1. Paving the way to future employability
Newstead Wood School
Paving the way to future employability
Case study: Year 12 Professional Placement Scheme
Anthony Fitzgerald
Director of Careers Guidance
Ian Matheson
Member of Parents Association - Careers Committee

2. School context
Grammar school for girls (academy) with mixed sixth form in LB of Bromley
Established Careers Education, Guidance & Work Experience Programme since the 80s
175 students in Year 12 (30% recruited from a whole range of mostly London schools)
International Baccalaureate (IB) introduced 2010

3. Rationale
“There is no such thing as a career path – it’s crazy paving and you have to lay it yourself”
Robin Linnecar, Chairman of Praesta International

4. Main aim (1)
To improve career management skills through the processes of:
Researching
Negotiating
Planning
Networking
Communicating
each student sets up their own placement

5. Main aim (2):
To gain necessary Work Experience for vocational courses at University, e.g.
Law
Engineering
Scientific
Medical & related professions
Media
Veterinary Science
Teaching

6. Main aim (3):
To enable students to either ‘taste’ professions before applying for University and/or employment or undertake a community service placement (volunteering)
To enhance business and economic awareness
To build networks & professional confidence
To reflect on and present about their experience to younger students

7. Three stage model
Stage 1 Set up placement Stage 2 Go on placement Enrichment Week – 12th – 16th March 2012 Stage 3 Present to an audience about placement

8. Setting up a placement
Information about scheme in summer 2011 prior to starting Year 12 (moodle resources)
Guidance interviews with students recruited new into the Sixth Form in September 2011
Formal presentation in October including winning ways to set up placements, flexibility built in
Ongoing support from careers staff and careers committee
Strict deadlines: placement details need to be finalised by January 2012 at the latest– insurance checks

9. Go on placement In
149 of 175 students on placement during enrichment week
Eight students on placement in Europe during February half-term in lieu of professional placement
So what about the remaining 18?

10. Newstead Wood School

11. Present to an audience about your experiences
Wednesday 21 March 2012 Y12 Presentation skills training Thursday 29 March 2012 Y12 Professional Placement presentations pd1 Y7 and 8 pd3 Y9 and 10 pd5 Y11

12. Innovations
From 2012 scheme widened to include “service” placements (Academy, 100 hours of service & school ethos)
Presentation skills development by professional trainer
Presentations to younger students rather than to an invited audience: career information, learning from older students

13. Strengths of scheme Progression from WEX scheme in Year 10
Staged process  mutiple outcomes
Close to London & Kent Labour Markets
Optimal timing – HE choices / outside of summer
Valued by students

14. Student Feedback Higher Education choices
“got lots of inside information about investment banking, which firms recruit from which universities and preferences for degree courses”
Career realism
“it made me realise it is tough to progress as barrister and that school is actually not as tough and you really have to want it”
Personal Development
“I got fed up with looking for placements and wanted more leads from the school but in the end I am proud to say I set up my placement myself and appreciate now it can take a while”

15. Challenges Perception that scheme would be better in the summer term
Ensuring every student has a personal motivation to do a placement i.e. 100% participation
Placements more difficult to set up in current economic situation
What more can we do to assist students to find placements?

16. Contact details Anthony Fitzgerald Director of Careers Guidance
Ian Matheson Parents Assocation