SBT2269 Careermag for Parents Issue 5 v2 FINAL | Page 9

PAGE HEADER
Here are some tips to help you support them...
If your child was in year 11 and now
has their GCSE results they will
hopefully be able to progress to their
chosen post 16 destination. This may
be in the school sixth form, a sixth
form college or an apprenticeship.
If that is the case students will
need to ensure that they are fully
prepared and equipped for these
more advanced courses. They may
well have gaps in their knowledge
and understanding of aspects
which would, at another time, have
been dealt with in more depth in
years 11 and 13.
Course leaders are fully aware
of this and will have adapted
their programmes of study to
compensate for this. Whether or not
their school or college is fully open it
will be vitally important for students
to plan their learning carefully and
use the vast range of available
resources to consolidate their
knowledge and understanding.
At home they need a quiet place
to work with a laptop and internet
access. If that is not available please
talk to the school or college. They
can help and may be able to access
government initiatives to do so.
Your child must not be reluctant
to ask their teachers for help. It is
completely understandable if they
struggle with topics they feel they
should know about so please do
encourage them to be proactive.
What to do if results
were lower than expected
The systems for calculating final
results this year were unique and
complex. It is likely that some
results will differ from what might
have been expected. There is
little point in dwelling on this
as the appeals process will only
address errors in calculations
rather than reassessing student’s
work as there are no papers to
re-mark. In most cases schools,
colleges and universities will look
sympathetically as each student
and allow them to enrol for courses.
If that is the case there may be
little point in resitting GCSE exams
in November apart perhaps from
English and Maths. Teachers will be
able to advise about this.
What if there is
another lockdown?
At the time of writing we have no
idea what might happen but we
have all learnt a great deal over
recent months. Schools are in a
much stronger position to organise
remote learning and students now
have experience of what this might
look like. As parents the best advice
is to help young people to have a
daily routine which enables them to
balance study and leisure.
What should my son
or daughter be doing
to prepare for their
future careers?
Year 13: Now is the time to be
researching future destinations
in detail, draft CVs and personal
statements. There are many
resources to support this including
those we have produced for schools
in the PiXL network. This magazine
and the Careermap website provide
extensive insights into different
sectors and useful links to explore. In
all cases I would strongly advise all
students to consider employmentbased
routes as well as traditional
degrees. Remember that there are
now degree apprenticeships through
which students are employed
and incur no debt while training.
Universities are providing virtual tours
if it is not possible to go on a visit.
Year 12: As well as adapting to
the new advanced courses it is
important to be finding out about
possible destinations. The two years
of post 16 study will pass very quickly.
Using resources like Careermap it is
really important to find out about
the different sectors, use the online
tool to explore the labour market
and find out which jobs have the
best employment prospects. It is
certainly not too early to start writing
to companies and exploring their
and university websites.
In addition to this practical
research students need to be able
to articulate to a future employer
which employability skills they
have. Employers want to hear about
skills like communication, problem
solving, organisational skills,
initiative and resilience.
Many young people do not realise
that they already possess these.
Have they for example given a talk
to their class? Have they organised
a fundraising event in school ,
coached a team or have they had
a personal experience which has
tested their resilience? A great
example of that might well be how
they coped with the lockdown.
They should be encouraged
to note these experiences in
preparation for future applications
and interviews.
Year 11 will need to be planning
actively for post 16 destinations. If
that is to be the school sixth form
their school will no doubt provide
plenty of guidance but this is also
the time to investigate what local
sixth form and further education
colleges have to offer. It is important
not to be lured into courses for
their ‘novelty’ factor but really to
understand where they might lead
to. If , for example someone wants
to become a lawyer an A Level in
Law is not essential. Subjects like
English and History which develop
strong skills in presenting and
communicating an argument are
ideal preparation for a Law degree.
Again it is important to understand
the labour market. There is a
significant mismatch between
career aspirations in some sectors
and the jobs available. Hair and
beauty and sports are examples.
For year 10 and below much of the
same applies. The more they can
do to understand the vast range
of exciting opportunities available
the better. Increasingly there are
opportunities for virtual work
experience which schools
can facilitate.
Remember that all schools and
colleges provide careers education
and guidance. Details of their offer
is required to be published on
all school websites. Good advice
and guidance can be a powerful
motivator and doesn’t cost anything
so please do ask the school or
college for help if you need it.
My final tip is that this is not a
time for gloom or despondency.
The current crisis will pass and the
opportunities for all of them are
waiting to be seized.
www.careermap.co.uk Issue 5 | 9