FUTURE TALENTED Autumn Term 2018 - Issue 1 | Page 18

Gatsby Benchmarks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SARAH HARRISON, JULIE POPPLETON, HEAD OF CAREERS EDUCATION, INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE, CHASE TERRACE TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE, WALSALL, WEST MIDLANDS Level 6-qualified careers practitioner and senior team member, Julie, is responsible for implementing the college’s award-winning careers strategy and founder of the independent Staffordshire Careers Professionals Group. “When I joined Chase Terrace Technology College five years ago, we identified many of the strands in the government’s careers strategy – a lack of employer encounters, a focus on qualifications instead of skills – but it felt like we were working in isolation. Funding cuts meant many others couldn’t find budget for careers advice. It has been interesting to watch the impact Ofsted putting careers advice provision in its inspections has had, particularly if ratings fell. Many schools now come to my school for guidance on mapping their careers framework to the Gatsby Benchmarks. A key for me is engagement with local employers. Two years ago, an employer contacted us as he wanted to talk about his industry and apprenticeships – he’d had a limited response from other schools. We invited him to deliver sessions and provide work experience. As his business grew, he needed new premises, so we suggested he move onto the school site on the proviso that he provide ongoing work experience and talks to students. We now have our own in-school employer as a resource. Careers advice needs to be collaborative and community-based, which is why I set up a networking group for careers professionals. We invite employers in to discuss work experience and internships and universities offering outreach services. Careers leaders are struggling to find information and build their networks, so we’ve really benefited. For me, Benchmark 4 will be hardest to implement – we need to embed careers better in all subjects. I’m fortunate to be full-time with three members of staff, but for those starting out, I’d say talk to every head of department; you’ll be shocked at how much is already being done.” 18 // EMPLOYABILITY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL CAREERS AND ENTERPRISE, HORIZON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, BARNSLEY, SOUTH YORKSHIRE Sarah leads a dedicated careers and enterprise team and is a member of the school’s leadership team. Prior to joining Horizon in April 2018, she spent 26 years working in private-sector business and is chair of Barnsley Council’s ‘More and Better Jobs’ task force. “The Gatsby Benchmarks are ambitious and will probably be part of Ofsted criteria going forward. I think that’s a good thing, because although some schools have always seen the natural partnership between soft and academic skills in building rounded individuals, many haven’t; teachers are heavily targeted on grades and progression, so it’s easy to become blinkered. I was lucky to join a school whose senior team sets a lot of store by work-readiness and could see the benefits of having a careers leader able to complement the skills already in the leadership team, and support members. “i get out, I Network; I still have links with business” I’m not teaching, so I can devote 100% of my time to a non-academic curriculum. I get out, I network. I still have links with business and I have a hard-working team. This year, we’ve put in a non-academic curriculum that shadows and mirrors the academic curriculum, working closely with academic staff. Our role is to instil work readiness in students, but also to give them a thirst for learning and to show them the opportun