English Career Resources

Key Stage 4: Researching post-16 options

(Career Education Guidance Objective 9)

'Understand the qualifications available post-16, and the similarities and differences between sixth form, further education (FE) and work-based training.'

The purpose of the unit is to encourage students to investigate websites in order to answer questions about careers and qualifications. The class will need access to the internet to carry out the tasks.

Potential Outcomes include:

• hot seating
• role play
• script writing
• articles for school newsletters and websites
• running an information point
• writing a CV.

Overview of unit

There are many websites available to give students information. This unit contains 9 tasks to complete, working through a variety of websites, offering a variety of tasks and outcomes at each level. The flow diagram in task 1 should give the structure of the unit. The body of the unit gives links to exemplar materials. Although reference is made to specific places in the exemplar materials, each geographical area of England is included in the websites.

Task 1	Discuss the elements involved in connecting the students and the job they want.
Task 2	Consider the student's qualities and skills.
Task 3	Brainstorm and record what sort of questions students might want to ask about a job or career.
Task 4	Students consider employment sectors and note their interest in perhaps, three of them. These areas will be used to provide a focus and to explore in more detail later.
Task 5	Students should pick a qualification of interest to follow through the next stages and make reference notes.
Task 6	Students can find courses relevant to the sectors they have already identified.
Task 7	Links to careers advisors facts sheets on writing a CV. Students can make first draft of CV.
Task 8	Choose any job and make notes on the information given. Student can be hot seated as a possible employer, a representative of an employment agency or somebody working in that job, to answer the questions from the class as they try to determine what the job is.
Task 9	In pairs, students can work through interview workouts, making notes on each section to prepare for an interview. Students could choose another, different job profile and prepare for a role play using information given about a job and the skills and attitudes gained from the workouts. This role play could be scripted, and could also be filmed for later use in class or in school.

Refer to the Finding Out' (PDF)