Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)

We understand that it is important to develop young people through careers, employability and enterprise education, as well as learning about careers and the world of work and developing their career management and employability skills.

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) forms an integral part of student life at Smith’s Wood Academy. We want to encourage all students to consider a broad range of careers and pathways that are right for them and use contacts from the world of work, and further and higher education to help them understand where different choices can lead them in the future. The Careers team at Smith’s Wood is dedicated to the wellbeing and progression of all its students.  Mrs. D Long is the school Careers Advisor and Mrs L Huckstep is the Assistant Principal with responsibility for Careers.

Together, they support the students with making decisions about their progression pathways, and to investigate different careers they will take part in different activities and events to help you with this from Year 7 through to Year 11, which might include a visit to a university or attending a presentation/workshop with an employer. They will also have access to different online resources to help you with your decision making and to be able to record your skills and experiences.  Resources are shared with students through TEAMS. In the Careers Programme area there are just a few examples of the activities that are in place to support your child with making decisions about your progression.

Where possible they will continue to engage in activities that include face to face experiences with employers such as preparation for the world of work, employability skills and work experience as well as opportunities with universities, colleges, training and apprenticeship providers.  Some provision is also supported with virtual events and opportunities e.g. virtual work experience. We would encourage all our students to continue to take part in these opportunities and to use the resources available to widen their knowledge and experiences of the world of work, progression routes and careers.

Careers provision within the school is mapped and gapped against the DfE Careers guidance and access for education and training providers, Statutory Guidance 2023 and mapped against the Gatsby Benchmarks 1-8 and is currently being mapped against the new CDI Framework for careers, employability and enterprise education. Every school should be using the Gatsby Benchmarks to improve their careers provision and these are:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each student
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

For more details on the Gatsby Benchmarks, please click here: The Gatsby Benchmarks

We are proud to be a member of the Solihull Careers Hub run operated by The Careers Enterprise Company and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. We have an Enterprise Advisor who works for Balfourbeattyvinci; an integral part of the Construction and Engineering team for HS2. Our Advisor assists the school in identifying ways of getting careers into the classroom and enhancing our Careers Program.