Careers Support

The Careers Lead for New College Swindon is Sharon O’Connor.
Tel: 01793 236 487 Ext: 9522
Email: sharon.oconnor@newcollege.ac.uk

For further information on how careers support and initiatives are a key part of your study programme, check out our Careers Extra programme.

The Careers Team

The Careers Team can help in a number of ways, depending on what stage of your career journey your at.

Career Exploration and Planning

We can provide one to one sessions to help students:

Explore what type of careers might suit students
Plan how to get into their chosen career
Creating your CV
Job and apprenticeship searches
Applying for university and university funding

Careers Resources

We have a wide range of impartial careers related resources we can signpost students to. These resources will help:

Identify skills, interests and strengths
Find out information about Labour Market Information (where jobs are and what they pay)
Explore apprenticeships and careers

Job Search Support and Networking Opportunities.

Working in partnership with the Employability Team, we can help with the job application process, including where to look for work, making applications and practice interviews. Both teams also organise events where students can meet and network with potential employers and universities.

Skills Development

We run a range of webinars and workshops to supplement our Careers Programme, aimed at helping students prepare for higher education and the workplace. By utilising the resources and support offered by the Careers Team, we can help students navigate the job market, develop professional skills and work towards career goals.

Book an appointment with the Careers Team here!

Careers Adviser Calendar

Book an appointment

Careers Programme

The careers programme is part of the main College Tutorial Programme. It is delivered on the second week of each month, by our Progress Coaches, during tutorial time. The programme runs across both campuses and is different depending on your level of study. Students who are in their second year of a two-year programme, have a different focus, with the emphasis on applying to university, apprenticeships or the workplace. The programme is designed to help students develop the skills and attributes needed to enter and progress successfully into the world of work. Additionally, careers-related talks, guest speakers, career fairs and other events run throughout the year.

The Programme has five themes, all focused on improving Student’s employability:

1. Self Discovery

Self-Discovery 1: Unifrog Sign Up (Independent Careers Learning Platform

Identifying Skills
Personality Types

Self-Discovery 2: Unifrog (Independent Careers Learning Platform)

Workplace Preferences
Introduction to Labour Marketing Information (LMI)

Self-Discovery 3: Kudos Sign Up (Independent Careers Learning Platform)

2. Options and Choices

This part of the programme will education students about the different options and choices they have after college.

Different types of qualifications and what they mean
Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology
Other Colleges
Apprenticeships and Jobs
University and Higher Education
Volunteering

3. Surviving in the Workplace

This part will help students understand how they should act in the workplace and the skills that employers look for in a good candidate:

Workplace behaviour
Employability skills

4. Recruitment

Students will be taught about the following:

Types of employment
CVs
Job search and applications
Apprenticeship applications
Interviews

5. Life Skills for Work

Within this part of the programme students will learn about skills that they can use in employment and beyond:

Tax
National Insurance
Pensions
Budgeting
Finance

Accessing the Careers Programme

Access for students

Students are expected to attend all timetabled tutorial sessions and will get their careers tutorials through this medium. There are also a large number of resources in the careers area of the VLE.

Access for parents and carers

We cannot provide access to the tutorials for parents and carers, but we can provide copies of the presentations themselves, on request.

Access arrangements for training providers

Training providers who would like to arrange to visit our College should contact the Careers Lead in the first instance.

Measuring the impact of our careers programme

There are regular assessments built into each of the tutorial themes to ensure that learning is taking place. Additionally, we work with students, parents, carers, and local employers to ensure our programme is fit for purpose.

Review of the Careers Programme

Date of Programme Inception: September 2017
Date of First Evaluation: July 2018
Date of Next Evaluation: July 2019
Date of New Programme Inception: December 2020
Date of Evaluation: July 2021
Date of New Amendments: February 2022
Date of Next Evaluation: July 2022
New Programme Initiated for September 2023
Date of Next Evaluation: July 2024

Labour Marketing Information

Having access to labour market information is critical when exploring career options and making career decisions. Labour market information can tell us:

the skills currently sought by employers,
areas of work that are growing and those that are in decline,
education or training required for particular jobs,
industries that are prominent in particular areas of the UK,
where there may be demand for workers.

When making career decisions it is important to take all these factors into account. Our Careers Extra programme includes a comprehensive, free, digital platform to help with career choices, and provides labour market information.

You might also like to take a look at the Start programme for more labour market information.