Parents & Carers

The Government has changed the law in recent years so that young people leaving school will need to continue in education or training until their 18th birthday. Students can opt to study or train in any of the following ways:

• Study full time in a sixth form, college or with a training provider
• Gain an apprenticeship or traineeship
• Work or volunteer full time, combined with part time education or training​

The careers team and wider staff across Gable Hall provide lots of information, advice and guidance to students that they may not share with their parents/carers.​

Parents/carers are vital to students understanding of career choices and the decisions they make. We wish all parents/carers to have up-to-date information on choices at 14+, 16+ and 18+ and we would actively encourage you to attend parent information sessions and careers appointments at parent’s evenings.

Students may have visits from guest speakers at universities, colleges, apprenticeship providers and different companies during assemblies and personal development lessons and be given the opportunity to take part in a range of activities or given futures information in a range of contexts.

What Can I Do To Support My Son / Daughter?

Being a parent / carer it’s important to understand all the available options open to your child, and what would best suit them.

Websites for supporting parents are linked below;

• https://amazingapprenticeships.com/

Also please keep an eye out on our school newsletter and Facebook page. This is where information will be posted regarding; college/sixth form open evenings, virtual work experience opportunities, career focused webinars and apprenticeship information.

Careers Programme - Please click on this link to see the Careers Programme for each year group across the year CDI Framework PSHE framework​

Online Resources for Parents

Careers advice is not just for young people; parents/carers also need support to help young people make tough and challenging decisions.

Careers advice for parents is a website that has been set up by careers professionals and recommended by the UK Career Development Institute. It aims to give an easy-to-read overview of all the essential facts on finding jobs and apprenticeships or choosing further and higher education courses which could make a real difference to your child’s future career prospects.’

Parent Advisor is aimed at parents/carers of young people who are faced with making decisions about their post-18 options. It provides information about all of the post-18 options, including apprenticeships, gap years, and Higher Education.

National Careers Service is also a good, reliable source of impartial advice and guidance.

iCould provides a range of good articles in one place that examines the range of choices available to young people at 16 and 18, these are specifically targeted at parents and carers.

Top Jobs of the Future No one can predict all the jobs young people will be able to choose from in the second half of the 21st century but here are just a few of the jobs that are likely to be in demand over the next 15 years.

CASCAID have produced an eBook to help parents get involved and encourage their children in finding their future careers. This guide is designed to provide an overview of how parents can help support their son or daughter with these important choices.

This eBook includes information on:

• How parents can help with Careers Education
• Frequently Asked Questions from Parents
• How CASCAID can help.

It may also be helpful for parents and carers to access these additional websites / parents guides:

• Parent Guidance - Planning information to help parents and carers support their child’s career planning needs.
• Parent Adviser
• Careers Advise for Parents​
• A parent’s guide to apprenticeships:
• Bedford College Apprenticeships Information​​
• UCAS Parent Guide​

How parents / carers can help​

We aim to help every student to reach their full potential and progress on to a successful destination by providing them with the widest possible range of employer and careers related opportunities. This can only be achieved with the help and support of those around us, including parents, employers and alumni.

The school seeks to actively engage parents / carers in the development and delivery of careers provision. Regular careers updates together with requests for assistance with careers events are provided through the school newsletter, careers newsletter and other social media.​

We appreciate that your time is precious and we would value your contribution whatever this may be. Here are some examples of how a parent could get involved in careers activities:​

• Attend our ‘Careers Fair’ event with Year 10+11 students (spring term) giving small groups of students an insight into your job
• Provide a ‘careers insight’ talk or workshop to Year 10/Year 12 students on your career path and current career area
• Act as an interviewer / assessor at a mock interview or mock assessment centre event
• Ask your employer whether they would like to attend our careers and higher education fair – October
• Ask your employer whether they could host a workplace visit for a small group of students (2 hours)
• Ask your employer whether they could host a Year 12 work experience student for a week (July)​

The above list is not exhaustive, if you have any further ideas of how you could support our CEIAG programme please do not hesitate to get in touch with Mrs Mountney.​

The ASK programme