• At the Guru Nanak Sikh Academy we believe every student should receive impartial, high quality careers guidance to support them in making informed decisions about their education and employment opportunities.
• At school, the Careers provision will support students in learning how to make considered decisions and act accordingly. It will provide our students with a platform that allows them to become confident, proactive, resourceful and resilient career managers. This is an essential part of gaining the competencies that will enable them to live full and satisfying lives and make positive contributions to society.

The Guru Nanak Sikh Academy Careers Programme is delivered from year 7 to 13 as we believe that it is very important that all students are fully guided and supported through the process of planning their futures. The school has a dedicated in house Careers Lead, an external Careers Advisor who supports and guides all students. There is a holistic Careers Programme of information, education and guidance, supported by teaching staff and the curriculum. 

All staff play a proactive role in helping the students to develop the knowledge and skills to help them understand themselves, research the opportunities available, make decisions and successfully move on to the next chapters of life after school.

The programme is delivered through a variety of activities such as:

• PSHE Lessons
• Enrichment Programmes
• Guest speakers/visitors
• Trips
• Assemblies
• Careers interviews with careers advisor
• Workshops
• Form time
• Technical applications: unifrog; Uptree
• External Volunteer Programmes: STEM; Baylabs
• Onsite Careers Fair
• Work Shadowing
• Work Experience
• Alumnae talks

Coming Soon...

Gatsby Benchmarks

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each student
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experience of work places
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

All students should:

• Be entitled to careers information, advice and guidance and know where to access current trends about work, training and educational opportunities.
• Be given the opportunity to experience work related learning including a period of work experience (Y11).
• Experience a range of career related activities including careers workshops, employer talks, career fairs, motivational speakers, college and university visits.

All students have the opportunity and are encouraged to book an appointment for a personal careers guidance interview with our qualified Careers Adviser, Mrs Melanie Kindley-Deeks. These appointments are bookable via emailing at melanie.kindley-deeks@gnsa.co.uk. We strongly advise all pupils to book a session to help them get some insight into subject fields and career paths for the future.

Year 11 and Year 13s have timetabled, mandatory, career guidance interviews with Mrs Melanine Kindley-Deeks during school hours. These sessions are designed to help them during key decision-making points of their school journey: A Level choices and Post 18 choices (respectively).

The personal guidance interviews include information on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships and other vocational pathways, and promote the best interests of the students to whom they are given. 

It’s fair to say that no one truly expected the events of recent weeks. Outbreaks are always plausible, of course, but the scale and severity of this pandemic—and the dominoes that have quickly toppled—have left people across the globe in a state of disbelief. It isn’t just about being stuck indoors for a while, or keeping contact to a minimum, or even the direct health implications: it’s about the economic shockwave that has upended entire industries.

Organisations face months of complete inactivity if they’re able to survive at all. Those that can continue might still struggle in the long term, not just from moving to a remote-only model but from seeing their sales pipelines dry up due to their prospective customers being unable or unwilling to make new financial commitments.

The result of this? Job losses occurring at a distressing pace. Many companies that were stable and successful before this crisis are having to tell responsible and productive employees that they can no longer afford to pay their salaries. No blame, nothing to learn; just a lose-lose.

Let’s say, then, that you—the reader—have been on the receiving end of that notification. You’re stuck at home with no job to give you daily structure and no idea what you’re going to do next. It’s an unenviable position, but not without hope

Below, we’re going to set out some advice for what you should do in the days, weeks and months to come.

How to find job vacancies

Find out where to look for vacancies from recruitment agencies to social media sites:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/advertised-job-vacancies

Find a job by networking

Networking is using the people you know, and the people that they know, to find out about job opportunities. It’s about building relationships through your contacts.

Your network can include:

• friends and family
• people you know on social media
• employers you've contacted directly
• recruitment consultants

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/networking

How to write a CV

The main purpose of a CV is to interest an employer sufficiently to invite the writer to an interview. A CV is a sales document – a chance for someone to sell themselves in writing to an employer. Remember it is a summary, not an autobiography. A CV is your own personal document and there is no right or wrong way of producing it. However, you can rely on the following as being good practice. You will be offered many opinions but, in the end, your CV must reflect you as an individual.

Check this CV advice on what to include and how to make it stand out:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/cv-sections

Google Docs Template             Word Doc Template

How to write a cover letter

Learn more about cover letters, why they're important and how to use them:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/covering-letter

How to fill in an application form

Get help to complete paper and online application forms:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/application-forms

Interview advice

An interview is a chance for an employer to see if you're the right person for the job. It’s your chance to make a good impression and show what you have to offer. You can also use it to help you decide if the job and the company are right for you.

Find out about the different types of interviews and how to do well in them:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/interview-advice

Learn how to answer interview questions confidently and make a good impression:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/top-10-interview-questions

Advice for if you lose your job

Losing your job can affect many parts of your life and make you feel anxious about the future. Whether you’ve lost your job or been made redundant, you may find it difficult to:

• pay your bills
• maintain the skills you need to do your job
• look after your wellbeing and mental health
• take care of your family or caring responsibilities

Find useful advice and resources for if you have recently been made redundant or become unemployed:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/advice-for-if-you-lose-your-job

Advice for furloughed workers

Know your rights, get help and advice as well as ideas for using your time to improve your skills.

Find out about your rights and get help when becoming furloughed:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/get-a-job/advice-for-furloughed-workers

• https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/1201/Education-employment-and-training-support-for-young-people#cookie-consents-updated

Careers in the Curriculum 

Please click on the link below to explore the many different career opportunities stemming from our curriculum subjects:
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/subjects

Unifrog

We are currently in the process of rolling out Unifrog to all students in years 7-13.

Unifrog is an online careers platform where students can explore their interests, then find and successfully apply for their best next step after school.

Some of the features include:

• Detailed information on careers and university courses
• Expert guidance on CV’s and Personal Statements
• University and Apprenticeship search tool
• Moocs
• Videos on students’ experiences of studying different courses
• ‘Know how guide’ – videos and guides on all thing’s employment, university and well being
• Feature to log extracurricular activities

All students are provided with a log in and are able to access the platform from school and home.

For parents who wish to understand more about how to support their child with Unifrog click here
For students who wish to understand more about how best to use Unifrog click here

• https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/1201/Education-employment-and-training-support-for-young-people#cookie-consents-updated
• Staff 
• Apprenticeships
• Labour Market Information
  -    https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/