PREPARING STUDENTS FOR A LIFETIME OF EMPLOYABILITY

Careers & Enterprise

Preparing students for a lifetime of employability

Horizon Community College is committed to providing a comprehensive and inclusive careers programme that provides the best opportunities for all students and promotes self-awareness, personal development, engagement with learning and prepares our students for their post 16 pathways. It is about equipping our students to develop and utilise their skills all their working life.

Provider Access Legislation

We work with a variety of local providers, organisations, and business to ensure that our students have the most comprehensive list of post 16 options available to them both locally and nationally. Last year our students moved onto 18 different providers ranging across the post 16 qualifications – to see our full provider access arrangements please see the Provider Access Legislation.

WE HAVE A DEDICATED TEAM OF STAFF TO EMPOWER OUR STUDENTS TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICES FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREER PATHS AND TO GIVE THEM THE SKILLS TO ACHIEVE THAT.

Careers Leader – Mrs Harrison

E-mailsharrison@horizoncc.co.uk

Telephone – 01226 704230

01

Organised Events

We offer organised events and experiences that give students the opportunity to explore different job sectors and develop key work readiness skills.

02

PERSONAL GUIDANCE

professional, impartial guidance and support at key learning and decision points to assist with making those decisions.

03

CAREER ADVICE & INFORMATION

CV writing, interview advice and mock interviews as well as other tips and tricks.

04

Support

Encourage the thirst for learning to provide the best start to the careers journey possible.

Destination Figures

Leaving Year2019202020212022
Positive Destinations349/353370/373377/379383/386
NEET Numbers4323
%98.9%99.2%99.5%99.5%
Sustained (2 Terms on %)94%95%95%Government Data Not Available

Gatsby Benchmark

A stable careers programme
0
Encounters with employers & employees
0
Learning from career & labour market information
0
Experiences of workplaces
0
Addressing the needs of each pupil
0
Encounters with further and higher education
0
Linking curriculum learning to careers
0
Personal guidance
0

Careers Programme

Y7 – Engagement with Careers and their ambitions

Prior to joining Horizon, we link with all our primaries to engage students in skill building and linkages to career journeys. In their 1st year at Horizon students are encouraged to start to explore their future career choices and start to explore their own skills and interests. 

Activities Include:

  • Student voice – Survey “My Future” and student feedback on activities. 
  • Enterprise competitions.
  • Introduction to FE and local providers including training providers.
  • Dedicated Careers Lesson in Y7 which introduced different work sectors and the range of opportunities and careers in those sectors.

Y8 – Development of Career Paths and Subject Engagement

In their 2nd year at Horizon students start to link subjects to careers and are given many opportunities to help them explore those links.

Activities Include:

  • Student voice – Survey “My Future” and student feedback on activities. 
  • Enterprise competitions.
  • Introduction to FE and local providers including training providers.
  • Dedicated Careers Lesson in Y8 which introduced different work sectors and the range of opportunities and careers in those sectors.

Y9 – Informed Option Choices

Leading up to this key academic crossroad, students are given more detailed access to the worlds of work and post 16 destinations to help them make their choices around their options.  

 

Activities Include:

  • Enterprise competitions
  • Access to Start careers advice.
  • 2 Dedicated Lessons with the Careers Team to introduce Post 16 options and explore them as well as registration and training on the Start careers advice platform.
  • Access to individual careers advice leading up to their option decisions.
  • Parental Appointments offered on all parent evenings.
  • Workplace visits and encounters with employers and employees.
  • Work placements and work experience.
  • Career fairs
  • Visits to HE and FE establishments with taster session.      

Y10 – Guidance, Opportunities and Ambition

In order to motivate students for their next 2 years of intense academic study, activities will be specifically targeted towards engendering an ambition to learn and succeed. Students will have a more targeted approach to their advice, guidance, and interventions.

Activities Include:

  • Individual career interviews.
  • Targeted work-readiness experiences. E.g. Mock interviews.
  • A-Level and vocational tasters & HE visits.
  • Work placements and work experience.
  • Targeted academic programmes.
  • Visits to HE and FE establishments.
  • Careers fair at parents’ evening.
  • Parental Appointments offered on all parent evenings.

