Being able to access high-quality careers’ guidance is critical to a young person’s future. It helps to prepare them for the workplace by providing a clear understanding of the world of work, including routes to work and careers that they may find engaging and rewarding. 

It also helps them to learn the personal skills they will need to find and secure fulfilling employment opportunities, helping students to take responsibility for their own pathway and improve their life opportunities.

In order to help that process, St Catherine’s provides a relevant and engaging Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance Curriculum (CEIAG), which meets the differing needs and requirements of our students. 

This is developed throughout a student’s time at St Catherine's and always focusses on their abilities, strengths and skills. It follows eight guiding principles:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

We really value work experience opportunities and recently invested in a Job Coach to support students to find and attend work experience placements. We also run our own charity shop which, as well as supporting our fundraising efforts, provides work experience placements for students.

As a school and college, we draw on experienced professionals to support our careers programme. We employ the services of an independent careers advisor to provide careers interviews for our students. We are also part of the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, and an employee of a local business is our Enterprise Advisor for our Young Enterprise Company.

For further information about Careers Education at St Catherine’s, please contact our Careers Lead, Michelle Tilling on michelletilling@stcatherines.org.uk.

“Pupils benefit from a well-planned and delivered careers programme which runs throughout the school. This includes visits from employers and opportunities to participate in meaningful work experience activities.”

^{Ofsted 2024}