Talk from a careers lead – See session 3, slides 32-34.
The contact we had within the local careers hub, led to the invitation of a careers lead from one of the University’s partnership high schools to talk to the trainee teachers about their role. While some of the trainee teacher had noticed who the careers lead was in the first placement school, and some had even worked with them on some occasions, this talk ensured that all of the trainee teachers encountered the pivotal work of a careers lead in school.
It was great that the trainee teachers were already familiar with some of the policy and strategy that the careers lead shared, but one of the key messages that really resonated with all of us was that the careers lead felt that one of their main barriers was getting careers into subject classrooms.
‘This developed my knowledge and understanding of the Gatsby Benchmarks in practice.’
This resonated with the trainee teachers who engaged in conversations about what they had noticed during their first placement in schools. We used questions on slide 34 to stimulate conversation around what is happening in schools and the trainee teachers noticed that, despite linking curriculum learning to careers being so important (Gatsby benchmark 4), this was rarely seen in their subject classrooms. This led perfectly into open and creative table discussions about how the trainee teachers could weave careers education into their curriculums.
Linking curriculum learning to careers – See session 3, slides 35-45
The rest of the third session was spent thought-showering ideas for linking subject curriculums with careers education. The trainee teachers discussed many inspirational ideas and the challenges they face embedding these ideas as future teachers and leaders. The trainee teachers reported back to their subject groups and tutors which fuelled the University’s Department for Secondary and Further Education and Skills annual practitioner magazine ‘UW Source’. The department were inspired by the work of this project and wanted to centre the magazine’s third edition around careers education. The trainee teachers on the programme were either directly involved or received a copy, along with every other trainee teacher in the wider cohort, as well as 100’s of leaders and initial teacher training mentors in partnership schools. A copy of the magazine can be found here.
The magazine’s launch celebrated the progress the department had made in terms of this publication but also, the enhancement activity, the additional workshops that were put on around careers education for the wider cohorts, the changes to the curriculum in several subject programmes, and importantly the development of the trainee teachers’ individual sense of purpose in careers education. Not only was there a raised sense of awareness and value, the trainee teachers were also equipped with a plethora of ways to be proactive in their work moving forward, particularly in linking their curriculum learning to careers.
‘I now include a ‘careers slide’ in Powerpoints relevant to the topic being taught’
‘I included careers in my lesson on Non-fiction writing to argue and persuade.’
‘I planned a SoW based on the career of a book illustrator and contributed to the department’s magazine.’