Careers | St Damian's

To provide an inclusive, effective and ambitious careers strategy which raises pupil aspirations, unlocks their potential and ensures that they have the individual skills, values and qualifications to make informed choices and be successful in further education, training and employment.

Meet our Careers Adviser

Miss Patel from ‘Positive Steps’ is St. Damian’s Careers Adviser offering independent and impartial information, advice and guidance to pupils on their future career plans.

Miss Patel is based in the meeting room next to Mrs Biggs’ office every Tuesday and every other Wednesday to offer careers advice and guidance to pupils.

During the school year, pupils will have the opportunity to meet with Miss Patel in assemblies, small group sessions, one-to-one interviews. Miss Patel is also happy to work with parents/carers, attend Parents’ Evening and get in touch with parents if required.

How to contact Miss Patel

Miss Patel can be contacted via school.

Alternatively her direct number is: 0161 621 9336 and her email address is: KhyatiPatel@positive-steps.org.uk or careers@stdamians.co.uk

Appointments can also be booked by request via Form Tutors or Heads of Year

Careers Interviews

Careers interviews are confidential one to one discussions which helps pupils develop career management skills and make well informed decisions about their career pathways in the future.

Why going to your Careers Interview is very important

It is an opportunity to think and talk about your plans on a one to one basis with a trained, independent and impartial adviser.
It can help raise aspirations and increase your motivation to achieve highly in your GCSEs and vocational courses and beyond.
It can help with making decisions related to your options after school, whether it is college, sixth form, apprenticeships or other study programmes. It will help you choose the best pathway for you.
It can help with college or job applications.
It can help with contacting colleges for you if you have not heard from them, have missed appointments or changed your mind on courses.
It can help with writing your CV and covering letter for college / job applications.
It can help you to search for job/apprenticeship vacancies and tell you how to apply for them.
It can help you to consider options post 18 and research them so that you can choose the right pathways/ subjects and courses at 16.

Positive Steps

In an ever changing and complex technological world it is more important than ever before that young people get excellent advice and guidance required to ensure that they are able to navigate the huge array of choices available and get the right skills and experience required for future employment.

Careers Education, Information, Advice & Guidance

To develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to life in a rapidly changing world

Aims of the Careers Programme

St Damian’s believes that very learner should have opportunities to learn about the world of work, employ-ability skills and the personal qualities that are valued in the workplace in order to increase the self-confidence of pupils and raise aspirations. Pupils can then make informed choices about future careers and develop employ-ability skills.

The careers programme promotes equal opportunities and challenges stereotypical thinking and attitudes. It helps pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs to overcome any overt and/or hidden barriers to progress that they may encounter and ensures that all pupils receive appropriate information and guidance, especially at key decision and transition points.

High Quality Provision

St. Damian’s has achieved Stage 2 of the Quality in Careers Standard and is working towards the assessment for Stage 3 of the Award. The College is also working towards full implementation of the Gatsby Benchmarks to ensure that careers provision is of the highest quality for pupils.

The Gatsby Benchmarks are:

A stable careers programme
Learning from career and labour market information
Addressing the needs of each pupil
Linking curriculum learning to careers
Encounters with employers and employees
Experiences of workplaces
Encounters with further and higher education
Personal guidance

Careers Information of interest to teachers on the school web-site includes:

Overview of the Careers Programme
Parent Information
Pupil Information
Employer Information
PSHE Curriculum Information including careers modules

Further Information

Please contact Mr D Healey, Careers Leader, for more information: careerprospects@stdamians.co.uk