West London Careers Hub Newsletter
Aarti Jaswal, Strategic Hub Lead
Welcome message
Welcome to the January edition of West London Careers Hub (WLCH) Newsletter, I hope you had a lovely festive break and a great start to 2025!
The Autumn term flew by, as we settled into the new academic year, so for this edition, it has been nice to look back and reflect on some of the hub activity, as well as focus on our plans for the new year too.
Highlights:
» A personal highlight for me, from last term, was the second West London Youth Summit - a fantastic event, which bought together stakeholders from across West London to explore solutions that will help tackle youth unemployment. From keynote speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions, it was fantastic to hear everyone engage so passionately about such an important topic, as we look to create a roadmap to instigate long-term change. It was a pleasure to once again partner with West London Alliance West London Business and Spark! to deliver the Summit. Will it happen again next year? Watch this space!
» I was also delighted that the four London Career Hubs had the opportunity to partner together to present ‘Next Steps Live’ which support schools and colleges in the drive to
ensure students are aware of all pathways as part of the Provider Access Legislation. Our first session had some great feedback, so make sure you catch the next one. I hope you managed to also see the Next Steps magazine we produced.
» Our ‘Bridging the Gap’ teacher encounter programme continues this term - that provides an opportunity to engage directly with employers to learn about the different career pathways relevant to their subjects, and what skills and behaviours employers are looking for.
» Don’t miss the feature on ‘The Careers Impact System’ which sets clearly defined standards as to what good looks like in careers education and careers (using a maturity model) - and maps the pathway towards achieving it - showing how careers leadership and excellence is a driver for overall school and college improvement.
» The Gatsby Benchmark refinements were announced at the end of last year, which will see core elements remain with enhancements based on extensive research. Check out the summary article and full report, so you are prepared for launch later in the year.
We look forward to collaborating with you across the remainder of the academic year.
West London Youth Careers Summit
The second West London Youth Careers Summit brought together over 250 representatives from schools, colleges, the government, and third-sector organisations across West London to share best practice, explore challenges, and establish alliances that will drive action in response to youth unemployment in the area.
The key focus of this year’s summit was to agree on solutions and take practical steps to create a tangible, cross-sector roadmap to make West London a place where young people can thrive.
Aarti Jaswal, along with our headline partners, kicked off the event with the call to action, “If we want to create a roadmap, we all need to work together”.
The morning session was an opportunity to reflect on our progress since the first summit last year – including launching specialist skills hubs in priority sectors, delivering multiple cross-sector collaboration events, and building local cross-sector partnerships.
In the afternoon, we heard from a panel of young people on the biggest barriers to people of their age range as they transition from education to employment.
The event ended with some fantastic discussions on the commitments of councils, schools, employers and the voluntary sector to shift the dial on bringing down youth unemployment across West London.
Delegates emphasised how important it was to hear directly from young people, with
one attendee calling it a “much-needed opportunity to devote thinking time to what is a hugely important topic”.
All the partners will now be coming together to transform the insights and ideas from the summit into actionable steps, rethinking the future of youth employment across West London.
A big shout-out to our partners, Spark! West London Business and West London Alliance – as ever, we couldn’t have done this without you. And of course to our sponsors - Heathrow, Youth Futures Foundation, The Careers & Enterprise Company and Mayor of London –thank you.
> Watch the Summit highlight video
“It was a fantastic day. I left buzzing and full of ideas to help the young people of West London achieve success and fulfilling lives”.
“Great day Aarti and colleagues. Learnt so much from a hugely purposeful event”.
Sector news
Gatsby benchmark refinements
In November the Gatsby Foundation launched a new report called ‘Good Career Guidance: The Next Ten Years’. The report includes updated Gatsby Benchmarks for good careers guidance, to achieve even more impact for young people for the next decade.
