Careers Programme

The Careers Leader at Horizons College: Laura James
Tel. 01793 481493
Email: ljames@horizonscollege.ac.uk

Identified Governor for CEIAG: Cliff Puffett

At Horizons College we are committed to providing all our learners with a comprehensive programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) and work-related learning.

The Careers Curriculum for all Pathways available at Horizons College:

The published information will be reviewed in: December 2024

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) at Horizons College

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) is an integral to the college on all levels. The purpose of CEIAG at Horizons College is to enable and empower our learners to make informed choices about their future. Through a personalised curriculum of education and activities, our learners will work towards increased independence, employability and positive destinations which reflect their interests, abilities and aspirations.

Horizons College provides quality, objective CEIAG in line with the international standard of career excellence outlined by the Gatsby benchmarks. These eight benchmarks represent best practice in school/college career provision:

A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

Please follow the link to view the Horizons College Careers Policy

See how Horizons College are currently meeting all eight Gatsby Benchmarks here

The aims of the Careers Programme at Horizons College are to:

Inspire and motivate the learners and raise their aspirations
Support the learners to develop a positive self-image
Consider all possible transitional pathways including paid or voluntary employment, training/apprenticeships, independent living etc.
Build the learner’s skills and experiences to support and prepare them for their chosen pathway
Provide independent careers advice and guidance, ensuring learners are aware of all the available options and opportunities
Inform and communicate with parents/carers so that together we can support our young people to reach their full potential
Support work-based learning with a fully integrated and stimulating curriculum both in and out of the classroom
Focus on overcoming barriers and challenging stereotypes and inequalities in order to maximise the young person’s opportunities and quality of life

The Careers Programme/curriculum at Horizons College includes the following:

Regular, quality Work Experience or supported internships within a variety of local businesses and organisations. Work placements are designed to be purposeful and challenging and support students with their career and transition aspirations. Where appropriate for the learner, internal work placements, work shadowing in local businesses and employer visits may be accessed as an alternative or additional experience of the world of work.
Access to a wide range of enterprise activities. Where appropriate, learners may choose to be involved in: food enterprise, coffee shop provision, recycling, reprographics, gardening, jewellery making, car washing, seasonal gift making, Holly’s Shop, and/or Advertising and Professional Relations.
Access to independent careers advice and Guidance – Horizons College has a Level 6 qualified Careers Adviser who provides regular 1:1 meetings with learners to discuss and plan the learner’s current and future career goals.
Access to local Career Fairs (where appropriate for the learner).
Participation in Careers Week – once per academic year Horizons College invites a wide range of employers and specialists into the college to speak to learners about possible future careers, employment opportunities, education and/or training.
Access to our Enterprise Adviser: Kelly Milne from Great Western Hospital who is available to provide local business advice and guidance to learners. She also supports the College in developing an effective and comprehensive Careers Programme and with the engagement of other local companies and organisations (e.g. by helping us to: source quality Work Experience placements, organise employer engagement events, attend mock interviews and attract volunteers from industry to attend our Careers Week).
Advice and guidance on Apprenticeships and supported employment options from both national and local organisations, as appropriate (e.g. Swindon Borough Council, Wiltshire Council, New College Swindon, Ask Apprenticeships, National Careers Service etc).
A choice of Vocational Options – learners (where appropriate) can select vocational options from a variety of specialisations: Practical Skills/horticulture, Customer Service, Media/Radio, Sport, Health & Social Care. Creative Arts, Assisting a Hair Stylist etc.
Employability Lessons – Including: Health & Safety in the work place, routes to employment (education and training), internet job searching, writing CV’s and covering letters, completing application forms, interview skills, personal presentation and hygiene, time management, travel planning, working as part of a team / team building.
Signposting to as many relevant external organisations and information providers as possible (website links – please see pages below).

Assessing the impact of the Careers Programme at Horizons College

Horizons College subscribe to a culture of continuous improvement and as such, use regular feedback, audits and reviews to assess and develop our careers programme. We request, collate and process regular feedback from a wide range of stakeholders including the learners, their parents/carers, the college staff and employers we work with.

We also collect and assess the destinations for our learners for at least three years post-college. This process begins with recording the learner’s intended destination and aspirations when they first enter the college; tracking their careers related learning, activities and interventions during their time at college and mapping these against their final and sustained destination when they leave college. This helps us to assess which elements of the programme have the greatest and most positive impacts on the outcomes and futures of our young people.

This information is reviewed by the careers department, the senior leadership team and the college governors on an annual basis to jointly consider any necessary adaptations and additions to the programme.

Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance Policy

You can read the latest version of Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance Policy (CEIAG) Policy here

Provider Access Policy

Other education or training providers that may wish to request access to our learners can view our provider access policy here (in accordance with statutory guidance).

Destinations Data

For information regarding the destinations of the learners who have left Horizons College, please see our destinations information page here

Work Experience

For more information please follow the link to view Work Experience information

Labour Market Information

For more information please follow the link to view the Labour Market Information.

Careers Bulletin

Please follow the link to view the Careers Bulletins, our newsletter about the Horizons College Careers and Work Experience.

Careers and Work Experience Events

For more information please follow the link to view Careers and Work Experience Events information.

Careers Information for Parents and Carers

For more information please follow the link to view Careers Information for Parents and Carers information.

Careers Information for Learners

For more information please follow the link to view Careers Information for Learners

Careers Information for Employers

For more information please follow the link to view Careers Information for Employers

Careers Information for Tutors and College Staff

For more information please follow the link to view Careers Information for Tutors and College Staff