Careers Leader
Mrs S Waterhouse
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01782 568350
At Chesterton Community Sports College, we actively encourage all of our pupils to ‘Be the Best They Can Be’ in all aspects of their life. Through the support and guidance that we provide, it is our aim that every child leaves us with positive values and high aspirations surrounding their future career path.
We aim to provide personalised support which will allow them to make realistic and informed decisions on progression to post 16 education, employment and/or training opportunities. This includes A Levels, Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Study Programmes or Specialist Programmes at University Technical Colleges (UTCs).
The Government’s career strategy published on 4 December 2017, gives schools a long-term plan to build a careers system that will enable young people to make the right decisions Post 16. To achieve this aim, Chesterton Community Sports College will aim to use the benchmarks from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, which are as follows:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from the careers and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of all students
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education provide
- Personal Guidance
Click to download the Parent Apprentice Pack below
Labour Market Information
Labour market information tells you;
* What jobs and skills employers are looking for
* Which industries have vacancies and where they are
* What education and training you need for a specific job
* Which job areas are growing in the future, which are in decline and other statistics
in their career choices and decisions.
Careersmart is an independent and impartial careers website it aims to enable individuals to be informed and confident in their career choices and decisions.
Success at School - The best websites to find Labour Market Information
https://successatschool.org/blog/560/The-Best-Websites-to-Find-Labour-Market-Information
Please see below for the latest labour market reports for Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire April 2019 LMI Report (1)
PDF File
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire May 2019 LMI Report
PDF File
Which Career? - Meet people working in different roles
https://amsp.org.uk/events/details/8765
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (advances in technology such as artificial intelligence, robotics and the Internet of Things) has created a whole new world of possibilities; furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a faster adoption of new technologies by businesses. We’re much more adept now at using remote working and learning platforms and more accepting of advances in financial technologies (fintech) which are changing the way we pay for goods and services.
Such rapid advancements mean that it’s likely there will be jobs and careers out there that you and your child haven’t considered, but which offer real opportunities for them for the future.
So which jobs and skills are likely to be in demand as they enter the world of work and what will they need to do to keep up with change?
Where will the work be over the next 10 years?
Did you know that over 3 million of the 3.5 million new jobs created since 2010 were for high-skilled work1? The continuing growth of our knowledge industries means that graduate employment is pretty stable while automation is edging out jobs which involve routine tasks such as in administration, finance, customer service and some manufacturing production.
Any employer working with or wanting to adopt or develop new technologies is going to be seeking new talent. Jobs within the following sectors in particular need high-skilled people:
- ● creative and digital industries (such as film, TV, marketing and gaming)
- ● information and communication technology (such as cyber security, cloud
computing and satellites)
- ● hi-tech engineering (such as aerospace, electric vehicles and food production)
- ● life sciences (such as genomics, smart technology and pharmacology).
Roles linked to climate change in areas such as innovation, sustainability, retrofitting, environmental impact and waste management will offer new opportunities as local, national and international governments strive to meet their environmental targets.
We’ll also see high demand for people to work in construction (especially skilled crafts and trades), logistics (notable LGV drivers) and hospitality and catering (especially chefs). The majority of vacancies in these sectors will be to replace people who have recently left or retired.
In the public sector the civil service is predicted to grow, and teachers - especially of maths, science and languages – will still be highly sought after. You’re probably aware of a continuing and critical demand for people to work in health and care across a range of jobs and levels – from care assistants and nurses to radiographers and psychologists; our ageing population means demand will only grow.
Top Tip 1 – that dream job may be waiting to be discovered!
Research shows that young people are still aspiring to work in a narrow range of careers that are familiar to them2. Encourage your teenager to do their research and to think beyond what they might consider to be a ‘typical’ job in a sector. Think of the phrase, “You cannot be what you cannot see.”
Top Tip 2 – there is usually more than one route into a career
Landing a professional or graduate role doesn’t necessarily mean doing a full-time university course to get there. Higher and degree apprenticeships can take you all the way to a postgraduate level qualification in careers such as architect, clinical scientist, engineer, solicitor and district nurse. The new T levels are also based on areas of high future demand and can offer a vocational alternative to A levels alongside apprenticeships.
Which skills are employers looking for?
Most of the sectors mentioned above are struggling to recruit people with specific skills - these are often referred to as ‘skills shortages’ - you’ve probably heard stories in the media about a lack of HGV drivers or nurses. Some skills shortages get resolved within a few years but others are more long term.
You can find out which jobs are experiencing long-term skills shortages by viewing the UK Shortage Occupation List3. Engineering, health and IT professionals are all examples of high-skilled roles currently in huge demand; other roles include artist, veterinarian and archaeologist.
Gaining a range of common skills for work, such as communication or good organisation, will help young people become more employable but one thing’s for certain, digital skills will be
highly sought after and the majority of jobs will require some level of competence ranging from basic skills to coding. A recent study 4 found that just 18% of young people felt they had the advanced digital skills that employers might need, and with fewer hours spent teaching computer subjects in school, it may get harder for employers to find the right people in the future.
Top Tip 3 – boost digital skills through online learning
Young people can boost their basic or advanced digital skills through free online courses such as those available through OpenLearn and FutureLearn – look for those that give certificates of achievement once completed. In addition to gaining new skills, completing one of these courses also demonstrates a willingness to learn and determination – things employers are keen to see!