Five prominent themes emerged from the evidence that have informed the updates to the eight Gatsby Benchmarks:
» Careers at the heart of education and leadership
» Inclusion and impact for each and every young person
» Meaningful and varied encounters and experiences
» Focusing on the use of information and data
» Engagement of parents and carers
There is no immediate action required from you other than to reflect on your strategic approach in preparation for implementation. Decisions regarding adoption into statutory guidance and timeline for implementation lie with DfE. The CEC will keep us updated.
Download the Good Career Guidance: The Next Ten Years report
Summary of updated Gatsby Benchmarks for Secondary Schools
Download Appendix 9 – comparing the original and updated benchmarks
Read the report FAQ
Compass+ Upgrade and FSQ
Out of 175 West London schools and colleges within our hub, 121 have upgraded and can use Compass+ to track individual student career interests, plan and track careers activities, store details of careers partners/employers and download a variety of reports.
Compass+ is compatible with the most popular careers platforms for students, meaning that information can be transferred and does not have to be entered twice. We encourage all our schools/colleges to upgrade to reap the benefits.
An added bonus of Compass+ is access to the Future Skills Questionnaire (FSQ), a survey for students with versions for different year groups and a SEND option. It’s quick and easy to set up and provides valuable insights into students’ knowledge of careers and employability topics, to help career leaders identify skill gaps and plan accordingly.
Next steps:
» You can find the Compass+ upgrade button in your dashboard within Compass.
» The FSQ section in Compass+ sits in the ‘Learners’ tab labelled ‘Questionnaire’.
“Using Compass+ has really helped me to reflect effectively on our careers programme and to create areas of focus and targets for myself as Careers Lead. FSQ has taken a lot of the work out of gaining student feedback, and the layout of the whole platform is easy to use and accessible! I find that as a whole platform, Compass+ is a very useful tool for planning and strategic thinking around careers, and that the more I use it, the more I am getting out of it.”
Hannah Nonnenmacher, Chiswick School
Research into a parental engagement questionnaire
Parents/carers are the biggest influencers on their children’s careers decision making but can base their conversations on their own experiences or on outdated knowledge of qualifications and career routes.
The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is exploring the feasibility of developing a parent questionnaire tool that meets the needs of Careers Leaders in developing a strategic approach to parental engagement. The CEC provides Careers Leaders with training and resources to plan strategically for parental engagement in careers, with the aim of improving whole-institution support for parents to have better careers conversations with their children. “We believe there is scope for a more targeted approach and build upon what parents already know, or what interventions are already in place. We are inviting schools and colleges to share their views on this issue by completing a very short survey.”
Please click the link here to access the survey - it should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Learning opportunities
Next Steps in London Live
Next Steps in London Live is designed to connect young people to voices from all pathway options and give them opportunities to ask meaningful questions to a variety of providers, employers, and partners during our live broadcasts.
Whether they are exploring options after school, considering further or higher education, or looking to enter apprenticeship pathways, our broadcasts will offer valuable insights and practical advice to help them navigate their journey.
Register now for the next sessions:
Wednesday 29th January 2025 | 9am – 3pm
Thursday 19th June 2025 | 9am – 3pm
Catch-up on the first session here.
Career Leader training
Fully funded, flexible trainingdesigned to support the growth of Careers Leaders at all levels.
The CEC training courses provide a huge opportunity for you as a Careers Leader to accelerate your school, special school or college towards achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks.
How do I find out more about the content of the courses available?
Please read the comparison guide for an overview of requirements, before following the links to each individual training provider for full details of their course content. We recommend contacting them to help you choose which course will suit your requirements best.
What are the learning outcomes for Careers Leader training?
There are nine providers who all cover key learning outcomes which have been updated recently by The Careers & Enterprise Company. There are differences between courses in terms of accreditation, assignments, provider type and region.
How does the funded Careers Leader training offer differ from the online Careers Leader induction module?
The online Careers Leader induction module is designed as an overview induction for Careers Leaders and is recommended pre-learning to CL’s. It’s an ideal introduction to Careers Leadership as you prepare to select the right professional, funded Careers Leader training offer for you.
How will courses be delivered?
