Careers Advice

As well as 1:1 advice and guidance appointments, our team are available to talk to you about your college or university course choices; to help with job applications and CVs; advise on UCAS and personal statements, deliver LinkedIn workshops and practice interviews; help you narrow down your skills and interests; and in the first few weeks, are on hand to help you if you are not settling into your course.

Your College Study Programme incorporates learning about careers in the subject area and employability skills are embedded throughout our Skills for Success curricula. You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of every opportunity to participate in the range of experiences and enrichment activities on offer. Work experience is embedded into the Study Programmes and employer insights are a key component. We work with an Enterprise Coordinator from the South East Midlands Local Economic Partnership (SEMLEP) to ensure that the College courses reflect the needs of business.  Our partnerships with local employers means we have an excellent understanding of the labour market so we are able to help you make informed decisions based on prospects, pay levels, and job security.

We run an annual Higher Education Fair each autumn, and arrange for guests from universities to come in to talk to students.  Keep an eye on the Careers SharePoint site for these events.

All students are supported by tutors and progress mentors regarding the next steps after college.  Clear progression routes into employment, apprenticeships, or university are provided for all students.

The Careers & Futures Team can be contacted via email careersteam@mkcollege.ac.uk or by coming into the Careers Office at Chaffron Way or on one of our drop-in days at the other sites (see below).

Book appointment

We offer 1:1 in-depth appointments with one of our advisers on Monday to Thursday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments can be face-to-face, via MS Teams, or over the phone.  Book an appointment by dropping in to G42 in Chaffron Way, by email to careersteam@mkcollege.ac.uk or by asking your tutor, progress mentor, or student services to refer you. We will happily come to Bletchley or the IoT for pre-booked appointments.

Appointments usually take at least half an hour. They are confidential (subject to safeguarding needs). A summary of the discussion for your records is posted on ProMonitor within 48 hours.

Drop-in

Students are welcome to drop-in to room G42 at Chaffron Way to ask for quick advice, or to book a longer 1:1 appointment.

We offer a drop-in service at Bletchley Campus every Wednesday– come to find us in the Student Development Hub, and at the SCIoT on the first Friday of every month – one of us will be in the communal area.

Careers & Futures Site

There is a Careers SharePoint site accessible via your College login. There you will find plenty of information about careers, apprenticeships, university and so on. This site is also available via your MK College App.

At Milton Keynes College we have an active careers programme for students, with the aim of ensuring that they have high aspirations for their career and work choices and develop their employability skills so that they are best-placed to access the widest possible range of options when they leave college. The Gatsby Report [https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/final-0099-gcg-college-booklet-a5-4pp-rgb-aw1.pdf], which provides a benchmark for best practice, set out eight benchmarks that we are working towards.  The key elements are:

 · a stable careers programme

· learning form career and labour market information

 · addressing the needs of each student

· linking curriculum learning to careers

· encounters with employers and employees

· experiences of workplaces

· encounters with Higher Education

· personal guidance.

We are proud of the work that we do relating to careers and employability and are constantly striving to improve. Some of the activities and support our students can benefit from are listed on this page. We have been fortunate to have the support of employers and universities with many of these activities.

How Can Parents & Carers Help?

Sometimes parents and carers ask how they can help in terms of providing information and support. Here are some suggestions that you may wish to consider.

• Looking at some of the career information with your son or daughter and familiarising yourself with them early on in their college life. This will help them with future planning and thinking about their goals and aspirations for the future as well as their employability skills.
• Talk to them about the world of work in general terms – what you like and dislike about your own role, the jobs of those they know and come into contact with, some of the challenges and realities of the working world – as this helps them to build up a picture of what they want from work.
• Encourage them to be independent in their research.
• If your son/daughter has a careers appointment, they will agree actions with the careers adviser. These will be typed onto the student’s ProMonitor record within 48 hours of the appointment.  Encourage them to discuss this with you.
• Help them to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of different routes and how these may suit them as individuals.
• Encourage them to start planning early – for example, we encourage students to start thinking about their plans at least a year in advance.
• If your son or daughter is happy for you to attend their careers appointment, you are very welcome.

We regularly seek feedback on the value of our careers provision, if you have any comments or suggestions please contact our Careers Lead, Joanna Brown, on joanna.brown@mkcollege.ac.uk

Milton Keynes College welcomes engagement with employers to add richness and depth to our Study Programmes. We have an active careers programme for our young people, with the aim of ensuring that they have high aspirations for their career and work choices and develop their employability skills so that they are best-placed to access the widest possible range of options when they leave college. The Gatsby Report [https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/final-0099-gcg-college-booklet-a5-4pp-rgb-aw1.pdf], which provides a benchmark for best practice, set out eight benchmarks that we are working towards.  The key elements are:

 · a stable careers programme

· learning form career and labour market information

 · addressing the needs of each student

· linking curriculum learning to careers

· encounters with employers and employees

· experiences of workplaces

· encounters with Further and Higher Education

· personal guidance.

We are proud of the work that we do relating to careers and employability and are constantly striving to improve. Some of the activities and support our students can benefit from are listed on this page. We have been fortunate to have the support of employers and universities with many of these activities.

We know that working with employers is a vital part of preparing our students for their future and actively look for ways in which we can engage with employers, both in the school setting and in the workplace. If you feel your organisation could help, please do get in touch. Some of the ways we work with employers are listed below, let us know if you could help.

• Coming in to classes to talk to students about your organisation and industry.
• Taking part in mock interviews for small groups of students.
• Attending one of our careers fairs.
• Taking one of more students for work experience / shadowing / or a workplace visit.
• Sending the careers team details of vacancies at your organisation.
• Let us know about the skills gaps you are experiencing.

We regularly seek feedback from our partners on the value of our careers provision, if you have any comments or suggestions please let our Careers Lead, Joanna Brown, know on joanna.brown@mkcollege.ac.uk

The College’s Careers Programme is assessed for its quality and positive impact on students through a number of methods:

1.    The destinations of students after leaving their courses.

2.    The numbers of students accessing the services on offer.

3.    Student feedback after 1:1, tutorial sessions and via Student Voice.

4.    Department planning and self-evaluation reports monitored by the Assistant Principal: Quality and Student Experience and the College Senior Leadership Team.

5.    Matrix Quality Standard re-evaluation and accreditation.

This Statement has been written with regard to;

a)    Milton Keynes College Careers Strategy [link]

b)    Careers Guidance for Further Education & Sixth Form Colleges October 2018 – DfE  [www.ghttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schoolsov.uk]

c) The Gatsby Report on Good Career Guidance 2017 [https://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/final-0099-gcg-college-booklet-a5-4pp-rgb-aw1.pdf],

d)    Careers Strategy: Making the most of everyone’s skills and talents December 2017 – DfE [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664319/Careers_strategy.pdf]

This Careers Statement is reviewed annually. Students, staff, parents and carers, or employers are welcome to add their comments and suggestions by contacting our Careers Lead, Joanna Brown joanna.brown@mkcollege.ac.uk