It was great to welcome our students back after the summer break and we certainly hit the ground running with their careers journey. I began the year by delivering a careers assembly to each year group, focussing on the Careers Programme and highlighting the different events and activities we have in store for the students over the next year. I talked about the importance of CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) and how their time in school and involvement in these events and activities can prepare them for the decisions they will make in the future. My Year 9 assembly was teamed up with Miss Moore who coordinates and delivers the Duke of Edinburgh programme, which has proven to be very popular amongst students over the years.  

The Careers Programme for 2024/25 can be found here. 

Our Year 11 students have a big year ahead of them, as not only will they be preparing for their GCSE exams, but students will be completing their applications for their post-16 destination, this may include Consortium Sixth Form College, other sixth form and college providers, apprenticeships, Armed Forces, employment with training etc. There are many options to choose from, but students need to make the right decisions for them, and support is provided along the way. To kick start the year, Mr Groak and Mr Wilson have been delivering the Aiming Higher Programme which involved a series of assemblies and workshops to raise aspirations and to inspire students to have high expectations of themselves and to develop self-belief that they can achieve the grades necessary to progress on to university. 

All Year 11 and 13 students have had their initial careers guidance interview with our External Careers Advisor, and we have now moved onto second interviews for those students who require. We welcomed our new Careers Advisor Katie Bembrick in September, Katie will be in school on Mondays and Wednesdays conducting careers guidance interviews. Please contact hayley.lawes@hessleacademy.com should your child require another appointment.Last year we re-launched Work Experience with our Year 10 students after a 10-year gap! As you can see from the feedback below, students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and found their insight into the world of work beneficial, developing employability skills and making new contacts for the future. Some of our students have shared their experiences with this year’s cohort within assemblies and parent/carer information evenings.

Last year we re-launched Work Experience with our Year 10 students after a 10-year gap! As you can see from the feedback below, students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and found their insight into the world of work beneficial, developing employability skills and making new contacts for the future. Some of our students have shared their experiences with this year’s cohort within assemblies and parent/carer information evenings.

We have now launched WEX with our current Year 10’s and parents/carers, we have already received Placement Forms and a large volume of Parental Consent Forms which is great, please continue to return these forms ASAP to tutors (see deadlines below). As per last year, students are responsible for finding their own placement for three days between Wednesday 2 July and Friday 4 July 2025.

• Parental Consent/Medical Form – no later than Friday 20 December 2024

• Placement Form – no later than Friday 28 February 2025

In preparation for their initial career’s guidance interviews, Year 10 students have completed a pre/post Interview Questionnaire. Interviews commence mid-November up until the summer term. Students included information about their initial post-16 plans and ideas; where they are thinking of applying, the types of jobs they’re interested in and there was also an opportunity to rank their priority which will help to determine the order in which the students will be seen across the year.

Other events which have taken place so far this year included Restart a Heart Day, in which Year 7 students learnt vital lifesaving CPR skills as well as hearing about different roles within the health sector. Students in Year 9 also received a refresher on this day! The Year 9 Inspiration Day took place in October, preparing students for choosing their KS4 Options to study in Year 10 and 11. We had a positive response from students with 95% enjoying the event and 98% who found the event useful in preparing them for making decisions about their future and keys stage 4 options. We had a variety of workshops including the following:

• Net Zero – Northern Gas

• Careers Advisor – Finance & Budgeting  

• Choosing your Key Stage 4 Options (to study in Year 10 & 11)  

• Post-16 Pathways (after Year 11)  

• Log On Move On & Employability Passport – ESP Team 

• Apprenticeships & T-Levels – Hull College 

• Post-14 Transitions and Preparations 
• Emotional Support – Coping with change

And finally, Year 13 Pathways Event saw students get involved in a variety of workshops including interview skills, personal statements, revision & motivation techniques, and post-18 plans including apprenticeships. We saw several providers and businesses attend the event to discuss the opportunities available including BAE Systems, Siemens, McArthur Dean, HETA, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation. 

Groups of students across Year 9, 10 and 11 attended two annual Careers Fairs, Women into Manufacturing and Engineering at the Guildhall, Hull and the Foundations Live Construction Event at Bishop Burton. Both events gave students the opportunity to speak to various employers and training providers and get involved in some interactive activities. A popular comment from students was ‘’I did not realise how many different jobs there were in this industry’’!