Careers
Our aim is to stimulate interest and to facilitate decision-making by pupils at an appropriate age and at each major stage of their development.
Lower Sixth
Students are encouraged to join the Young Enterprise Scheme or the Engineering Education Scheme, to prepare Key Skills for their Summer work experience week and are re-introduced to the careers library and methods for preparing their entry into higher education (e.g. UK Coursefinder, UCAS). ISCO careers experience courses ('Expanding Horizons'), visits from outside speakers explaining gap-year and vocational opportunities are offered together with a visit to a UCAS university road-show. Feedback from the UK Coursefinder questionnaire broadens their awareness of appropriate courses in Higher Education.
Upper Sixth
Students apply the CV-writing skills learnt in the Lower Sixth to their university applications. A skills workshop and the college's practice-interview scheme prepare them for successful visits to universities. Advice is given on using the department's data-bases, gap-year applications, sponsorships, scholarships and the UCAS Clearing process as A levels approach.
A purpose-built and well catalogued library uses a specific classification index, regularly stocked by volunteer careers librarians (Year 9 - Upper Sixth) who help visitors to use software and book-based references. Major sources of material are universities admissions services, UCAS, Connexions (Cornwall and Devon) and the Independent Schools Careers Organisation (ISCO). Twice yearly visits are paid by liaison officers from all the armed services to advise those students interested, from Year 10 upwards, in potential applications. IT services and library reference material are available in the careers department, main school library and on the school's computer network.