All providers are offering both face to face and virtual delivery methods and we also have a fully distanced learning offer available.
> Explore training providers
Whether you’re experienced or new to the role, there’s a training course to help you inspire young people to find their next best step.
> Career leader training
WLCH Enterprise Coordinator Gatsby Benchmark sessions
To support our schools and colleges across West London, WLCH hub has planned a number of sessions focusing on different Gatsby Benchmarks and our hub priority areas.
We kicked off in the Autumn, hosting our first virtual sessions, and we were delighted to be joined by some fantastic guest speakers. So far, we’ve delved into Gatsby Benchmark 1, 2, 4 and 8 plus Skills Builder. Look out for more sessions in this series across the Spring Term.
Upcoming events:
» Collaborative Drop-in for SENCo and Career Leaders
Weds 5th Feb | 3.45pm-4.45pm | Virtual
Click here for more info & registration
» Drop-in session - Benchmark 3 & 6
Thurs 13th Mar | 3.45pm-4.45pm | Virtual
Click here for more info & registration
“So many great things I took from this, things that can be done very easily but could make a big impact.”
Jamie Shelley, Ruislip High School
“It was really helpful to see how another school has developed their careers programme and has inspired me to reflect on how we can implement some of these ideas in our careers provision”.
Sue Kabel, Pinner High School
Career talk – British Airways for Black History Month
Carol Llewellyn, Executive Assistant and CoChair, Being of Minority Ethnicity (BeMe) visit to Jubilee Academy, Harrow.
Carol has been at British Airways for 25 years and she spoke about how she is a proud advocate as well as passionate on Inclusion and Diversity for change within British Airways. She believes in and stated “Change begins within, and we cannot do this without support as well as our allies.”
Carol shared her personal career journey, including the challenges she faced and the determination that led her to her current position at British Airways. Inspiring the students by illustrating that success is attainable through hard work and dedication, regardless of background.
She offered practical careers advice, emphasising the importance of setting goals, staying focused, and taking advantage of
every opportunity. She encouraged students to explore different career paths and highlighted the value of seeking mentorship and support along the way.
Her visit was particularly touching as it coincided with Black History Month. Carol delivered an inspirational message about the significance of Black History Month, stressing the importance of embracing one’s identity and celebrating cultural heritage. She underscored the value of making positive life choices, urging students to stay on the right path, remain resilient in the face of adversity, and make decisions that align with their long-term goals. Her talk left a lasting impact, motivating the students to pursue their ambitions with determination and confidence.
“I enjoyed speaking to the students and hope that what was said resonated and that they took something away from our time together.”
ASK Programme London
The ASK programme offers a range of free and engaging activities, workshops and resources, which have been designed to promote apprenticeships and T Levels to students, teachers, careers advisers, parents and carers.
It’s not too late to book in a planning session to discuss how ASK activities can enhance your careers programme throughout 2025. Please contact: zsuch@edt.org
Download the ASK Programme 2024/25 brochure.
Apprenticeship Webinars for Parents
Parents and carers are key influencers for young people in making decisions around careers. The ASK Programme London and the 4 London Career Hubs have joined forces to present dedicated workshops aimed at navigating the apprenticeship landscape.
Parents and carers are encouraged to attend to gain insights that will help them have informed conversations about apprenticeships with young people and offer meaningful support on their career paths.
Apprenticeship Spotlight - Making the most out of national apprenticeship week
Wednesday 12th February | 5.00pm - 6.00pm
A spotlight on apprenticeships, including the range of apprenticeship roles available, apprenticeship levels, examples of companies that offer apprenticeships, salary range, when and where to apply, and the balance of the work placement and studying elements. We will also explore how to make the most of national apprenticeship week.
> Register here
Recognising your strengths for apprenticeship applications
Tuesday 8th July | 5.00pm - 6.00pm
Supporting your young person to find a pathway into apprenticeships. How to encourage them to identify and articulate their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses in advance of an apprenticeship application.
