2. ‘Pathways and Personal Decisions’

3. Aims and Objectives To discover different routes and pathways people take To understand the importance of planning and research To discover YOUR strengths and opportunities to help you with your POST 16 options

4. Who Am I and What Decisions Did I Make?

5. So What Decisions Will You Make? Where Will They Take You? Decision time? But don’t panic….. The first things you need to decide is what will you do after leaving school? How will you make these decisions? Based on what your friends do? What your family want? Where the money is? Wait until the summer of 2013 before you even think about it?

6. I’m not sure of the right course or career for me, how do I make sure I’m picking the right one for me?

7. Discover Who You Are? Personality Tests; these can help identify your strengths and areas you may find more appealing than others. Ask your friends, family and teachers what they think are your strengths; they will identify things you may not even consider a strength – talking a lot…a good communicator perhaps? What subjects are you good at? Which subjects do you enjoy? Can you continue these in a career or FE course?

8. Pick a Path! You’re only in year 9, you don’t have to have a plan for life

9. The Task Firstly, Learn to think positively about yourself; belief can lead to success! Now, discover yourself with SWOT: Strengths - Weaknesses - Opportunities - Threats

10. Examples Strengths: Talkative (Good Communicator), Get To School On Time (Punctual), Hand In Work On Time (Organised), Friendly (Approachable), etc. Weakness: Talkative (Not Good At Listening), Always Making A Mess (Disorganised), etc. Opportunities: Friends and Family (Good Support and Encouraging), Getting Good Results (Potential To Enter Better Career or Course), etc. Threats: You (Own Worst Enemy – Never Push Yourself), Others (Competitive Markets), Job Cuts (Less Jobs Available), etc.

14. The Easier Way... Don’t make life hard for yourself. Research is key to knowing... Get organised, this is your future. If you need help don’t be scared to ASK.

15. But Remember... Without qualifications things are harder! College courses and Apprenticeships will help you perform better in a career and help you progress quicker. University is for everyone, but not everyone is for university; research and do what’s right for you. No one said it will be easy but you can make it easier and more fun for yourself by being prepared!

16. And finally… Any questions?

17. Want to know more? www.universityoptions.co.uk www.push.co.uk www.thebuzzbook.co.uk www.connexions-direct.com www.careerchoiceguide.com/transferable- skill.htmlwww.careerchoiceguide.com/transferable- skill.html