WORK RELATED LEARNING

Work Related Learning has an important contribution to make to the education of all our students. The Academy provides a wide range of opportunities for students to learn about work, through work and for work.

Work Related Learning is concerned with those planned activities which use work as a context for learning or illustrate aspects of working life.

Work Related Learning activities are seen throughout the Key Stages:

• Key Stage 3
• Key Stage 4
• Key Stage 5

Key Stage 3

Community Programme
Careers Education and Guidance is delivered through College Community mornings.

Students engage in group work as well as individual activities relating to skills, aspirations, options and the range of qualifications available.

Key Stage 4

The Careers Convention
The Annual North West Kent Careers Convention is aimed at Year 10 and Year 11 students and is run by Kent Works. Well over 2,000 students from 18 local schools visit the event, receiving careers advice from 42 exhibitors representing professions ranging from accountancy to landscape gardening and course guidance from a number of leading higher / further educational establishments.

Visitors are also treated to a peek into the future of employment in Kent Thameside with the Employ Kent Thameside stand. Here visitors receive tips on the types of skills that employers coming into the area will demand.

Increased Flexibility Programme
The IFP is run by North West Kent College and offers an alternative vocational curriculum to students in Year 10. The two year courses are equivalent to two GCSE’s or similar at grade A-G.

Courses available include Hair and Beauty, Sports, Engineering, Construction and Catering.

Students may apply for these courses in Year 9 through an application process lead by Mr Attra. Spaces are limited to 15 and the courses are very popular.

Army Challenge
The Army Challenge aimed at Year 9 students is a competition, which incorporates a day looking at the different job roles in the army, ranging from cook to communications to front line soldiers.

Students who are interested in finding out about the Army are invited to join in the day, which takes place at Army barracks around the South East.

Year 9 Problem Solving
Students work in small non-friendship groups on a real life problem set by a local business. Off timetable for three days, students are required to carry out research, put forward a set of proposals, produce a booklet of their work and present in front of a panel of judges.

Students learn to work to deadlines, work in teams; achieving the best from the skill set they have.

Key Stage 5

Problem Solving

Visit to Sussex University

Students in Year 12 have the opportunity to visit a campus university. This enables students to get a feel of university life through sitting in on lectures, meeting lecturers, meeting existing students and checking out the range of facilities on offer.

Jobseekers Fair
The Jobseekers Fair is aimed at those students in Year 13 who decide not to apply to University.

External speakers from the Job Centre, Gap Year Facilitators and Connexions give our students an insight into the nature of the job market, apprenticeship schemes and gap year programmes.

Students also look at how to apply for jobs, how to write letters of applications and how to draft a CV.

HE Conference
The HE Conference is aimed at both students and parents of students in Year 12, giving an insight into the options that are available to students Post 18.

External speakers from Connexions, Teaching and Projects Abroad, University of Greenwich and Queen Mary London support the event by giving out important information.