Preparing For Your Future
Each year we prepare students for a wide range of future pathways. While a large percentage of our students go on to Higher Education, other students successfully apply to apprenticeships, management training schemes, employment or Further Education. During your time at Dereham Sixth Form College you will be encouraged to record your interests, ambitions, skills and talents and will then be constantly alerted to local and national opportunities including university and college open days, industry specific days, talks, lectures, work experience or shadowing openings, etc. You will be challenged from day one to think about how you can acquire those much sought after ‘employability skills’ and, through a robust programme of work-related learning, will be encouraged to build up a portfolio of skills which will serve you equally well at whatever stage you join the job market.
If you do wish to continue your education at university, we will encourage you to have high aspirations and select the right course and location for you. Every year we send students to Oxford and Cambridge as well as many other top selecting universities.
Throughout the academic year we provide a number of opportunities where you can learn more about the varying opportunities available to you from talks about student finance and funding, to visits from local businesses and STEM ambassadors as well as our Apprenticeships, Volunteering and Careers Fairs.
Careers
The Careers Team comprises:
Independent Careers Advisor: Mrs B. Ladds
SLT Careers Link: Mr J. Atkin
As a dedicated Sixth Form College there is a clear focus on an aspirational career progression beyond the 16 to 19 provision, encouraging you to consider all your career and post-18 education options and support you into the adult world. This is evident across the College and specific advice is given in subject areas.
As a college we use the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Benchmarks to develop and improve our careers provision. The Gatsby Benchmarks are not a statutory framework but help us to ensure we provide good careers education such as with independent careers guidance and opportunities for our students relating to a range of providers and employers to inform you about further and higher education, apprenticeships, employment and training. We use Compass, an online self-evaluation tool, to help us assess and improve our careers support.
In both Years 12 and 13, Careers is delivered through specific guidance sessions, access to workshops and speakers, input by our alumni and through one-to-one support. You may also choose to undertake work experience as part of your careers programme.
Destinations data is collected and reported to Governors each year.
