This Primary Careers Resources Platform will help you:
- Embed career-related learning in your school’s curriculum
- Conduct career-related learning activities with your class
- Engage parents and other stakeholders in career-related learning
Whether you're new to career-related learning or have been doing it for some time, our platform will help you develop an approach that will broaden pupils’ horizons. The resources showcased on this Platform are free for you to download and are from organisations that have been funded to test what works at primary, as well as other trusted providers. A quiz tool, built in partnership with Skills Builder, will help you structure an embedded classroom and whole school strategy, and research papers will provide guidance on what we know about good practice.
Virtual Careers Week: Greenwood Academies Trust
- Broaden aspirations and challenge stereotypes
- Provide information on careers and what a typical day in each job involves (if such a thing exists!)
- Reassure young people about the career opportunities available to them and how they can begin to prepare themselves by having a positive attitude and taking opportunities to learn and develop skills
During the lockdown period, Greenwood Academies Trust – a Multi-academy Trust – carried out an online careers week for all primary aged children across the trust. The week included 10 interactive talks from employers and employees and a Flipgrid challenge. The week was supported by Primary Futures and the trust’s employer partners.
As well as a creative Covid-19 lockdown solution, the purpose of the week was to create interest and excitement in a variety of careers using props, uniform and visuals. The week involved two-way interaction between the pupils and participants, which is a key element of making an online employer engagement meaningful.
Career-related learning is embedded in all the schools within the academy trust and Greenwood are proud to have appointed teaching staff as Careers Leaders in all their primary schools – something only currently required at secondary level.
“The children both in school and at home have loved the sessions…Seeing how inspired the children were from them all and the buzz about school of children talking about what they wanted to be and how some had changed because of the talks” (Teacher)
In-school lead: Education Adviser for Careers and Employability (MAT level); Careers Leads and Teachers (Academy level)
Usual cost: Free
External partners: various local and national businesses
- Embed into a whole school approach driven by senior leaders
- Start early
- Ensure activities are personalised and relevant
- Open to all
- Involve employers and parents
- Keep it simple
- Start early, keep going
- Measure it
- Bring it to life
- Use the quiz to reflect on your school's current strengths and areas for development.
Careers in Initial Teacher Education (CITE)
The CITE training materials aim to support (trainee) teachers to include careers-related learning in their teaching. At the end of the training teachers will:
- Understand the impact of unconscious bias in children’s career choices
- Know how to use the Primary Careers Tool to include career contexts in science and maths lessons
- Understand, and use, personal attributes in careers-related learning
The CITE training materials consist of three training sessions and associated ‘gap’ tasks. Each training session lasts about 1.5 hours to allow for discussion. The time required for each gap task will vary. After each gap task, participants will complete a reflective evaluation writing exercise.
The CITE training materials are best used as part of an ongoing training or CPD programme. You can access some of the materials via this platform. As a result of building careers into CITE, participants demonstrated confidence in using the resources that support integration of careers-related learning in the curriculum. Participants’ reflections demonstrated that they also felt more confident and prepared to challenge stereotypes in careers related learning, suggesting adaptations to the tools, and new ideas.
A teacher who attended the CPD said:
“We want as a school to raise aspirations and expose children to different careers and a barrier has been how to do this without a budget, but the resources shown today will help this.”
In-school lead: Teacher responsible for CPD
Usual cost: Not applicable
External partners: North East LEP and Northumbria University STEM
- Start early
- Embed into the curriculum
- Embed in a whole school approach and driven by senior leaders
- Open to all
- Keep it simple
- Start young, keep going
- Measure it
- Keep practicing
- Bring it to life
- See all resources from North East LEP
- Use the quiz to reflect on your school's current strengths and areas for development.
Matching aspirations to future workforce needs in Covid-19
- To gain an understanding of what “2030 careers” might look like
- Increase pupil understanding of the link between education, qualifications and career opportunities
- Engage parents/carers in the process and so aim to change their attitudes, perceptions and aspirations relating to their child’s education and career choices
Pupils worked with a range of employers from the Health and Social care sector to discuss the world of work now and to identify what “2030 careers” might look like. Pupils had the opportunity to engage with employers and undertake activities which inspired them.
We explored how differently this sector looked 10 years ago in comparison to now and how it will change again over the next decade. Development of the 8 essential skills were a key focus in relation to this sector now and in the future. Parents, pupils and employers collaborated on a fact-finding mission about the different roles and used their presenting skills to relay what they had learnt to the group.
It is important to show children the widest possible range of career opportunities available to them in any one sector. This project included paramedics, nursery managers, Health and Wellbeing university lecturers, occupational therapists, social workers and ward nurses. Parents were also invited to participate so they could learn about the range of options for a career in this sector.
In-school lead: Head and Deputy of Year
Usual cost: Free
External partners: NHS, local university, local nursery and other local businesses
- Involve employers and parents
- Start early
- Ensure activities are personalised and relevant to the age group
- Embed into the curriculum
- Embed in a whole school approach and driven by senior leaders
- Open to all
- Keep it simple
- Start early, keep going
- Focus tightly
- Bring it to life
- See all resources from Black Country Consortium Ltd
- Use the quiz to reflect on your school's current strengths and areas for development.
As a school which constantly looks to enrich our curriculum with trips and visitors, we couldn't turn down the opportunity to take part in Digital Blast. The first session was superb and unlike anything I have been involved in. The children were absolutely hooked from start to finish as Ezra and his team guided the children through a variety of tasks and challenges which really gave them an insight into what a career in the digital industries might look and feel like.
- David Griffiths Deputy Headteacher, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Cavendish Community Primary School