Whether you’re still at school, already studying at college, or looking into retraining or upskilling later in life, our impartial career advisors can help you to focus on your goals and point you in the right direction. In celebration of National Careers Week, we caught up with Jenna, one of our careers advisors to find out how the careers team at college can support you on your journey.
“National Careers Week is a great opportunity to promote career prospects to get people thinking about their career and focus on their end goal.” says Jenna.
“There’s so much careers information and resources available online that people can find it quite overwhelming to know where to start. This is where the careers team comes in. We’re experienced in helping people and have lots of specialist knowledge when it comes to finding the right career path for you. No matter what stage you’re at in your life, we can help.”
College students
I work with Chesterfield College students, alongside our LEAP mentors, to help them figure out what they want to do in life, it could be students who aren’t enjoying their course and would like to change career paths or progressing students who need some advice and guidance on their next steps.
Throughout the year the careers team delivers group sessions for students which look into things like CV writing, interview techniques and progression options to get them ready for life after college. Over the next few months, students will have progression interviews to make sure they are aware of their progression options, whether that’s moving on to the next level of study within the college, progression onto university, entering employment or seeking an alternative provider. We usually go into tutor groups to deliver a progression presentation to get students thinking about their career options ahead of their progression interview with their tutor.
Students who aren’t sure of their next steps can be referred to the careers team. We will then offer that student a careers appointment, where we’ll sit down with them and go through all their options. We often find it useful to do a ‘careers quiz’ with these students as it helps to narrow down their choices. We look at things like job profiles and research Labour Market Information to give them an idea of the type of roles available in the industry they want to work in.
Mature learners
The careers team also supports older learners who are thinking of returning to education later in life. This might be people who have been made redundant and are looking to retrain or simply want to upskill to better their prospects. Again, some people might not have any idea what they want to go and do next, in this case, we try and help them to become more self-aware by using online skills tests which provide us with an indication of where their skillset lies. We can then advise on other job roles and industries which would suit their existing skills.
Some learners want to retrain entirely and this is where our Access courses have proven to be really popular. Access courses are designed for mature learners ages 19+ who have been out of education for some time. The aim of the course is to provide learners with the skills and all important qualifications they need to progress on to university. You can find out more about our Access courses here.
Top 5 Careers Tips
Here are the top 5 tips I give to students to ensure they are prepared as possible when they go out into the world of work:
- Start your career research early
- Gain plenty of work/voluntary experience
- Keep a record of all contacts and experiences with employers you have. This will help you when it comes to completing CV’s and application forms
- Gain as much knowledge and as many skills as you can whilst at college
- Ask for help if you need it
What’s going on around college this week?
National Careers Week – Employability Skills Fair – Tuesday 7 March 2023
The Employability Skills Fair is your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about further study, careers, applications and job opportunities.
The fair will take place in the Heartspace from 10 am – 2 pm.
Here’s what to expect:
- Advice on CVs
- Interview techniques
- Using social media to support job searching
- Abintegro
- What’s your strength? Careers Activity
- Vision Derbyshire – setting up your own business
- Chesterfield Volunteer Centre
- Apprenticeships
- Derbyshire County Council Careers Service (National Careers Service
- Post Office
Higher Education Fair – Thursday 9 March 2023
Our Higher Education Fair will be in the Heartspace from 10 am – 1 pm on Thursday. Various universities and higher education providers from across the UK will be joining us. They’ll be able to talk to you about your options and find a provider that suits you and your career preferences. Whether you are set on your next steps or need a little more support, this is something you don’t want to miss!
