Farnborough College of Technology and University Centre Farnborough are fully committed to ensuring that all learners acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to manage their learning and career progression. This is reflected in Mission and Vision Statements:
Mission: ‘A Community University that serves people and businesses across the region’
Vision: ‘100% of programmes help people gain skills and experience to be successful in life’
As qualifications evolve and the nature of employment changes, it is increasingly important that all learners (whether actual or potential) have access to the knowledge, skills and resources they need to be able to make informed decisions about their future choices, both in life and employment. This will include meaningful engagement industries and further and higher education.
The College is committed to meeting its duties in relation to the provision of a careers programme including independent careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG). It is informed by the eight Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance:
1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance
And:
- Careers guidance and access for education and training providers (DfE, July 2021)
- OFSTED Common Inspection Framework
The purpose of our Careers Programme involves:
- Establishing the College’s approach to develop learners’ understanding of career opportunities and progression routes through their study programmes and wider activities.
- Laying out the College’s role in supporting learners to successfully progress into employment, self-employment, independent living, further and higher education.
- Ensuring high quality, learner and industry-centric approaches such as independent information, advice and guidance, annual use and dissemination of LMI
- Ensuring learners are empowered to develop career plans with personal SWOTs, psychometric tests etc.; thereby agreeing targeted hard and soft skills to development professional personal and social attitudes
- Raising aspirations, promoting both social mobility and economic prosperity
- Ensuring through Open Events and Careers Events, both pre-16 and post 16 students and supported to make informed choices
- Ensuring parents are supported to understand choices and options
- Providing this service, in partnership with other agencies and organisations as required (local authority, schools, employers through our Industry Committee and Board…)
- Having a careers’ service committed to fair access and equality of opportunity – with impartial careers advice and guidance; raising awareness of prejudice issues, discrimination, stereotyping that work against equal opportunities and act as barriers to certain professions and can still exist within a work-based context
- Ensuring accessible record keeping on Pro Monitor that enables learners and stakeholders to track advice given to individual students.
- The College posting its careers programme on its website
It is important to us that our Careers Programmes are meeting the needs of our students, employers, and colleagues in other institutions. We will measure this by recording all activities carried out in this planner, make use of the Compass Benchmark Tool, and use the methods below. The Careers Lead meets with all staff involved in delivering the careers programme, and our Enterprise Adviser, at the end of each term to review the results of our activities and adjust plans where needed.
- Student/employer engagement:
- Number of careers appointments made
- Availability of careers appointments
- Attendance at talks/workshops
- Number of jobs added to Jobs Board
- Open/click through rates from email bulletins
- Interaction with social media content
- Student/employer feedback:
- Involvement with Enterprise Advisor Network, with termly meetings
- Surveys following an appointment/workshop/talk
- From student forums/conferences
- Anecdotal feedback in case studies
- Destination and exit surveys
We work with an external Enterprise Adviser to help guide the College in providing its careers services. Find out more in this short video.
Farnborough Futures Fair
We hold an annual Open Event and Careers Fair for our students. It offers the chance to meet teachers from across the College, talk to employers about apprenticeships, and start making plans for when they complete their current course.
Careers Events
You will be invited to events that give you the chance to plan your future by meeting those who work in industry or universities. Careers fairs, UCAS fairs and our own progression events are valuable ways of discovering career pathways.
Careers Library
Our Careers Library contains all you could need to start preparing for your future. This includes:
- Access to computers to write your CV and research careers
- Leaflets and information on career planning
- Prospectuses from a range of universities
- Resources for completing your UCAS application
Local Vacancies
Our online Jobs Board advertises local job vacancies that are suitable for our students. Whether it is for part-time work during your studies or for when you finish, many employers advertise through us because they know how great our students are in the workplace!
Entrepreneurship
For students who are thinking about entrepreneurship, our staff have a wide range of skills to support you with getting started and preparing to launch your idea.
Personal Careers Meetings
At our Careers Library you can access one-to-one sessions where your individual needs can be met. This includes advice on choosing a career path, finding job vacancies, preparing for interviews and more.
Industry connections and talks
Part of your course includes an Industry Placement, which will give you a taste of the working world. You will also benefit from industry talks, where professionals visit the College to share their career journeys and advice on what you need to do to get on the career ladder.
Labour Market Information
We ensure our qualifications are relevant to the current and future needs of industry and have invested in resources to provide students with up-to-date labour market information.
Degree Passport Scheme
Choosing A Levels, a T Level, or a Level 3 programme? Thinking about going to university? We can help you put your best foot forward when applying with our Degree Passport Scheme. This combines tutorials, information and important dates, visits to UCAS fairs, and ongoing support to help guide you to the right course and university.
Higher Education Workshops
Thanks to our relationship with the Higher Education Outreach Network (HEON), many students can benefit from workshops, classes, and talks to support their transition into higher education. You can read more about this initiative here.
