This section of the guide looks at the choices to be made
and the opportunities open to you when you reach school-leaving
age. It also gives you pointers on where to go for advice
and information to make decisions about your future, and
looks
at the different options available.
The main choices at 16 are:
EDUCATION
Stay on at school, and enter the 6th form, if
your school has one;
leave school and go to college;
leave
your present school and go to another school’s
sixth form.
WORK BASED LEARNING/MODERN APPRENTICESHIPS
EMPLOYMENT Get a job
When can you leave school?
Friday 25th June 2008
You
cannot legally work full time before this date - if you do
start work and have an accident, you will not be covered
by any sort of insurance.
Planning your Future
There
are lots of different choices to be made and options to be
considered when you reach school leaving age. Do you stay
at school? Go to college? Leave education and look at what
Modern Apprenticeships and training have to offer? Whatever
you choose, it is likely that you will need to do some further
training, as most employers now require skilled, better trained
people – and may offer young people the chance to gain
additional skills and qualifications whilst working for them.
Support and advice is available to help you with career planning
and to guide you through the different options.
Sometimes options can be combined. You might also find yourself
not doing any of these things for a number of reasons such
as illness, unemployment, pregnancy, or because you choose
to take a year out. The last part of this section looks at
these issues.
From September 2007, every area has an online prospectus
to show the choices available
for when you finish Year 11.
This includes apprenticeships with Work Based Learning providers,
school sixth forms and Further Education (FE) Colleges. You
can search for courses in a variety of different ways. This
is a great way of looking for courses yourself and also of
showing your
parents/carers and other people what you are interested in
and discussing your plans for
the future.
Some on-line prospectuses also have a common application process
linked into them so that
you can make your applications on-line. In order to do this,
you will need an individual
username and password. If you have not yet been given your
log-ins, ask your teacher or
send a message using the 'feedback' or ' contact us' button
on the website. Or you
can ask to see the Connexions Personal Adviser that is linked
to your school.
These are the prospectus website addresses.
If you live on the border of more than one area, you can
check out what's on offer in
each area.
BARNSLEY www.barnsley14-19.info
BRADFORD www.bradfordprospectus.org
CALDERDALE
www.ccchoices.co.uk/calderdale/Home.aspx
DONCASTER www.doncasterchoices1419.org.uk
EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE www.learneastriding.co.uk
HULL www.learneastriding.co.uk
KIRKLEES www.kirkleesoptions.org.uk
LEEDS www.leedspathways.org.uk
NORTH EAST LINCS www.lincs2.co.uk
NORTH LINCS www.lincs2.co.uk
NORTH YORKSHIRE www.futures4menorthyorks.com/york
ROTHERHAM www.applyrotherham.org.uk/rotherham
SHEFFIELD www.applysheffield.co.uk
WAKEFIELD www.justaskwakefield.org.uk
YORK www.futures4meyork.com
Getting Advice
A good starting point is to see
a Connexions Personal Adviser at school or at the local Connexions
Centre or Access Point (see 'education'
local addresses drop down menu at the
top of this page). This service is free. Offering:
Careers guidance and information on different jobs
Vacancies for Jobs, training and apprenticeships
Independent advice & information on training, employment,
school and college courses
Help with decision-making
Help to look for jobs
You may also think about getting
advice from parents and other people you trust. Work
experience, or talking to someone
who already does whatever you are interested in, can
also help you to make your decision.
If you have a disability, most Connexions Centres have
Special Needs specialists who can offer
specific
advice. You may also like to talk to someone
from the Placing, Assessment and Counselling Team (PACT)
at your local jobcentre (see 'money'
local addresses drop down menu at the top of this page).
They also specialise in giving advice and support to disabled
people and their employers.
Don’t
panic if you feel you have made a mistake and don’t
like what you are doing after you leave school! Go and
see your Personal Adviser again.
If you live in Calderdale or Kirklees you can call the
Learningline (freephone) 0800 5979 979, e-mail: learningline@ckcareers.org.uk
Learn Direct (national helpline) Free information about learning and careers
Tel: 0800 100 900 www.learndirect.co.uk
Your Options
Courses and Qualifications
Vocational courses
These
courses help to qualify you to do a particular job or jobs.
They cover a wide range of occupational areas,
such as caring, business studies, catering, tourism, hairdressing,
sport, motor vehicle work, art and design, building trades
- and dozens more. Many vocational courses lead to National
Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). A lot of these can also
be done on a part time basis if you’re in relevant
work or on an Apprenticeship.
General
National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs)
GNVQ’s don’t
train you but do allow you to develop skills and knowledge
of a vocational area such as Art & Design, Business or
Leisure & Tourism rather than job specific skills. You
can study for other qualifications (such as GCSEs or A levels)
at the same time as doing a GNVQ.
