your child will go through a tailored careers programme to support them with their next steps. As well as this, you can support them by a few simple things you can do at home:

What you can do to help

Have regular conversations with your child about what they want to do in the future
Encourage self-awareness with your child (what skills and qualities do they have/could they develop)
Help them to explore their options by researching a wide range of careers
Ask them about their 1-1 careers interview they will have in year 9 and what they talked about
Find out about entry requirements for school, college and university courses or jobs they are interested in
Keep an eye on changes in education, job trends and LMI (Labour Market Information).
Go through their Unifrog account with them (Our careers platform)
Get in touch with the schools careers lead, Mr Wall, if you need further support for your child ([email protected])

Some useful websites

https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/ – Great resource to research a wide range of careers in different sectors. There are also a range of job quizzes that you can try for free.

https://www.unifrog.org/ – A fantastic resource that all students have accounts for, Unifrog is a personalised careers service that students can use to document their career journeys.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ – Contains a vast range of information about many different careers. It also offers up to date LMI (local market information).

Here at Ormiston SWB Academy we are always keen for local and national employers to work with us to help support and raise the aspirations of our students. Throughout the year we run a host of activities that any employee in any industry can get involved with. Activities include the careers fair, mock interviews, as well as smaller workshops and team-building tasks.

Employers wishing to see how they can work with us should email our Careers Leader, Mr L. Wall, at [email protected] who will then be in touch with more details.

You will find a link to our Provider Access Policy on our Policies Page HERE.

As part of Ormiston SWB’s commitment to informing our pupils of the full range of learning and training routes on offer to them, we are happy to consider requests from training, vocational education and apprenticeship providers to speak to students and will also approach these partners ourselves when planning organising key Careers events throughout the school year.

“This policy statement sets out the school’s arrangements for managing the access of providers to pupils at the school for the purpose of giving them information about the provider’s education or training offer. This complies with the school’s legal obligations under Section 42B of the Education Act 1997.

Pupil entitlement

All pupils in years 8-13 are entitled:

To find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeships opportunities, as part of a careers programme which provides information on the full range of education and training options available at each transition point.
To hear from a range of local providers about the opportunities they offer, including technical education and apprenticeships – through options events, assemblies and group discussions and taster events.
To understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and technical courses”

In the first instance, providers wishing to speak with students should consult with us about their input at our main events throughout the year. We also have a number of slots available for year group assemblies and whole cohort presentations. Any requests for the above, or any special requests, should be made to the senior leader responsible for careers using the details below. All requests should be emailed at least 6 weeks in advance of an expected date of the session. At this point, more information will be requested around the purpose and content of the session.

You will find a link to our Provider Access Policy on our Policies Page HERE.

Labour market information is information related to the current job situation in the local and national area. We want our students to be aware of current trends in different industries and the potential job prospects in the area they are interested in.

Many of our young people will be working in jobs that don’t yet exist, because of how quickly new industries are growing and others are declining, so it is definitely a useful tool when thinking about careers.

The links below might be useful to explore LMI in the local area:

LMI For All

West Midlands LMI Brochure

B ilston Profile

Black Country LMI, Parent an d Student Guide.