This year has seen further developments across the My Future Careers Programme as the College strives for continuous improvements on its current success, as acknowledged in the ISI Inspection in October 2023, and responds to the recommendation that access to careers information should be expanded to younger years.


Pupils access careers advice in line with nationally agreed standards through various forums including former pupils, online testing, individual support and a careers fair. This approach is effective as almost all pupils follow their chosen courses when they leave school, many of which have demanding entry requirements.

ISI October 2023 

 

The first development has been to extend the programme to earlier years, specifically to pupils in the Third and Fourth Forms. People often think of careers education as being about funnelling down and narrowing options; our approach is about opening minds to what is possible and encouraging pupils to explore options, and to talk to professionals. 

The Third Form Careers Day brought together 17 different professionals who led a range of pupil breakout groups and seminars which included CV writing. A further seminar, called Where are they now?, involved pupils learning the education and career paths of five contrasting OLs, and discussing the skills that each would need to display in their day-to-day roles.

It was lovely to revisit Lancing. The Third and Fourth Formers were keen to ask questions, and their enthusiasm and curiosity for learning about the aviation industry was inspiring. I have no doubt many of them will achieve great things in their future careers. 

Max Herne OL (School House 2013–2018), British Airways Pilot

During the event, pupils completed a workbook where they were encouraged, in small groups, to think about questions to ask guests about their work, and also to reflect on their own career aspirations. 

Commenting on the Careers Day, Diana Cree, Executive Director External Relations, said: 

When we surveyed students, it was clear that this new event was something that was really relevant to them and that having a dedicated day at the end of the year was effective use of time. Over 50% were already making plans on next steps following the event. We are incredibly grateful to parents and OLs who volunteered to give up their time to attend.

 


The Fourth Formers were also engaged in thinking about Careers this term through a focused Careers Week where teachers highlighted career options in subject lessons.

All the pupils were an absolute delight. They were both engaging and inquisitive. It was a pleasure spending a day talking about my profession with such an engaging group of young people.

Jane Peckham, Parent and Barrister at 1 Office Row, Brighton

This is timely as at the end of next term they will be starting to think about A Level choices. Teachers chose a range of different ways to engage students, including introducing guests, designing posters, discussing how former students (OLs) have used their subject passions to follow different careers paths, through university and into employment, and looking at resources provided by professional industry bodies. Students fed back that it was useful to see how certain subjects relate to different careers and that others offer a wider range of opportunities.

It was a real pleasure to be invited to take part in the careers fair to share information about science careers in the pharmaceutical industry with current students and impressive to see such a wide variety of sectors representative. They were really engaged and asked some insightful questions. I hope it’s helped them learn more about their options after GCSEs. 

Sarah Blundell, Pfizer UK, STEM Ambassador

The expansion has been a valuable first step, and students very much appreciated the opportunity to focus on careers. The My Future programme brings together many strands from across the College and the wider Lancing Community, all of whom recognise the importance of early guidance and support. We aim to improve and extend this further in the coming years. 

The students were very engaged and keen to learn how to pursue a future career in media and journalism. Several had already taken the first steps on that path, and I hope I was able to offer them some advice on how to get ahead in a competitive industry. It’s vital to start early, and I’m sure events like this will certainly help in that process. 

Henry Ridgewell, Parent and Europe Correspondent at Voice of America


If any members of the Lancing community would like to get involved to support this programme by offering expertise please do get in touch via this survey.