CAREER CHOICES

What your mentee may want to know.

One topic that often comes up in mentoring sessions is that of career choices.  You will be interested to know what your mentee wants to do.  They may want advice from you about different careers.


One thing that is very clear is that young people don't often have an awareness of the variety of careers that are open to them.  


Schools now have to give greater weight to careers learning - see below - but helping your mentee think about what they may like to do is likely to be part of your discussions. 

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Will your mentee know what they want to do?

Your mentee may have an idea of what they want to do when they finish education, but many do not.  


Often, they may know what sector they want to go into (health care, construction, IT) but not be aware of the many different opportunities within that sector.  The student who wants to play professional football, may also be interested in a 'Plan B' such as sports science, coaching, hospitality etc


Other students may know where their strengths lie, but not sure what jobs they could lead to.


Here are links to two resources that may help, approach the issue from different angles :

  • If your mentee knows what job they might like to do, this link gives information on everything from being an accountant to a zoologist
  • If your mentee know what they enjoy doing, but doesn't know where it might lead them, this link takes them on a tour of where their favourite subjects could lead.

SKILLS - WHAT REALLY MATTERS

Exams are important, of course, but understanding the 'employability' skills are key to  getting and keeping a job.  Employers value team players and problem solvers more than ever.


SATRO is a member of the Skills Builder Partnership to help students understand those employability skills.  This link will take you to their Benchmark page.  It is free, although you have to sign up. 


The Skills are:

  • Listening
  • Speaking
  • Problem Solving
  • Creativity
  • Staying Positive
  • Aiming High
  • Leadership
  • Teamwork


Often your mentee will have some of these skills but will not recognise this.  They may have a part-time job which means that they have to work in a team, or they may be involved in caring for a young or elderly relative which means that they are good at listening or problem-solving.  Find out what they can already do.


Encouraging them to understand their skills will not only help them appreciate what will help them in the future, but also build their confidence.


This link also looks at other important skills that may help your mentee value themselves.

SCHOOL SUPPORT

Since 2015, schools have had to provide careers guidance in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks.


The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks are:


1. A stable careers programme

2. Learning from careers and labour market intervention

3. Addressing the needs of each student

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


Mentoring helps to meet benchmark 5.

Benchmark 8 refers to individual careers guidance that a student must have - usually in year 10.


You can find the report that led to the benchmarks being introduced into schools here.