Careers
About the Department
Staff:
Careers Department
Mrs. K Palmer: Head of Department
Ms. C Hendy: Assistant Head of Careers
Mr. N Armstrong: Senior Teacher, Responsibility focus – Oxford and Cambridge applications.
At Wallace, every teacher is a careers teacher and students benefit from opportunities to connect and engage with employment, training and educational prospects beyond the school gates. At the heart of the school’s vision for Careers Education is the hope that pupils will identify and develop their interests, skills and aptitudes in order to realise success in their future studies and the numerous career pathways which are available to them. The Careers Department and curriculum teachers aim to work alongside our students and their support networks to enable our young people to make informed decisions about the qualifications they will choose to pursue and the opportunities they will apply for post-16, post-18 and beyond.
All students in Year 8 – 14 will follow a structured careers programme delivered by form staff and supported by the Head of Careers.
Key Stage 3
Through their Skills Based Learning and Pathway planning work, students will learn the importance of transversal skills and will be encouraged to reflect on and develop their own skills and qualities.
At this stage, students will also be introduced to the AI based careers software PeopleHawk, which will allow them to create a digital careers profile and investigate opportunities aligned with their interests and strengths.
The Careers team will work with pupils on an individual basis to provide advice and guidance on GCSE choices. Students will attend an assembly to hear about new subjects at GCSE and will attend our Careers Fair to engage with local employers and education providers in order to make the right choices at this early stage.
Key Stage 4
In Year 11, a number of students will have the opportunity to attend the NI School Summit to engage with local employers and education providers, and to find out more about the opportunities available to them as they progress through the next stages of their career planning. They will continue to use PeopleHawk throughout Key Stage 4 to develop their careers profile and identify their interests and skills.
In Year 12 students will undertake a 3-day Industry Based Learning placement where they will spend time on their chosen industry learning about specific job roles and the transversal skills required in the modern-day place of work. The Careers Service NI also plays a vital role in school, interviewing students and offering advice on the numerous post-16 opportunities available to these young people. As students prepare to make their post-16 choices, individual interviews with the careers team are organised, with all options being reviewed to ensure the choices are realistic and informed.
Key Stage 5
At this stage students are encouraged to explore a wide range of post-18 options. In Year 13 they will spend time exploring degrees, degree apprenticeships, apprenticeships, as well as a range of more vocational qualifications they might be interested in. They will all attend the UCAS Discovery Event at the Eikon in the final term of Year 13 in order to learn more about university, apprenticeship and alternative opportunities. In June of Year 13, students are also
required to attend a UCAS preparation event and are given guidance or areas including course research and personal statements.
Students will have the opportunity throughout Sixth Form to attend talks from a number of Universities and Colleges including Liverpool John Moore University, Trinity College Dublin, the Scottish Universities as well as QUB, Ulster University, SERC and CAFRE. Past pupils deliver talks on Oxbridge.
In Year 14, students will complete their UCAS applications as well as being encouraged to apply for a wide range of opportunities outside of the UCAS process. They will refine their interview skills by attending the Young Enterprise ‘You’re Hired’ event as well as taking part in mock interviews and mock MMIs in September each year.
Students will also be encouraged throughout Sixth Form to attend the school Careers Fair and to update their PeopleHawk profile and use the extensive careers research tools available on the platform to plan their next steps on leaving Wallace.
Subject Choices
GCSE choice
Use this handy link as part of choosing your GCSEs
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/subject-choices-year-10
Post 16 choice
Use this handy link as part of choosing your post 16 options: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/options-after-year-12
Post 18 choice
Use this handy link as part of choosing your post 18 options:
https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/options-after-year-14
FE Colleges
SERC https://www.serc.ac.uk/
Belfast Metropolitan College https://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/
CAFRE https://www.cafre.ac.uk/
Earn and Learn Opportunties
Deloitte https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/careers/articles/brightstart-business-apprenticeship-scheme.html
PWC https://www.pwc.co.uk/careers/student-careers/school-careers/our-programmes/flying-start-degrees.html
Kainos https://www.kainos.com/careers/earn-as-you-learn
Other Links
UCAS https://www.ucas.com/
CAO https://www.cao.ie/
GAP Year https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/student-life/gap-year/gap-years-ideas-and-things-think-about
The Uni Guide https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/
Student Finance https://www.studentfinanceni.co.uk/
