Careers Plan – Year 7 (2023-24)
YEAR 7 CAREERS AIM: to encourage students to explore their interests and motivations and focus on developing a broader understanding of the world of work.
RATIONALE: This year is viewed as a foundational stage in their career journey and the focus is on their understanding of employability skills and directly relating this to their character curriculum. This allows students to gain a more complete understanding of how both careers and character education are linked and prepare them for life beyond school.
Term 1
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Diversity in the workplace
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 7 students will be introduced to the Equality Act (2010), protected characteristics and the value that diversity can bring to a workplace.
Through these sessions, they will understand that the character strengths of compassion, open-mindedness and respect are also employability skills.
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Term 2
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: The future labour market and employability skills
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 7 students will be introduced to the differences between salaries and wages, but their main focus will be on understanding that the character strengths that the school encourages and values are also employability skills. They will be introduced to the ‘future labour market’ and how to recognise (and use) workplace or organisational values in choosing a career or job.
Through these sessions, they will understand that the character strengths of compassion are also employability skills.
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Term 3
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Work/life balance
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 7 will consider the fact that careers decisions are about choosing how a job might impact their wider life. For example, they will think about the impact of travel, different working environments and where they would like to work.
Through these sessions, they will understand that the character strengths of motivation and resilience are also employability skills. They will also learn that careers decisions need to consider more factors than simply the wage or job title.
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Term 4
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Values in the workplace
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 7 students will consider the role that integrity plays in choosing their careers, and also thinking about the role that stress can play in a career.
Through these sessions, they will understand that the character strengths of resilience, communication and integrity are also employability skills.
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Term 5
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: How to think about careers
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 7 students will work through a BBC Bitesize careers workshop which helps them to consider their own interests and what future careers they might like to explore. In addition to this, they will be looking at the different types of employment including full/part time, self-employment, flexitime, and job shares.
Continue reading → - Live Online: Tech She Can and Accenture
Tech She Can are an educational charity and they worked with Accenture (a global tech company) to create and deliver a live online session about artificial intelligence and careers in generative AI. They explained how AI impacts our daily lives, what generative AI is, and introduced us to careers that included:
- AI research scientist; Robotics engineer; Software designer; AI writer; AI artist.
As well as taking us through the possibilities of AI, the workshop guided the students through the process of using prompts to explain how AI is trained. By using a drawing experiment, they showed us the dangers (including how it can be inaccurate) and how to stay safe when using this technology.
Then we got to hear from two degree apprentices:
- Phoebe, an apprentice Solutions Architect told us about how she loved history and ended up working in tech
- Armani, an apprentice UX designer who told us how he wanted to be an actor and never dreamed he’d land a job in technology by following his love of video games.
AI is an increasingly controversial and unavoidable topic in conversations about how it is impacting the world of work now; it’s important that our students are introduced to what it is and how to stay safe when encountering this technology as part of an open conversation. Thank you to the English department for arranging this employer encounter.
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Term 6
- .CAREERS SESSIONS: Understanding a range of options on the learning journey
In their fortnightly careers sessions, Year 7s will gain a fuller understanding of the key terms that they will come across during their career journey at Wrotham School. This includes sessions focussed on defining university, apprenticeships and having the opportunity to talk in small groups with our sixth formers about what sixth form is and why they made that choice.
Continue reading → - ASSEMBLY and PROJECT: What is engineering?
Year 7 students will be introduced to the wide range of careers within the engineering sector with the help of MEP Ltd an award-winning engineering specialist servicing Aerospace, Defence, Space and Medical clients and based in Aylesford. Students will be introduced to a careers project and encouraged to understand the design process and the importance of creativity and communication.
Continue reading → - Employability skills development: Camping, Wrotham Walk
Year 7 students will have the opportunity to develop their character and employability skills through involvement in a variety of activities including the Year 7 Camping and the Wrotham Walk.
Through these sessions, they will understand that the character strengths of creativity, teamwork and resilience are also employability skills.
Continue reading → - Enterprise Challenge
Year 7 students who are unable to take part in the camping activities will have the opportunity to take part in a team enterprise challenge that will give them the opportunity to develop their communication, creativity and teamwork skills.
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