Careers - City of London Academy Southwark

City of London Careers Provision

Here at the City of London Academy (Southwark), we offer a comprehensive and tailor-made careers programme for all our students, from KS3 through to KS5. This is delivered in two separate pathways, from KS3 to KS4, and also from KS4 into KS5, with each pathway being led by a dedicated specialist Careers Coordinator. We are committed to ensuring that our programme is differentiated and personalised to meet the individual needs of all our students and to enable progression. Our programme also promotes equal opportunities and challenges career stereotypes, focussing specifically on removing barriers and raising aspirations for all. Our aim is to provide students with an invaluable insight into life after the Academy.

KS3 and KS4 provision:

Information and Events

We ensure students are well equipped with the skills to investigate and plan their future career paths through the various programmes and events that we offer across all year groups, such as assemblies, workshops, tutorials, industry-led masterclasses, mock interviews, options evenings and also vocational taster days.

Morrisby Online Testing

We provide each student with the opportunity to complete the Morrisby online tests from Year 7 onward. This programme is hugely beneficial to students of all ages as it generates a bespoke report identifying the educational and training pathways most suited to each student. It also provides a springboard for discussion when individual career meetings commence in Year 10 and Year 11.

Careers Advisor Interviews

Our expert Careers Advisor, Mrs Chuku, provides impartial careers information and guidance for students and parents each week throughout the academic year. Students benefit by taking away a summarised, student friendly action plan linked to their future goals and aspirations.

Work Experience Opportunities

In Year 10, students have the opportunity to arrange their own work experience placements to enable them to develop the skills needed to apply for jobs later in life. We also liaise with Lewisham Work Experience Team, who provide a bank of placements for students to select from; this way all students can experience the recruitment and employment process.

Library Resource Centre

CoLA library has its very own careers resource section, providing information regarding all job and occupational areas, college and university prospectuses, apprenticeship options, gap year options, student finance advice, job skills/preparation guidance. We also have KS3 subject specific option career booklets.

KS5 provision:

Our KS5 careers progression is integral to the sixth form experience here at CoLA. From the outset of Year 12, students can access bespoke advice from specialist staff to support their progression to university, advanced apprenticeships, or directly to employment.

Links with external agencies

CoLA works closely with a number of external agencies to support students’ development, including Career Ready and Construction Youth, which allows them to forge direct links with employers. We are very fortunate to have made links with various businesses in the city such as Silicon Valley Bank, British Land and EBay. This means our students have the opportunity to be mentored by volunteers, and can also carry out work experience, including paid summer internships.

Workshops and additional qualifications

Students benefit from a number of internal and external cross-sector workshops from industry experts, in which they proactively plan their future pathway. These include networking, employability skills and building an online profile. Completing additional qualifications, such as the CISI, also enables students to develop their skills and add to their CVs, making them strong competitors for jobs. A high level of support also exists for students preparing their UCAS applications, with CV writing drop-in workshops and individual appointments available.

The Learning Resource Centre

The Learning Resource Centre in the William Fraser building also has a careers library, which holds a range of literature and academic board games to enable students to make informed choices about their next steps

Careers Fair

At our annual Careers Fair, a large number of universities and employers are represented to answer questions and distribute information. We ensure that our students get the most out of this exciting event and host representatives from many different types of career and educational pathways. We involve the students by using surveys to understand the requirements and aspirations of each cohort.

“CoLA Careers has helped me to explore my career pathways after Year 11. For example, when we had to decide on our options, they provided many assemblies and taster sessions to help us pick our GCSE options. I have also had my 1:1 career meetings and completed my Morrisby online assessment. This definitely helped me to select my current subjects and now I am thinking of exploring a career in the healthcare sector.” – Keianna Mitchell

“The Careers Hub at CoLA has broadened my horizons and provided me with the option to explore new opportunities. For example, the recent Careers Fair opened my eyes to the vast amount of pathways I could pursue and now I am looking at becoming an engineer. The Careers google classroom allows me to explore further STEM based online events which I have found really helpful.” – Bawan Mahmood

T- Levels:

What are T-Levels?

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How to research and apply for T-Levels

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Apprenticeships:

How to research and apply for apprenticeships

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Measuring Impact:

Monitored attendance to career meetings
Completion of Morrisby Assessment by each year group in comparison to previous year
Student surveys
Working with Southwark Council on the collection and tracking of data regarding Year 11 destinations
Year 11 pathway evaluation document
Number of students recorded as NEET is used as a key indicator of the quality of careers education, information, advice and guidance.
Comparison of Year 11 Activity Survey to previous year’s information to identify trends
Year 13 destinations data
Positive learner voice feedback