Y11 – Support and Advice

In this final year, the Careers programme focuses more on support, maintaining momentum and focus on the students achieving the best possible results for them as individuals. Ensuring they are confident to go into the world beyond Horizon.

Activities Include:

  • Careers fair at parents’ evening.
  • Parental Appointments offered on all parent evenings.
  • Follow up career advice where specific needs have been identified.
  • Access to careers advice and guidance as required by the student.
  • Work placements and work experience.
  • Access to National Citizenship Service (NCS) and other personal development opportunities.
  • Pre and post exam support to ensure positive destinations are achieved for all.
  • Apprenticeship Workshops and support.

Post-16 Options

The Careers & Enterprise Team make sure that every student is given detailed information on their post 16 choices. There is a full range of options on leaving school including;

A Levels – you would normally choose 3 subjects to do at a sixth form college, these subjects are more ‘academic’ and there are exams at the end of each year.

Vocational – can often be referred to as BTEC, you would choose one subject and usually has a more of a job related interactive approach and involve coursework.

Apprenticeship – on an apprenticeship your training place is usually one day a week at a college or training provider, and you will work for the rest of the week with an employer.

T Levels – Equivalent to A levels, this has been developed with employers and businesses. It prepares you for work, further training or study through academic work and work placements.

 

Levels

Entry Level – no qualifications or GCSE Grade1

Level 1 – usually require at least 3 grade 2’s

Level 2 – usually require at least 3 grade 3’s

Level 3 (BTEC) – usually require minimum 5 Grade 4’s and above including English Language and maths

Level 3 (A Levels) – usually require an average of Grade 5 or above preferring 5’s in English Language and Maths.

 

Apprenticeship Information

An apprenticeship is a real job where you learn, gain experience and get paid.

You’re an employee with a contract of employment. By the end of an apprenticeship, you’ll have the right skills and knowledge to embed into your chosen career.

It can take between one and six years to complete an apprenticeship depending on which one you choose, what level it is and your previous experience. It’s funded from contributions made by the government and your employer.

To become an apprentice, you must:

  • be 16 or over
  • not already be in full time education

 

As an apprentice you will:

  • learn and gain hands-on experience in a real job
  • get paid
  • get training for a specific job role
  • be on a career path with lots of future potential

Work Experience

Work experience is when students spend time in an adult working environment carrying out tasks and duties as an employee and at Horizon our work experience programme takes place during the school holidays, at weekends or after school.

The placement will not necessarily reflect the eventual career choice of the student but should allow broad experience of the workplace and be an opportunity to develop skills for the future.

Work experience is not intended to be training for a particular career or job. The principal aims of work experience are to:

  • Enable students to gain first-hand experience of the world of work
  • Enrich the educational experience of students by relating their work within college to the world of work outside the college
  • Develop personal and social skills through active learning situations outside of the normal educational experience
  • Raise awareness of opportunities available in the careers/jobs market
  • Help with career decision making and the development of post-16 career choices

If you would like to know more about work experience at Horizon email Mrs Daykin ndaykin@horizoncc.co.uk

Careers Policies

Careers

Work Related Learning

Provider Access

Provider Access Activities

Alumni

As a Horizon Alumni you have access to careers advice for the rest of your working life. Please join our growing network to give our students great role models and come back and share your journey with our current students which is so important.

Important Information

Dear Parents/Carers

Please note the College is open today and Year 11 will be expected on site for their Mock Examinations. However, for Years 7 to 10, if you cannot get your child to school safely today, then please ensure that they access remote learning via Teams. For safeguarding purposes, please email in to info@horizoncc.co.uk if your child is not going to be in and will be accessing Teams.

Any child who accesses Teams remotely today will receive a present attendance mark of a B code (educated off-site). If your child does not access Teams then they will be classified as absent Please note that attendance codes will be updated throughout the day.

Mrs Huddart

Principal

College Calendar

  • Tuesday 12th December – 14th December – School Show
  • Tuesday 16th January – Y8 Parents Evening
  • Tuesday 6th February – Y11 Parents Evening 2
  • Tuesday 27th February – Y9 Parents Evening
  • Tuesday 16th April – Y10 Parents Evening
  • Tuesday 30th April – Y7 Parents Evening

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