Foundation - which is roughly equal to 4 GCSEs D-G. Intermediate - which
is roughly equal to 4 GCSEs A-C.
Advanced Vocational courses
Vocational A levels cover similar subjects to GNVQs but
are equal to study at A level and AS level.
Non-Vocational courses
The main courses are GCSE, and A
and AS levels, available in lots of different subjects. Non-vocational
courses don’t qualify you to do a particular job, but
many jobs require you to have them, and often to have good
grades in particular subjects, to be able to enter a particular
career.
Ways of Studying
Full-time Study Includes every course that you do
for more than 16 hours a week.
Part-time Study Every course under 16 hours a week.
Day release and evening classes are part-time study.
If you decide that you would like to continue in full-time
education beyond year 11, you need to think carefully about
the options.
If your school has its own 6th Form, does
it offer the subjects that you want to study? Alternatively,
do you feel that the time has come for a change of environment – a
new start in a college where all the year 12 students are
new to the place?
You will need to do some further study
if you plan to enter degree, HND, or Diploma of Higher
Education courses later on.
You may have a very specific course or subject combination
in mind and this may dictate where you study. Do your research.
Talk to your Personal Adviser about local further education
provision, read the college prospectuses (course information
booklets) and visit the colleges – most have open evenings,
or will allow visits for individuals to look around.
Sixth Forms and Sixth Form Colleges Courses on offer include:
A Levels, A/S Levels, GCSEs, GNVQs, Vocational A levels.
Colleges of Further Education (sometimes called tertiary colleges or technical colleges),
offer A levels and GCSEs, GNVQ, Vocational A levels and numerous
full time and part time vocational courses.
Higher Education This is generally entered at 18 or older. The vast majority
of people who go in to higher education at a university or
college of higher education have done some further education.
Work Based Learning / Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is a job with training. Whether you need
GCSEs or not will depend on the level of the apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships give you the chance to develop skills and
gain nationally recognised qualifications, usually NVQ level
2 or 3. Your Personal Adviser will have details about vacancies
for apprentices.
Employed status
This means that you have a permanent
job with an employer, with the appropriate rate of pay for
the
job. Most apprenticeships are classed as ‘employed status’ from
day one.
Trainee status
This means that you do not have a permanent
job, but are doing work experience with an employer, and are
probably getting a Training Allowance. Some employers or training
suppliers top this up to give you more money.
Most of the training available is a mixture of on the job
training (doing work experience with an employer) and off
the job (doing
relevant courses and a qualification).
Training lasts from one to 3 years – depending on what
you do. This does not mean that if you join training, you have
got to stay there for two years. You can choose to leave at
any time, although it’s wise to have an idea of where
you’ll be going next before you leave and whether you’ll
get any Bridging Allowance or Income Support/Jobseekers Allowance,
if you do leave.
National Vocational Qualifications
NVQs are qualifications for a particular job. The qualifications
are designed to show that you can do the job. When you achieve
one an employer knows you have the skills to do the job.
They are made up of units and elements to allow you to prove
that you can do the job. Most of the units are assessed whilst
you are working and each unit can be achieved at your own
pace. You have to be offered (and to do) an NVQ course while
you are on a training programme. If you are training to be
a chef, you would do a catering NVQ; if you want to work
in sales, you would do a retail NVQ, etc.
Applying
for Training
How you apply varies from one training
programme to another. All training requires you to fill in
an application form and have an interview with the Training
Provider – you can get forms from your nearest Connexions
Centre. A few also have entrance tests (such as maths and
English); some require you to attend a second interview with
the company that you will be doing your work experience with.
All Modern Apprenticeship programmes have initial assessment
tests and interviews with employers.
These are training programmes called E2E, set up to help
young people who need extra support to get a job or apprenticeship.
This help can be learning support or help with offending
behaviour,
help with housing needs, health problems and others.
Ongoing support can continue when you move on to an NVQ programme.
Your union should have a Learning Representative who will
be able to give advice on a range of learning opportunities
both
work and non-work related in your area.
Equal
Opportunities
All Training Providers have to ensure
that their provision is open to any young person. If you
feel that you have been treated unfairly when applying for
training, you can complain.
To get support with this, go to your Connexions Centre
or CAB . (see 'education' local addresses
drop down menu at the top of this page). If you are already
on a programme and think that you are being discriminated
against,
discuss it with a union official (if you have one) and your
supervisor. If you are still not happy, go to your Connexions
Centre or the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau).
