Vocational and careers advice starts early in the senior school as our girls begin to broaden their horizons and consider their options for GCSE. With personalised guidance and a global alumnae network, our students are offered every opportunity to explore the path that most interests them.
In Year 7 pupils begin to explore their strengths and interests and are introduced to business roles and strategies through collaborative workshops. In Year 8 all girls take part in a “Take your daughter to work day” allowing them to shadow a variety of people for a day and feedback to the rest of their year what they learnt about the various job roles.
In PSHE they are asked to consider “What the future might look like for me?” With many of them destined for a future career in a job which has not even been created yet – it is vital that they consider what skills they might need and how they might develop them.
In Year 9, as girls embark on their options choices for GCSEs, they complete the first Morrisby Online Profiling Questionnaire which is then followed up with personal interviews with the Head of Careers to ensure they are making informed decisions. At this time they are introduced to Unifrog (an online Careers Platform with a wide range of information about subjects, careers, universities and apprenticeships).
Later in the year during PSHE, they will look at “What University might look like?” Where they have the opportunity to research course choices and also accommodation, social activities and other aspects of Higher Education.
From Year 9 through to Year 11 Shrewsbury High School provides Business students with the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship, and research the real world of business. Year 9 adds a practical element to academic studies; students embark on a journey of trial and error, by creating their own business plan. A visit from a leading corporate bank, and local entrepreneurs, are on hand to facilitate the live element of learning.
At GCSE, business students are given the opportunity to set up a trading room, where shares are traded on a virtual platform. In addition, students take on the role of a Human Resource Director – this involves both hiring and firing! Visits have included a trip to the local Zoo, to discover what makes an effective marketing strategy. All Business students are involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week, an annual event, which sees the collaboration of diverse and inspiring female entrepreneurs present their life stories, fuelling young innovative minds.
For post-GCSE preparation, Year 10 girls take part in a “Choices @ 16” morning in June where they complete a more in depth Morrisby Profiling Questionnaire online, followed up in Year 11 in meetings with the Head of Careers.
They are also at this stage given dedicated time to return to Unifrog and spend time researching in more detail university courses linked to post-16 course choices. During their GCSE years, we invite the girls to take part in a range of Careers Events and activities such as visits from Alumnae, Occupation Specific Workshops e.g. BioMed, Law, Art, Languages, etc.
Within the PSHE programme in years 10 and 11, students look at Labour Market Information and consider its impact on the job market. They can then consider skills they want to continue to develop and evidence in future job and university applications.
During Year 11, all students are expected to complete two weeks work experience after they have completed their GCSE exams. Students are encouraged to find their own placements.
Our biennial careers convention “Aspire” enables all pupils to explore a wide variety of options and it is our aim to ensure that our girls are fully prepared for their chosen career.
In Sixth Form our careers guidance is fully embedded into our Sixth Form programme. To read about our Sixth Form Careers Support in more detail, please visit Preparing for the Future.
