CAREERS EDUCATION

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance

Cedars Trust aims to be a vital resource for Special Educational Needs provision in Gateshead, a centre of excellence and, primarily, a provider of learning, training and employment pathways for people with disabilities or learning difficulties.

Whilst at Cedars Academy pupils are taught the skills and attitudes required to enable them to become as independent as they can be and to prepare for adulthood. We aim for pupils to have an enriched and stimulating curriculum to give them every opportunity to reach their full potential regardless of their gender, race, learning disability or physical disability.

Rationale and commitment to careers education, information, advice and guidance

At Cedars Academy and College, careers education, information, advice and guidance is at our forefront; ensuring pupils’ leave with the right tools and values to help prepare them for adulthood. We support students to consider their future options, realise their potential and decide how their skills and experiences fit with opportunities in the job market. We prepare students for their preferred transitional pathway; whether that is to continue with further education, employment, training or living independently, we use a person-centred approach in our delivery method. We are fully committed to our statutory and moral obligation to provide a holistic careers service to students identified in Year 9 onwards, highlighting the vocational and academic routes to their preferred careers path. Throughout Cedars Academy our careers programme is known as Work Skills.

We ensure that students are inspired and motivated for the world of work, ensuring high achievable aspirations are considered for a range of careers available. Our Careers Strategy works in line with our focus on the Preparation for Adulthood Agenda.

We work closely with the local authority to ensure that we know of all the services available to support students, and share this knowledge amongst our community. We are committed to supporting the aspirations of our young people to secure paid employment with the right preparation and support. We regularly celebrate and showcase the achievements of our students who are volunteering or in paid employment at every possible opportunity.

We underpin our strategy with the Gatsby Benchmark and the Preparation for Adulthood document.

Information about our Careers Planning can be found below:

Work skills is overseen by the Careers Leader, Julie Vincent

Please click here to view our full Careers Strategy

Useful Links

Career and labour market information (LMI)

Includes information on:

career pathways and progression routes
applications and interviews
educational institutions, courses, qualifications, entry requirements and costs
skills and occupations
professional bodies
employment sectors, employers, jobs, salaries and employment trends
job programmes, training and apprenticeships
job demands and working life
financial planning

Being able to understand career pathways and future possibilities is vital for all students, especially those with special educational needs. Providing access to relevant careers information can help you to determine your work preferences, skills, options and choices to build a culture of high expectation and connect you to a successful future.

Useful tips for students:

Study job vacancies, look for common ‘transferable’ skills. Do you have these skills? If not how can you gain them?
Find out about the companies opening and closing in your area

LMI can be gathered in many ways. Talk to your parents, grandparents or carers about their working experiences. Speak to the school CEIAG Advisor. Watch the news and read local newspapers.

Talk to your parents, grandparents or carers about their working experiences. Speak to your school Careers Advisor Julie Vincent. Watch the news and read local newspapers to see what developments are happening in Gateshead.

Do you work in a business that could help provide work experience or opportunities for our students?

We are always looking for local businesses that are wanting to inspire and educate our students about the world of work and expand and develop our curriculum. If you think you could help to provide invaluable work experience or opportunities that give students the chance to develop employability skills and motivation, please contact Julie Vincent (Assistant Head Post 16 & Business Development and Careers Lead) on:

julie.vincent@cedarstrust.org.uk