Support for Young People with disabilities
and special needs
Some training programmes have been
set up specifically to offer places and support to young
people with disabilities or special needs. All training programmes
should offer you a place (as long as you meet their entrance
requirements). Training programmes can get grants to buy
in any special equipment or support you may need.
The Training Guarantee
The government guarantees a place on
training to every 16 and 17 year old who wants one. This
is the main reason that most 16 and 17 year olds can’t
get benefit (Income Support / Jobseekers or Bridging Allowance – see
Money & Benefits) for longer than 8 weeks in any one
year.
You are entitled to an offer to start training within a
given time scale depending on when you leave school. If you
do not
start within this time scale and you have made efforts to
get fixed up, then you can complain as long as your job idea
is
realistic and there are training vacancies locally. Go to
the Connexions Centre nearest you to get help with this.
Some 18 year olds also have a guarantee of a place on a
training
programme. The rules on which people aged over 18 can enter
a training programme vary from one area to another. The
local Connexions Centre (see 'education' local
addresses drop down menu at the top of this page) can
tell you if you
come into this category or not.
Your Rights on training programmes
Every trainee has the following rights:
1. The right to equal opportunities.
2. The right to follow an NVQ programme.
3. The right to join a trade union (where one exists).
4. The right to an individual training plan that outlines
your career aims and NVQ targets.
5. The right to safe working conditions.
Those with trainee status have the following
additional rights:
6. A minimum allowance and travelling
expenses (see below
under “terms
and conditions”).
7. A written statement of your terms and conditions.
8. A maximum working week of 40 hours.
9. A clear discipline and grievance procedure.
10. The right to have time off for the following things (as
long as you tell your supervisor in advance): to talk to your
Personal Adviser; to do exams; to appear in court; to attend
medical and dental appointments; to do training with the reserve
forces or cadets.
Employed trainees have these
rights, in addition to 1–5
above:
11. The right to a written contract of employment within
2 months of starting. This should include your hours of work,
holiday entitlement, and the discipline and grievance procedure.
12. The right to paid time off for ante-natal care.
13. A wage and a payslip that shows tax and national insurance
contributions.
14. The same terms and conditions as other people in your
firm.
Terms and Conditions
You should get a written statement of
your terms and conditions when you start a training programme.
If you are an employed status trainee, or become one, you
should get a contract which clearly states what your terms
and conditions are. The information refers to those with
trainee status.
Trainees should:
Work no more than 40 hours a week, unless you agree
to do it and are paid for it.
Have a written statement of holiday entitlement. (This
varies from area to area).
Have a written copy of the Discipline and Grievance
procedures.
Have any other terms and conditions which your Training
Supplier adds to these, written down for you.
If you are away from work for 5 days and you have not told
your training provider it is likely you will be dismissed
from your programme. You will have to leave your programme
if you are off sick for three weeks or more. You are entitled
to come back when you are better.
Money, Wages, Allowances & Benefits
Employed Status
You should get a wage or salary. This
should be the same as other workers of your age in your firm.
Once
you have employed status, you don’t get help with travel
expenses, or childcare costs. Also, you won’t have National
Insurance paid for you – but you need to earn £87
per week or more before you begin paying it.
Trainee Status
Travel expenses – anything over £3
a week should be refunded to you.
If you are a non employed Trainee, you may be entitled
to Income Support if you live independently and your training
allowance
is less than you would get on Income Support.
Even if the
difference is only a few pence, it is worth claiming, as Income Support
acts as a ‘passport’ to other benefits, such
as maximum Housing Benefit, the Social Fund and free
prescriptions and dental treatment.
If you have to live away from home to do your training,
you are entitled to a lodging allowance.
You may be able to claim Housing Benefit – whether you
are a basic or employed trainee – if you live independently.
Apply to your local council.
Connexions Centre / Access Point (see 'education' local
addresses drop down menu at the top of this page)
(especially for vacancies for under 18 year olds). Some Connexions
Centres also offer job-club type activities to help with
letters
of application and CVs .
Jobcentres (see 'money' local addresses
drop down menu at the top of this page).
Tend to specialise in jobs for people over 18, but may have
vacancies for people of any age.
Local and National Newspapers
Tend to advertise every day, but may have a special day, when
they have more job vacancies than others.
Other things that are well worth doing are:
Calling into firms you are interested
in working for. Even if a vacancy has not been advertised,
some firms
will keep your name on file and call you in for an interview
if a vacancy arises.
Writing a ‘Speculative Letter’ (See
letters of application).
This means writing to a place you would consider working
for, even if a job has not been advertised. Again, they
may keep your letter
on file and contact you later.
