A New Chapter in KES Careers

This year represents an exciting new chapter in the life of Careers at KES. 

Having started at KES three years ago as a Religious Studies and Philosophy teacher, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to take on the mantle of Careers Education Coordinator, following the retirement of Nigel Barnes in July. 

I am bringing a fresh outlook to the Careers department and have developed a five year plan which is designed to take the Careers offering at KES and transform it into a fundamental and dynamic part of school life which helps to shape students choices and allow them to be as well-informed as possible from year 7 through to year 13 and beyond. We will, of course, as a school, be maintaining our focus on providing top quality careers support throughout the UCAS process but my remit as the Careers Education Coordinator will also encompass many other avenues into work, including T levels, vocational qualifications and degree apprenticeships. In a changing world where University costs are increasing and the demand for ever-more specific work experience is spiralling, these can offer a real opportunity to focus on a wide variety of specialisms and ultimately earn a degree with no debt, several years of work experience and a secure job! 

During the next academic year, I will be focussing on a number of smaller tasks designed to raise and streamline the profile of KES Careers and encourage the students to begin interacting with and utilising the Careers department on a regular basis. We have already launched our Inspirational Speakers programme, with fantastic feedback from our students and have also given our Year 12 students the opportunity to become an integral part of Careers as ‘Careers Prefects’, who will help to involve students across the school as a whole. 

As the year progresses, we are also hoping to move forward with a number of ‘big ticket’ items, including a Careers Fair in early 2022, a Career Carousel Day for Year 10 in the summer term and a pilot Work Experience programme for a small number of students in Year 12, amongst much else! If you feel that you can help with any of these events (or anything else) then please do contact us at: [email protected] and follow us on twitter @KESBathCareers.
 

Mrs Rees-Roberts, KES Careers Co-Ordinator