Careers

Careers education at Queen Elizabeth’s is focused on the students developing their academic talents and personal characteristics, with the end goal of their realising a fulfilling professional life. Throughout lower school, students are encouraged to reflect on their academic progress, set themselves targets for improvement and explore varied career options during dedicated pupil progression sessions. The personalised approach is the cornerstone of Careers education and guidance here at Queen Elizabeth’s. Self-evaluation and reflection is supported through various web-based activities which allow students to independently investigate their various career options and the required entry requirements. These include:

Year 8: ‘Job Pod’ – A structured introduction to careers, building on a student’s academic self-analysis and personal aptitudes and preferences.

Year 10: ‘Careers Quest’ – Students use web-based video and interactive websites, building on the careers research completed in previous years to produce a detailed action plan for the year ahead.

Year 11: ‘World of Work’ - Preparation for Work Experience placements, including placement research and cv writing.

Off-timetable days give students the opportunity to explore varied career options, practise their independent learning skills and develop their entrepreneurial sprit. These include:

Year 8: Careers workshops – Delivered by members of their professional respective fields, these activity-based sessions include a selection of diverse professions from finance to advertising, and architecture to medicine.

Year 9: ‘Tune into Business’ – Students work in teams to develop a business plan based on the music industry and then defend their plans in front of panel.

Year 10: Research Symposium – In teams, students are tasked with producing a critical analysis of a given topic using research skills developed through their Pupil Progression sessions. Aided by Year 12 Extended Project students, the day culminates in students presenting their research findings and defending their analysis.

Year 11: Careers Forum – An open evening for students and parents to meet with representatives from a range of professions. The aim of the evening is to gain a flavour of the myriad of career options open to them and the entry requirements they will need to satisfy.

Year 11 pupils are also offered the opportunity to take the Careers Brief Analysis to help highlight course/career options, suited to their aptitudes and interests, that they may not have considered.

Work Experience takes place at the end of Year 11, and boys are expected to find for themselves, with the help of their parents, a placement which they will find valuable.
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