Ask around
Let friends, family and neighbours know what you are looking
for. Ask them to tell you if they hear of anything, or
if vacancies crop up at their firms.
Keep your eyes peeled
Sometimes firms will simply put a card in their window
or a local shop window to advertise vacancies.
Job Seeker Direct
This is a phone service to help you get
a full time or part time job; call 0845 606 0234.
CVs are basically up to date information about you and your
experience. A number of job vacancies ask applicants to ‘send
a CV in order to apply’. Try to keep your CV to one
side of A4 paper – 2 sides at the very most. This is
because employers are more likely to read a brief to-the-point
CV than one which is too wordy.
If possible, get your CV typed or word-processed, and several
copies made (keep the original so that you can make more
copies if needed).
EXAMPLE CURRICULUM
VITAE
NAME:
Full name
DATE OF BIRTH:
Date Month Year
ADDRESS:
Full address including your postcode
TELEPHONE NUMBER
Local code and number
EDUCATION: Arrange the information in columns like
this:
High school or college attended / Date started / Date
finished
QUALIFICATIONS: Again, use the following columns:
Name of the Exam
Subject taken
Date taken
Result
Eg. GCSE
Mathematics
June 2000
C
Include both full and part time
courses
Tip -
if you did not take any exams, make this a ‘subjects
studied’ section instead and list the subjects that you
took at school. Write ‘awaiting results’ if your
results have not yet arrived.
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING: Columns again!
Name of Company
date started
Date finished
What your job was
Eg. Woolworths
August 2001
May 2001
Saturday Sales Assistant
Include any
part-time
work, holiday jobs, voluntary work and work experience
that you have done in this section if it looks a bit thin!
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES:
Write a few sentences about
what you do in your free time eg. clubs that you belong to,
hobbies - reading, going to the cinema, swimming etc. You
could include any particular awards - such as The Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award.
REFERENCES:
Put the names, addresses and telephone
numbers of two people who could give you a reference. This
could be a former teacher, employer, training provider,
or
a family friend. It should not be a relative.
Letters of Application
Some jobs want applicants to write a letter of application.
Points to note here are:
Your address and the date - top right hand
side of the letter.
Address of the person you are writing to
on the left hand side, starting on the line below the
date.
If
you know the name of the person you are writing to, use
it (i.e. ‘Dear Ms Bloggs’). If you don’t
know their name, write ‘Dear Sir / Madam’.
Make it clear which job you are applying
for and where you saw the advert or how you heard about
it.
Write a few sentences about why you are interested
in the job.
Enclose a CV if you have one
If you do not have
a CV, give some basic facts about yourself, such as
what
subjects you studied at school, or what exams you have
taken or passed; and any relevant work experience you
have done.
Say when you would be able to attend for
an interview.
Finish the letter ‘Yours sincerely’ if
you used the person’s name; ‘Yours faithfully’
if you wrote ‘Dear Sir or Madam’
Speculative letter: write something like, ‘I
am writing to enquire whether you have any
vacancies for sales assistants’
You can type out letters of application for free at the
Information Shop for Young People - See www.bradford.gov.uk/infoshop
Most firms have a clear procedure on what to do if you are
sick. If in doubt, the best thing to do is to telephone as
soon as possible (or ask someone else to do it for you) to
explain why you will not be in and let them know when you
hope to get back to work.
An increasing number of jobs are available part-time, or
as job-shares (where you literally share your job with someone
else - where you finish, they take up the tasks you were doing).
This can be a useful way of working if you have other commitments
to meet, or are unable to work full-time.
However, you obviously
don’t earn as much as you would full-time. Check with
a local Welfare Benefits Advice Agency, CAB or Social Security
Office (see 'you and your rights'
local addresses drop down menu at the top of this page)
to see if you will be able to claim any benefits to supplement
your
income.
Self Employment
One option you have is to work for yourself, either now
or in the future after completing further education or training.
In general, there are more agencies that offer business support,
grants, money and loans to people aged over 18. It’s
worth considering this when timing your entry to the world
of small business!
One Agency which offers support to people
aged 16-25 is Livewire. Write to them at:
A
major source of support for 18-25 year olds (up to aged 30
for business support) is
The Prince’s Trust, a charity which
offers advice and finance. Contact The Trust at:
The Prince’s Trust Lodge Farm Cottage,
Doncaster Road, Whitley Bridge,
East
Yorkshire
DN14 0HR.
Tel: 01977 663255. www.princeofwales.gov.uk
Go to the contents section and look in The Princes
Trust - business/volunteers.
Other starting points that
can give you help are your local Business Link and the Connexions
Centre, (see 'money' local
addresses drop down menu at the top of this page) who
can help you identify other appropriate sources of finance
and business advice.
