St Benedict’s Catholic College is committed to providing a programme of Careers education from Year 7 through to Year 11 and to giving all students access to independent careers information, advice and guidance.

What is CEIAG?

CEIAG stands for Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance. It is the acronym used to describe any support and education which is provided to students which helps inform their next steps, whether that be a transition to the next phase of education (options at GCSE for example), decisions about post 16 education or training or indeed the choice of higher education, further education, apprenticeships or employment at the end of post 18 study.

All our students are given information, advice and guidance to help them plan their pathways at the end of Key Stage 3 and to make the best choice when it comes to further education at the end of Key stage 4. Our aim is for students to make informed choices in order to plan for, and achieve, their future goals.

The CEIAG strategy sets out that every secondary school and college should use the following ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’ to develop and improve Careers provision by:

• Ensuring a stable careers programme is in place
• Learning from Careers and Labour market information
• Addressing the needs of each student
• Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Offering encounters with employers and employees
• Offering experiences of workplaces
• Offering encounters with Further Education organisations
• Providing independent and personal guidance

We measure and assess the impact of our Careers programme through:

• Whole college ‘Student Voice’ activities
• Meetings with the Careers’ Student working party and Student council
• Staff and parental feedback
• Destination data
• NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) data

HOW IS IT DELIVERED? 

Our CEIAG programme is co-ordinated by the Careers Lead, Mr P Cretu, and our Careers Coordinator and Attendance Officer, Mrs T Axtell.

As students progress through Key Stages 3 and 4 they will be taught how to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to manage their own learning including: how to evaluate themselves honestly and realistically, how to set targets, make decisions, review and summarise their progress, present themselves effectively and create action plans which match their personal skills to abilities, interests and careers aspirations. 

Students will also receive impartial careers advice from a Level 6 trained careers adviser.

During the designated careers’ sessions students have the opportunity to learn about future careers, they actively explore Labour Market Information, the options and pathways across the local area open to them to achieve their career aspirations. As students progress through KS4, they will have the opportunity to gain further CEIAG with reference to the careers they are interested in, including support in applying for FE provision.   

Useful resources to support students explore careers, future options and pathways

 Resources relevant to all our students

Resources relevant to year 10 and 11 students

Local FE and HE

• Year 11 Careers Guidance St Benedict's
• Colchester Sixth Form : A quick Introduction to Sixth Form College - Link for the website with more information
• Colchester Institute : Schools Liaison Presentation - Guide to apprenticeships presentation - Link for the Website with more info - How to Apply - Virtual Open Events
• Suffolk New College - Link for the website with more information
• St Joseph's Sixth Form College - Sixth Form Option Booklet - Link for the website with more information
• Sigma Sixth Sports Academy -  Link for the website with more information
• Higher Education Presentations - Benefits of Higher Education

Gatsby Benchmark 4 - this benchmark states:

• All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers.
• STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of future career paths.
• By the age of 14, every pupil should have had the opportunity to learn how the different STEM subjects help people to gain entry to, and be more effective workers within, a wide range of careers.

At St Benedict’s Catholic College all subject areas link curriculum learning to careers within lessons, as part of enrichment activities and via guest speakers and outside agencies to support a wide range of activities and projects throughout the academic year.

For information about different careers by subject and help to explore possible future career options, please click on the relevant thumbnails below:

Destination Figures

Year 11 Leavers 2022