A step towards the future

Student Reporters Elena Cepaityte 11.4 and Sabina Jiurje 11.5 report on where to go for university and careers’ advice at Claremont High School  

Everyone starts their career journey uniquely, but the need for guidance is universal. Fortunately, at Claremont there’s ample support available. Students from Year 10 upwards are able to visit external Careers Advisor, Mr Ingham, for help with post-16 options - from sixth-forms and colleges, to university pathways, apprenticeships and professions. As an advisor, Mr Ingham’s job is to focus on ‘what’s most important’ to the pupil: ‘Choosing a career is a journey, not a race. You can change your mind, try new things and learn as you go. The key is to keep moving forward, gaining confidence and learning more about yourself and the world of work.’  

In the one-to-one sessions, Mr Ingham explores with the students what their priorities are. They discuss... Skills: What are they good at? Personality: What kind of work suits their style and interests? What do they enjoy learning? Using this information as a guide, they then take a deeper dive to consider various career ideas. ‘We look at career websites,’ explains Mr Ingham, ‘browse lists of job sectors, watch short career videos and sometimes explore university courses to spark ideas.’ This helps pupils explore options they may not have considered before.   

Mr Ingham is keen to encourage students to develop their ‘entrepreneurial thinking’: ‘They should see that their future doesn’t have to be just about finding a job. It’s about creating opportunities, solving problems and building something meaningful. It’s completely normal to feel unsure about your future at times. You don’t need to know exactly what job you want at 15 or 16. What matters is that you’ve started thinking about it and exploring your options.’ 

The results speak for themselves... Claremont High School does an amazing job supporting their students with course and career ideas, with many going on to have promising futures after their time at Claremont has come to an end.