It is getting easier to work abroad, especially in other
European Community Countries, if you are over 18, and you
speak the language of the country you want to work in.
Contact the Embassy or Consulate of the country that you
want to go to to find out what opportunities there are.
Local libraries can help with finding addresses or phone
numbers.
Useful publications:
"Working Holidays" and "Summer
Jobs Abroad"
available at the local libraries, Connexions Centres and bookshops.
"Euro Facts", "Global
Facts", and
the Exodus database all give information
about working, studying and
training in Europe and further afield. Produced by Careers
Europe, this information is available in your local Connexions
Centre or from the Information Shops for Young People.
You can also get information on working/studying in Europe
and
abroad in general, together with advice about your best options.
The
Prince’s Trust also offers grants of up to £500
to employed or unemployed people aged 18 to 25 to travel
to Europe for a few days to develop a project or business
idea in partnership with young people from other European
Countries (See also 'go
and see' grants). Write to:
The
Prince’s Trust
18 Park Square East,
London,
NW1 4LH.
Tel: 020 7543 1234 or 0800 842 842
Alternatives
Taking a Year Out
A ‘year out’ is a period of time
when you can take time away from formal work, education or
training. People spend it in different ways, such as going
on expeditions, doing voluntary work in the UK or abroad,
or working to earn money.
It is most common to take a year out between further education
and going to university, at the age of 18, but it’s perfectly
possible to do it at other times too. It’s worth checking
what university admissions tutors think if you are thinking
of taking a year out before university.
Plan your year out. A year of staying in bed or watching
telly won’t be regarded well. Also, you need to apply
early for some opportunities.
Voluntary Work at Home &
Abroad (see also Leisure)
A
number of opportunities exist for volunteering, both at home
and further afield. The local Volunteer Bureau (see 'leisure' local
addresses drop down menu at the top of this page) can
offer
information, advice and support.
You
may want to volunteer full-time or part-time. Many full-
time opportunities include ‘pocket money’ and accommodation.
The
choice of activities is very varied including: child care;
youth and community work; teaching
English; supporting people with disabilities; conservation
and environmental projects; sports/outdoor activities and
catering/hotel work.
Useful skills and experience can be gained by volunteering,
which may help you to get on courses or to obtain employment.
Contact:
National Association of Volunteer Bureaux
New Oxford House,
16 Waterloo Street,
Birmingham,
B2 5UG.
International Voluntary Service North
Castle House,
21
Otley Road, Leeds LS6 3AA. Tel: 0113 230 4600 www.ivs-gb.org.uk
Not Working
How much of an ‘alternative’ this
is depends on individual circumstances. It may be that you
want to work, but can’t because of a lack of jobs,
other responsibilities, illness or disability; or it could
be that
you have made a positive choice to have some “time out”.
If you are 16 or 17 it is important to register for work
with the Connexions Centre, for two reasons:
Job vacancies and help with job search.
To get any benefits you may be entitled to.
For general
Social Security advice, contact a local Welfare Benefits
Agency or a CAB (see 'you
and your rights' local addresses drop
down menu at
the top of this page).
If you are thinking about leaving a job or training place,
look before you leap! Find out from Connexions Centre if you
can get any benefit before you leave. You can register with
Connexions even if you are in a job or training place, which
could enable you to get fixed up with something else before
leaving.
Call into your local Connexions Centre
for free advice and much more...
Connexions West Yorkshire provides free advice,
guidance and support to all young people aged 13 to 19.
Making decisions that affect your life and your future isn’t
always easy – but we can help. Our team works with
young people all the time and we can put you in touch with
other helpful organisations.
Pop into your Connexions Centre in Wakefield and
you’ll get a warm welcome from our team. Alternatively,
phone 01924 371579 for confidential advice and guidance.
There
are lots of different choices to be made and options to be
considered when you reach school leaving age. Do you stay
at school? Go to college? Leave education and look at what
Modern Apprenticeships and training have to offer? Whatever
you choose, it is likely that you will need to do some further
training, as most employers now require skilled, better trained
people – and may offer young people the chance to gain
additional skills and qualifications whilst working for them.
Support and advice is available to help you with career planning
and to guide you through the different options.
These
courses help to qualify you to do a particular job or jobs.
They cover a wide range of occupational areas,
such as caring, business studies, catering, tourism, hairdressing,
sport, motor vehicle work, art and design, building trades
- and dozens more. Many vocational courses lead to National
Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). A lot of these can also
be done on a part time basis if you’re in relevant
work or on an Apprenticeship.
If you decide that you would like to continue in full-time
education beyond year 11, you need to think carefully about
the options. 