Careers at South Bank University Academy.
The careers programme at SBUA is underpinned by four key principles.
- Universal. Every student is able to access the careers programme. The programme is interwoven through the PSHE programme throughout the academic year and is timed to respond to the needs of students at the various stages of their school journey. All students are entitled to receive independent careers guidance, with one-to-one careers guidance interviews formally scheduled for Years 9, 11 and 13. Additional opportunities take place in the form of talks, events, workshops and trips.
- Progressive. The careers programme covers every year of secondary education, and encourages students to think about their enjoyments, strengths and skills well in advance of key decision points. Activities are designed to build on those in previous years so students have a thorough appreciation of the range of opportunities available. In addition, principles of equality and diversity are embedded throughout the programme.
- Student centred. Students are at the heart of our careers programme. Every activity is thoughtfully planned and tailored to students’ needs in order to maximize their learning and exposure to the world of work. Our goal is to equip students with the tools and confidence to pursue enjoyable and meaningful further study and work. All students are entitled to find out about technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities and to understand how to make applications for the full range of academic and vocational courses.
- Outcome focused. Results and feedback are central to the ongoing development of the careers programme. Students, staff and parents/guardians are encouraged to give feedback. In addition, the Gatsby Benchmarks provide a meaningful framework against which success in meeting our aims is measured. South Bank University Academy works closely with the Southwark Post-16 and Post-18 Service to record and track the range of destinations our leavers pursue.
All students have a Unifrog account
Thanks to our fantastic location close to the heart of London, the Careers Department takes full advantage of the many links available. Partnerships with further and higher education as well as employers include:
Educational partnerships: Employer partnerships:
City University of London Amplify Trading
King’s College London Efficio
London South Bank University Guy’s and Thomas’ NHS
Multiverse Harper Collins
My Personal Finance Skills
South Bank Colleges Hays Recruitment
Unifrog IBM
University for the Creative Arts Kantar
M&G
MACE
Maven Securities
Morgan Stanley
Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
The Old Vic
The Young Vic
Charity Partnerships:
Blueprint for All
Careers and Enterprise Company
Construction Youth Trust
Making the Leap
My Big Career
National Citizen Service
Social Mobility Foundation
Speakers for Schools
The Talent Foundry
If you are a student, the following resources are helpful:
If you are a parent/guardian, some resources to support your child include:
If you are a parent teacher, educator or employer and would like to hear more about what we do or work with us, please get in touch with our Careers Leader, Sophie Kettlewell, on 0207277300 or email at sophie.kettlewell@southbankua.org.uk
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Careers & Enrichment programme is monitored for quality and impact by the Academy’s Senior Leadership and Governance Teams, including;
· Access to and opportunities to engage with technical, vocational and training providers
· Monitoring against the Gatsby Benchmarks
· Student destinations
Additionally, we carry out surveys with selected students to measure the success of our programme and look at the impact it has made with regards to further career choices and knowledge. We also gather comments from staff who have accompanied students and facilitators on any careers related visits. In this way we can firstly gauge if we have met the expected outcomes and secondly if we should adjust what we do or indeed do the same activity again. The greatest impact we can see is that the facilitators want to work with us again and that students have followed up on the links which have been made.
Through assemblies, form time activities and one-to-one interviews with students, students from South Bank University Academy have secured appropriate choices for further study and career choices both at post 16 and post 18. This is monitored through Southwark Choices.