Prepare to keep learning
It’s clear that job roles will evolve as technology increases its foothold in our working lives (with some jobs disappearing altogether) and this means that we’ll be switching jobs and careers more frequently in the future. To be able to do this more smoothly we’ll all need to be prepared to keep learning new skills throughout our working lives. Whether through further training in the workplace or more formal learning outside of work, having a mindset that encourages growth will help to keep our young people employable.
If you want to learn more about the future of work, take a look at our article Top Jobs for the Future or explore some of the websites mentioned in our Careers Information on the Internet article.
1 Institute for Employment Studies
2 Investing in Career Guidance. Cedefop. 2021
3 www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations 4 Learning and Work Institute 2021
© Helen Janota, September 2021
21 Top Jobs for the Future
No one can predict all of the jobs young people will be able to choose from in the second half of the 21st century but here are a few of the jobs that are likely to be in high demand over the next 15 years.
- Cyber security expert
No-one wants to fall victim to cyber-based crime which is why the government is trying to tackle the issue by providing apprenticeships to encourage young people to choose this growing sector. - Robotics engineer
All types of engineer are in demand but those who are highly skilled in coding and software are needed in areas such as biomedical engineering, warehousing and logistics, agri-tech (agricultural technology) and hi-tech manufacturing such as driverless vehicles. Engineers are well paid and their skills are sought after around the world so if you like the idea of being able to travel it could be a good career. - Nurse
A critical shortage of nurses continues in the UK with the Covid-19 pandemic putting further strain on the situation. Bursaries for nursing degrees have been replaced with fees but there are now more routes into the career with degree apprenticeships in nursing an option. - Software developer
Computer programming skills are the most sought after area of expertise in the UK – they’re needed everywhere! From cloud computing to artificial intelligence to business intelligence to gaming – and other possibilities yet to be imagined. - User experience (UX) designer
User experience combines branding, design, function and usability for websites, apps and other digital platforms to help make the user’s experience pleasurable and uncomplicated. It’s a key area for online retail, education, banking and finance and many other digital services. - Carpenters and joiners
The UK construction industry needs thousands of people every year to take up both manual and non-manual roles. Apprenticeships can help plug the gaps in skilled roles such as wood trades, bricklaying and electrics. - Data analyst
How do we keep track of the vast amount of digital information stored about people, their behaviour and their preferences and what can it all tell us? Data analysts can help us to make sense of situations and scenarios by presenting complex data in a clear way. - Esports coach
Competitive online gaming is getting more and more popular. With some big prizes to be won, players need to make sure they have that competitive edge. An esports coach can help with strategy, motivation and fair play. - Care worker
By 2039 the number of people aged 75+ will have doubled (1) meaning a huge demand for people to work in care. Hugely rewarding, these can be careers with plenty of opportunities to progress. - Diagnostics technician (light vehicle)
Cars are fitted with more electronics than you can shake a stick at these days and it’s the job of a diagnostics technician to spot the fault. With more electric and driverless vehicles hitting the road every year can we manage without them? - Epidemiologist
There will be lots of jobs in life sciences in the future. Epidemiologists research the causes and effects of viruses and diseases in an increasingly global society - following the recent Covid-19 pandemic they’re needed more than ever. - Countryside officer
Nature conservation – protecting a particular habitat such as woodland, open moor or a stretch of coastline – helps to improve the environment as well as encourage people to enjoy and respect it. Countryside or conservation officers do work that we
all benefit from in one way or another.
- Smart meter fitter
The government wants all homes and small businesses to be equipped with smart meters to measure energy use. How many fitters does it take to install smart meters in 50 million homes? Quite a few. - Agronomist
Agronomists are experts in the science of soil management and aim to improve the growing of crops. With food supply a constant concern around the world, we must look to continuously adapt farming methods; cutting edge agri-tech is playing an increasingly important role in this ‘in demand’ job. - Artist
Do you have an artistic streak? From video gaming, animation and virtual reality to packaging design, landscape design, fashion and advertising - a talent for art can be useful in a wide range of careers. - Accountant
While automation might take over some of the more routine tasks of accountancy, businesses will still be turning to accounting experts for advice and problem solving. - Teacher
The numbers of children moving into secondary schools are growing but teachers – especially of physics, maths, computer science and languages - are in short supply. Education is a vital stepping stone for accessing a wide range of career opportunities and that’s why we need teachers! - Maintenance technician
Manufacturing companies create the products of today and the future and they are becoming increasingly hi-tech. Some jobs on the production line might be at risk of automation but humans will still be needed to make sure the machines run smoothly. - VFX / CGI
It’s all about the special effects these days! The UK TV and film sector is extremely
good at creating these and to keep it that way we need homegrown experts.
- Sales accounts manager
All sectors need people skilled at selling things. There are lots of opportunities for those who can help to develop and grow the sales of a company. - Flood risk engineer
Climate change is creating more extreme weather. Jobs related to increased flooding, drought and wildfires in locations around the world means solutions are needed fast.
Some areas of work may be growing fast but we’ll always need people to replace those who leave. Remember though, jobs will be emerging that haven’t yet been thought up – making sure you develop a range of skills, and keep learning new ones, will help you to jump to new roles.
Sources: 1 – Office for National Statistics
© Helen Janota, updated September 2021
https://ccsc.staffs.sch.uk/index.php/parent-careers-post-16#sigProIdd123fa6ae6
