The importance of developing employability skills in school. Creative engagement, working with alumni and promoting the careers brand.

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1 The importance of developing employability skills in school. Creative engagement, working with alumni and promoting the careers brand. James Wilmot Head of Careers Priory Community School Academy & The Priory Learning Trust.

2 My background- Psychology, Seaquarium, Retail, Recruitment, Recession, NCS, Weston College Apprenticeships, Priory School. My other jobs- Archaeology, writing, Hypnotherapy.

3 The perception of Careers Advisors and our burden to bear The perception (as obtained by a Linkedin forum)- Low profile, under resourced, out of touch and judgemental. Gatsby benchmarks and key words- 'programme', 'information', 'curriculum', 'workplace', 'encounters, exposure, contact and LMI...Very dry! Very scary.. For students, staff, families AND employers. We need a reboot.

4 Is this what our students will reflect on and fondly remember? No Is this what employers are looking for? No Many employers feel that young people do not have the work ethic, are not interested, are ill informed, etc. Many students do not access many careers activities because they simply do not appeal or unforgivably, are not aware of them. Things are not working well. Priory does things differently.

5 In a recent research project with UCW. Priory s Year 8 students are looking for..happiness. They may not have a specific career goal but they know where to look. Happiness', 'confidence', 'bravery', 'kindness' and 'curiosity. All are adjectives that good careers guidance can convert into attributes....all are emotions and attributes vital for a healthy and happy life both in and outside of work. These are our benchmarks.

6 Happiness- Make Students laugh. Give them satisfaction for their efforts. Bravery- Be their safety net but push them forward. Kindness- Celebrate their kindness. Make them feel special. Curiosity- Present Students with opportunities and choices not answers. Confidence- Praise and reinforce all of the above and use them to help others.

7 Rebooting the careers offer... Its not about jobs jobs jobs. Create a careers offer that is public and promoted. Tutors, parents, students, stakeholders, education providers & employers. Use a delivery space that is clear without leaflets and box files. Inspirational and friendly. Market yourself. Create a brand. Sell your offer. To everyone. Grow a list of stakeholders including providers & employers. Staff should rely on you. Parents should recognise you. Students should trust you. Stakeholders should value you. Employers should enjoy the experience.

8 Employer and alumni networks They want to help. They have the LMI knowledge you need. Better still, alumni have this as well as an emotional connection to the school. Don t over organise. Manage expectations and never ask too much from employers. Short and snappy engagement. Little and often. Keep things impartial. Don t be over reliant on one provider. Don t ask too much from employers. They have jobs too! Use Linkedin, Facebook, Chamber of Commerce, parents anything!

9 Do unexpected things. Keep your students on their toes. Don t fall into a stereotype. Don t be too reliant on tech. Its not just about careers! Local community, writing, invention, heroes! Be the provider of choices and opportunities to your students. Let them know that you are doing it for them. Make your advice and guidance intuitive and the Gatsby benchmarks will fit into place.

10 Barriers Barriers from within school? Carry on regardless. Staff will learn to love you. Locked away in a cupboard? Then leave the cupboard! Barriers from parents? Call them out. Your relentless positivity will win the day. Barriers from students? Make them feel like they are missing out. Make them feel happy, valued, listened to and rewarded for participating. Barriers from employers? You re speaking to the wrong people, asking the wrong question or looking in the wrong place.

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13 The real outcomes of good guidance Happy Confident Brave Kind Curious All the attributes of a happy student moving into adult life and a successful career. All the attributes of a successful Careers Advisor!

14 Making links Please contact me if you would like to spend time at Follow me on Connect with me on Linkedin Like our school Facebook page Read our online access policy document Schools must make changes NOW. Difficult decisions must be made. But by making brave choices now, the results will be fantastic. Thank you very much for your time!