Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) at St Benedict’s Catholic School aims to:

• raise students’ aspirations and to broaden their horizons
• empower students to make informed and realistic decisions at key transition points in learning and work
• provide good quality, independent and impartial careers advice to students which inspires and motivates them to reach their full potential
• provide advice and guidance which meets the needs of the student
• provide opportunities to work in partnership with employers, training providers, local colleges, universities and others that inspire students through
  real-life contact with the world of work
• develop enterprise and employability skills, including skills for self-employment
• challenge stereotyping, support inclusion and promote equal opportunities.

The St Benedict’s Career Guidance Policy (linked below) aligns with the latest Department for Education (DfE) legislation and guidance, the Gatsby Benchmarks (national standards for good careers provision) and the Career Development Institute (CDI) Career Development Framework.

The Gatsby benchmarks are eight standards of excellence in careers provision for schools (and colleges and independent training providers). The benchmarks came into being in 2014, were nationally adopted in January 2018 and subsequently updated in 2024. We evaluate our CEIAG provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks each term:

Benchmark 1: A Stable Careers Programme

• Every school and college should have an embedded programme of career education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents, teachers, governors and employers.

Benchmark 2: Learning from Career and Labour Market Information

• Every student and their parents should have access to good quality information about future study options and labour market opportunities. They will need the support of an informed adviser to make the best use of available information.

Benchmark 3: Addressing the Needs of Each Student

• Students have different career guidance needs at different stages. Opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the needs of each student. A school’s careers programme should embed equality and diversity considerations throughout.

Benchmark 4: Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

• All teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. STEM subject teachers should highlight the relevance of STEM subjects for a wide range of career paths.

Benchmark 5: Encounters with Employers and Employees

• Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment activities including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes.

Benchmark 6: Experiences of Workplaces

• Every student should have first-hand experience of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing, and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.

Benchmark 7: Encounters with Further and Higher Education

• All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them. This includes both academic and vocational routes and learning in schools, colleges, universities and in the workplace.

Benchmark 8: Personal Guidance

• Every student should have opportunities for guidance interviews with a Careers Adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These should be available whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all students but should be timed to meet their individual needs.

All young people in England must continue in education or training until 18 years of age.  Young people have the following choices at the end of Year 11:

• full-time study at a college, sixth form or training provider
• a T Level course
• full-time work or volunteering combined with part-time education or training
• an apprenticeship
• a traineeship

As part of our careers programme, all students are provided with a one-to-one guidance meeting with a qualified Careers Advisor by the end of year 11. This meeting focusses on the strengths, interests and aspirations of each student in order to identify their optimum next steps post-16 and post-18.

To support our delivery of CEIAG, we continue to develop robust partnerships with a wide range of employers, training providers and Further and Higher Education organisations. Our intention is that through these partnerships we are able to:

• raise aspirations and increase motivation – helping young people identify educational and occupational goals
• demonstrate the relevance of the knowledge and skills learnt in subjects to future opportunities in learning and working
• identify the links between living, learning and earning
• provide work enrichment opportunities including work experience, workplace visits, guest speakers and curriculum support.

All students during their time at St Benedict’s will have the opportunity to meet with employers, apprenticeship and training providers and representatives from Further and Higher Education.