Careers Provision at DGS

Careers at a Glance at DGS and Didcot Sixth Form

Our national award-winning DGS Careers delivery is centred around providing high quality, meaningful encounters with employers and timely, advice and guidance to allow all pupils to make informed progression choices at different transition points. We are proud of the fact that we were the first, and still one a minority of schools in Oxfordshire, to have fulfilled all eight of the national Gatsby Careers Benchmarks.

Careers

Information and Guidance at DGS

Careers signpost

The Careers Lead at DGS is Mr George: sgeorge@didcotgirls.oxon.sch.uk

DGS also employs the services of a Careers Adviser, Claire. Her role is to provide impartial careers information, advice and guidance.

Claire has an office in the Sherwood Café/Year 11 area and is in school most Mondays and Wednesdays.

During lunchtimes she runs a drop-in session to which students from all years are welcome.
Email: ctuckwell@ridgewayeducation.com

Useful Websites

Unifrog: https://www.unifrog.org/

Unifrog Excellent careers website that can be used for researching Job Profiles, Colleges, 6^th Forms, Apprenticeships and Universities Pupils also record their career interactions on Unifrog, compile a CV and use lots of their useful careers and options related tools, inc career matching quizzes.

www.adviza.org.uk/careers-guidance-for-you

An excellent careers resource. Visit Adviza via the link above to access information on Post-16 option choices, Higher Education, Finding and Applying for Jobs It also includes a Parent Section and hosts some really useful career webinars.

www.oxme.info

Useful careers information provided by Oxfordshire County Council for young people aged 8-19, including post-16 options and job and apprenticeship vacancies for Oxfordshire.

Informed choices www.informedchoices.ac.uk

A really good website for helping you choose the right A levels, especially if you plan to go onto University.

www.ucas.com

The website for researching university courses, entry requirements and more. Now also includes information on options after GCSEs and on higher/degree level apprenticeships. You can also search and compare university entrance requirements at: https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/

https://amazingapprenticeships.com/t-levels/

A new type of qualification, which you can study for Further Education, are T Levels. Go to the link above for further information on T Levels and go to: www.tlevels.gov.uk/students/find to search for T Levels

A Guide to Qualifications

and What They Mean in Terms of Levels

The more qualifications you gain and the higher the level of your achievement, the more options will be available to you in the future.

Learning doesn't stop when you leave school. It's important to continue developing your skills and knowledge throughout your life. Qualifications act as markers along the way, showing what you have achieved and what you can do.

Once you have left full-time education, there are different ways to gain qualifications - by assessment in the workplace, by studying at home through distance learning, by using computer packages at an open-learning centre, or by attending classes on a full-or part-time basis. There is a wide range of subjects, study options and qualifications, and you may find there are several routes to achieving your career ambitions.

Whichever qualification/s you choose, first take a careful look at the entry requirements. Discuss with teachers/tutors and others who know your abilities your chances of meeting those requirements, then aim for your personal best. To enter some careers, gaining the right qualifications is essential. For others, certain combinations of qualifications may be useful or preferred.

There are qualifications in literally thousands of subjects; they also come in different sizes and levels. In very simple terms, qualifications can broadly be divided into three types:

Academic - covering knowledge of such subjects as geography or English
Broad-based, work-related, vocational - covering a broad area of work (such as business or health and social care)
Job-related, occupational - covering the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to learn about or train for a specific job or job area.

Qualifications can be compared in terms of level (i.e. challenge/difficulty) and size. The levels are:

Entry level (split into entry 1, 2 and 3)
Level 1: e.g. GCSEs at grades 3-1
Level 2: e.g. GCSEs at grades 9-4
Level 3: e.g. A level at grade A-E
Levels 4-8: HE (higher education) qualifications (including Higher National, degree and postgraduate qualifications) and certain professional qualifications.

For a detailed list of qualification and their level, go to:

https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels

Link to Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) Policy

Careers