Careers
Learning today to thrive tomorrow
At DCA we look to prepare scholars for the next steps in their life. We recognise the necessity for a robust Careers provision that encompasses and goes beyond the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks. We look to ensure our scholars are ready for whatever their future will hold and are ultimately prepared to play an active part in society.
Senior Leader responsible for Careers: Mrs Helen Heath
Careers Leader: Mr Alexander McCafferty
Careers Coordinator: Miss Katria Lipscombe-Ridley
Email: careers@djanogly.notts.sch.uk
Phone: 0115 942 1300 and ask for Alexander McCafferty
Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) Policy 2022-2023
The Careers programme at DCA looks to help scholars gain the skills to move through into society. We look to ensure that scholars broaden their aspirations and are fully supported when making their future choices regarding their transition into the next stages of education, employment or training.
This is done to support theirs and their families future well-being. The aim of the Careers team and whole staff body is for our scholars to go on and lead happy and successful lives with careers they enjoy and find fulfilling.
The scholars in the academy will have meaningful encounters with employers from in and around Nottingham and beyond. This is done with the intention to inspire the scholars. We evaluate this with all stakeholders to ensure the impact on our scholars can be measured. Young people are 5 times more likely to continue in education, employment or training with the influence of encounters from the workplace whilst in education (Mann et al, 2016).
Scholars in the academy will receive key guidance during their time at the academy. This is done at key transition points during their education to allow them to make informed choices about their futures. This is supported with mock guidance completed before to allow scholars to understand what it is like to discuss their future. We look to support scholars with peer to peer discussions in order to mutually raise aspirations.
At DCA we work to ensure that our careers programme adequately meets the parameters of the Gatsby Benchmarks. We look to ensure that the work we do within the Careers department has a lasting effect on the scholars that we work with. We look to continue to support scholars after their time at DCA has finished through our Djanogly City Alumni programme. This looks to support scholars during their transition after DCA.
A good careers provision will be determined by the following 8 Gatsby Benchmarks:
A Stable Careers Programme
DCA look to ensure that all stakeholders understand and form part of the careers provision. This means our provision is supported by our governors and senior leadership as well as being visible to our scholars and parents. We look to ensure that our careers provision is also evaluated by all stakeholders to ensure the merit of the provision.
Learning from Career and Labour Market Information
Every scholar in the academy as well as parents at home have access to good quality labour market information on a large scale and also a more local level in Nottingham. Scholars have access to this information in order to inform future choices.
Addressing the Needs of Each Pupil
DCA ensures that scholars have the access to support and advice that is suitable to the need of each and every scholar. The programme has equality and diversity considerations embedded throughout.
Linking Careers to the Curriculum
DCA has a presences of teaching Careers Champions within each and every department in the academy whose focus is to ensure that subjects are linked to a wide range of future careers opportunities.
Encounters with Employers & Employees
Each DCA pupil will have opportunity to connect with employers and employees from in and around Nottingham. We will demonstrate this connection with a variety of different enrichment activities including visiting speakers and enterprise schemes. We work with D2N2 the local enterprise partnership who have allowed us to create a partnership with EON.
Experiences of the Workplace
At DCA every scholar will be supported to gain experience from a workplace. This will be done through visits, projects, shadowing and work experience. This is done so scholars can see the workplace first hand.
Encounters with Further & Higher Education
DCA looks to create and maintain strong relationships with higher and further education. We work closely with Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham. This work is supported by workshops with INTO University and the AMBITION programme which allows scholars to experience encounters with higher education. We look to ensure that our scholars have all available access to any information surrounding their future and their desired route in education.
Personal Guidance
All DCA scholars have access to an impartial Level 7 qualified Careers Advisor. Currently our service is provided by Ideas4Careers (https://ideas4careers.co.uk/). Qualified careers guidance is delivered in years 11 and 13. As well as this we have created a link with Nottingham Trent University to allow their MA Career Development students train and deliver guidance to our Year 10 scholars to prepare them for conversations surrounding their future in year 11.