> Register here
Strive for excellence
‘Improving impact and standardising the Quality of Careers provision’
West London Careers Hub is supporting 18 institutions through the entire process of internal leadership and peer-to-peer reviews as part of the Carees Impact System (CIS) Programme. With Internal Leadership Reviews completed in the Autumn term, the next step will be for the hub to help prepare institutions for their Peer-to-Peer Review in the Spring term.
All institutions in our hub are encouraged to complete the Internal Leadership Review available within Compass or Compass+.
The Careers Impact System sets clearly defined standards for excellence in careers education, known as a maturity model, and maps the pathway to achieving it. This system demonstrates how careers leadership and
excellence drive overall school and college improvement.
The digital feature on Compass/Compass+ allows for centralised recording of responses, including those agreed upon during the Internal Leadership Review discussion. It provides instant access to a summary of your strengths and priority action areas, enabling annual comparison and tracking. Additionally, it signposts support and resources to assist in driving continuous improvement.
For more information on the Careers Impact System or to participate in the peer-to-peer review process, please contact ale-gall@edt.org.
Careers impact internal leadership review
A new approach to driving impact across careers education.
The internal leadership review is an integral component of the Careers Impact System, a step-by-step and integrated approach to improving and assuring the quality of careers education in schools and colleges.
Careers Impact System – what Education Leaders are saying:
» 96% of Education Leaders say it will lead to improved careers provision
» 86% say it will lead to improved student outcomes
» 72% say it has established strong links between careers and school improvement
Why undertake an internal leadership review?
Undertaking an internal leadership review supports the quality assurance of your careers provision and encourages continuous improvement aligned to your school, special school or college’s priorities.
Embedding Careers Impact internal leadership reviews will:
» Engage leaders through informed and impactful SLT and governor engagement in and vision for sustainable and strategic careers leadership
» Align priorities through intentional distributed leadership of careers as a driver for whole institution improvement
» Embed best practice through improved understanding of best practice in careers leadership and of meaningful and sustained achievement of the Gatsby Benchmarks
» Celebrate success through recognitions of strengths in and impact of careers leadership and provision
» Sustain quality and impact through internal quality assurance and impact evaluation of careers leadership and provision
Click here to find out more or log into Compass or Compass+ to start your evaluation today.
Read the overview pdf here.
The Academy of Real Assets supported event SEGRO
regenerated chocolate factory (Hayes) site visit
The visit, organised for SEGRO by The Academy of Real Assets and West London Careers Hub, saw 30 students in Year 10/Year 11 from Hewens College and Parkside Studio College visit the SEGRO Park Hayes regenerated chocolate factory site.
The session was hugely insightful with students learning about the planning, construction and development of the site, as well as the leasing and management of the buildings. The visit included a tour of one of the warehouse units, where students learnt more about the various companies that occupy the space. SEGRO staff answered questions about their roles and gave insight into education pathways to careers in the sector.
“Thank you so much for the opportunity. Our students really enjoyed the visit, they have learnt so much about the industry and how they develop and manage the different sites, students learnt about routes to get into real estate and subjects that are good to study for a such career.”
Ms Roberts – Teacher at Hewens College
“During the SEGRO visit, I learned about the innovative approaches the company takes towards sustainable development and logistic. The emphasis on environmentally friendly practices and cuttingedge technology was particularly impressive, showcasing how businesses can operate responsibly while still being profitable.
I would be interested in working for SEGRO due to its commitment to sustainability and innovation. The opportunity to be a part of a forwardthinking company that prioritises environmental responsibilities aligns with my values and career aspirations. Additionally, the potential for professional growth and development within such a dynamic organisation is very appealing.”
Adeeba – Student at Hewens College
Teacher Encounters
Bridging the Gap
Building on our most recent teacher encounter series, we are delighted to bring you a new series of opportunities as part of our Bridging the Gap programme.
Teacher Encounters –what do they deliver?
