In Year 12 pupils have a Careers period each week.  In these classes pupils are encouraged through target setting and decision making exercises to research carefully the careers in which they are interested, so that they make the right decisions which choosing their options after GCSE.

Pupils develop their own CV and personal statement and learn how to apply for jobs. RSD has established a good relationship with the Careers Service NI and each Year 12 pupil has at least one individual guidance interview with the DfE Careers Adviser.

All pupils in Years 13 & 14 have a period of Careers every week and in addition they can opt to spend a study period in the Careers Library.  With vast majority of pupils wishing to progress to university much time is spent in Year 13 researching courses and institutions and carrying out preparation for the application process.

Pupils are also introduced to higher apprenticeships and the possibility of employment post A level.  We hold an “Interview Skills Day” each year which culminates with all Year 14 pupils having a mock job interview with a local businessman/woman and we also cover application forms, covering letter and pupils update their CVs.

At the beginning of Year 14 each pupil is allocated to a member of the Careers Staff who will give one-to-one advice regarding the pupil’s application to university and assistance with completion of application forms and the UCAS process. We encourage all pupils to engage in work shadowing and in recent years we have had pupils on placements in a wide range of professions and locations, as well as many pupils attending Open Days in allied health professions.

All pupils invited for interview at university or college are offered a mock interview and we also run a preparation session for Medicine and Dentistry MMI interviews. Accommodation and finance are topics that are also covered in Sixth Form Careers classes and in previous years we have had presentations from Danske Bank on student finance and budgeting, as well as having Student Finance staff manning a drop-in clinic to assist pupils with the completion of their student finance forms.

Careers Staff are available to give advice in August when A level results are published.

In addition to the one-to-one guidance offered to each pupil on a weekly basis, the Careers staff organise a wide range of additional support to help pupils find the right path for them. These include:

• Higher Education Evening for Year 13 parents and pupils, held annually in March

Trips to:

• Skills NI Careers Fair
• UCAS Convention
• Cambridge and Oxford Student Conference
• Oxford Residential & Open Day
• ALMAC
• Ulster University Open Day (Sept Y14)
• Queen’s University Open Day (Sept Y14)

We have also host talks from the universities such as:

• Queen’s University Belfast
• Ulster University
• CAFRE (Greenmount, Loughry, Enniskillen)
• Cambridge University
• “Scottish University Tour” representing seven universities

We have also had a number of visitors speaking to pupils about their jobs in areas such as:

• Accountancy
• Dietetics
• Economics
• Engineering
• Nutrition and Physical Education

Year 10

Job Explorer Database: JED  use the link below and then type the password that your LLW teacher has given you.
www.careersoft.co.uk/sign-in

General Careers Information
NI Careers Service – http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/careers
Sector Skills Councils – http://fisss.org/sector-skills-council-body/directory-of-sscs/

Prospects (graduate careers website) – http://www.prospects.ac.uk/

Local Universities and Colleges
Queen’s University Belfast – http://www.qub.ac.uk/
Ulster University – http://www.ulster.ac.uk/
CAFRE (Loughry, Greenmount & Enniskillen) – http://www.cafre.ac.uk/
Trinity College Dublin – www.tcd.ie
University College Dublin – www.ucd.ie
Dublin City University – www.dcu.ie

Local FE Colleges
South West College (SWC) – http://www.swc.ac.uk/ (Dungannon, Cookstown, Enniskillen & Omagh)
Southern Regional College (SRC) – http://www.src.ac.uk/ (Armagh, Portadown, Banbridge, Lurgan, Kilkeel & Newry)
Loughry, Greenmount & Enniskillen (CAFRE) – http://www.cafre.ac.uk/

UCAS – www.ucas.com
CAO (applications for Irish Universities) – www.cao.ie

University Admissions Tests
BMAT – http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat
UKCAT – http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/
LNAT – http://www.lnat.ac.uk/
HPAT Ulster (for Allied Health Professions at Ulster Univ) – http://hpat-ulster.acer.edu.au/
HPAT Ireland (for Medicine in Republic of Ireland) – http://www.hpat-ireland.acer.edu.au/
ELAT – http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/elat
STEP – http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/step
Thinking Skills Assessment
TSA Cambridge – http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/tsacambridge
TSA Oxford – http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/tsaoxford
TSA UCL – http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/tsaucl

Student Finance
Student Finance NI – http://www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

Apprenticeships

General information – https://www.ucas.com/higher-apprenticeships
PwC Head Start Higher Apprenticeship – https://www.pwc.co.uk/careers/school-jobs/jobs.html
Deloitte Bright Start Higher Apprenticeship – https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/careers/articles/brightstart-business-apprenticeship-scheme.html
BBC Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship – http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/trainee-schemes-and-apprenticeships/technology/software-engineering-degree-apprenticeship
Dale Farm Apprenticeships – http://dalefarm.co.uk/dale-farm-promotes-new-apprenticeship-opportunities-skills-ni/
Greiner Gold Apprenticeship – http://www.goldenapprenticeship.co.uk/
Moy Park Apprenticeships – https://www.moypark.com/en/careers/apprenticeships