CAREER EDUCATION BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

A good careers programme should not be limited to the walls of a classroom; it needs to be more dynamic and take leaning to new places as much as possible to truly inspire even the most challenging students.

The Inspiration Programme offers incredible opportunities for students to take advantage of new surroundings. In some cases we have helped schools expand their classroom through collaboration with a local college, which has also aided students with their transition to the next phase of their education, whether it be academic or vocational.

As part of the Police and Criminal justice section of the Programme, students have been able to visit a correctional facility and speak to those in prison about their lives, how they came to be in prison and the impact that this has had on their life and their families. This has a huge impact on all students, not just those with challenging backgrounds, and has sparked a number of ongoing, in-depth conversations about mental wellbeing, sound decision making and acceptable behaviour.

One of the joys of working in education is the knowledge that students may look back on their time at school, and think that something you did made a difference to the rest of their life. Good careers guidance very much has the potential to positively shape their futures, particularly for those who would otherwise have never had explored the options for their future in depth.

By taking part in The Inspiration Programme, schools have been able to foster relationships between their students and local businesses, giving the students the experiences to add to their CVs and take forward. Even for the most disadvantaged students, this can be a truly inspirational experience which is encouraging them to widen their horizons and aspirations.