We know that helping young people find their best next step from education into employment is a shared mission for teachers and business. To embed a culture of careers within education, careers need to become a mainstream focus in schools and colleges.
Last academic year we had encounters with several employers including JKS Restaurants, Berkeley Group and Coca-Cola. Teachers received a real insight to the employers and their industries, the job roles and how their students can apply.
This year we are bringing together employers and education with the Bridging the Gap
project. Encounters will take place throughout the academic year with a focus on showcasing employment sectors linked to West London’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
The main themes for employers who support the project are:
» Showcasing their industry and all the roles young people can work in.
» Amplify the Apprenticeship and technical routes available to young people.
» Highlighting skills and behaviours employers are looking for from young people.
» Informing teachers of the application process to support young people for their future.
If you are an employer and wish to hold an encounter or would like to learn more contact mcarter@edt.org
WLCH priorities for 2025
Focus on SENCo
The WLCH SEND Team has been busy collating specific data regarding the number of young people with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) in place, as well as students who are working with a SENCo, across all the schools within the hub.
The enlightening data reveals that there are far more students in mainstream schools that have SEND than in specialist schools. Furthermore, we know that when Careers Leaders (CLs) in schools collaborate with their SENCo peers, the overall careers provision within that setting is not just more inclusive but thrives, meeting the specific needs of each and every student.
Sadly, we know that this is not the case with all schools. So, with this in mind, the WLCH SEND Team will be organising and delivering a specific session for SENCos regarding careers, alternative pathways for SEND students and all things Gatsby Benchmark related.
The ultimate aim of the sessions will be to help Career Leaders and SENCo teams to unify their offer, in order to help ensure that students have a better understanding of their suitable career pathways and ultimate destination.
Alternative Provision (AP) Community of Practice
The AP Community of Practice is being organised by the West London Careers Hub to create a collaborative space where Careers Leaders from Alternate Provision schools can share challenges, exchange ideas, and enhance their careers programmes.
This aligns with the hub’s commitment to ensuring that all young people, regardless of their educational setting, have access to meaningful career development opportunities. By offering tailored resources, employer connections, and practical strategies to meet Gatsby Benchmarks, the hub aims to address the unique needs of AP students, preparing them for successful futures.
Resources
Tips for Schools / Colleges requesting support for career activities.
We can support your careers activities that enable your students to interact with employers, colleges and other further education bodies. To help us maximise interactions we have the following tips.
» Register your event using the hub online form.
» Employers and EA volunteers have requested plenty of prior notice (6 weeks or more)
» Think about your local LMI when requesting employer sectors
» The more information we can pass onto our network the better (car parking, refreshments, power.)
» Link events and employer types to your FSQ results
» Remember Apprenticeships and Technical routes
» Think about impactful talks and insight visits
» We are happy to share on social channels any posters or flyers you produce to advertise your event.
Once your event has taken place you will receive a short feedback survey we kindly ask you complete these as it helps us improve the quality of our service.
Employer Support Guide - Engaging with the Future Resources
Offering workplace experiences to young people is crucial for helping them develop essential skills, understand career options, and make informed choices about their future. The experiences you give will provide your business opportunities to shape your workforce and address skills gaps by inspiring and supporting the next generation of talent.
The Next Steps in London team have pulled together key things to consider that will help you create an engaging and useful talk - for the pupils, the school/ college and for your business.
View the guide here
Events
WHATWHENWHEREDETAILS
National Appreticeship Week 2025
10th - 16th Feb
National Careers Week 2025 3rd - 8th March
Various Support National Apprenticeship Week 2025 by encouraging others to consider how apprenticeships and skills can provide opportunities for all. To help you plan and promote your activities, we have put together guidance and assets for you to download and share.
> Access the toolkit here
Various National Careers Week 2025 is a one-week celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK. The aim is to help individuals become more aware of their career options and excited about their future.
> Find out more and access news and resources
Our Enterprise Coordinators have had some lovely feedback, which we’ve summarised here. To all who took time to submit a comment, thank you, it’s hugely appreciated.
