Careers & Employability
Building skills for independence & employment - that's our purpose. But how do we do that, and how can you help?
Developing the career and employability skills of our learners is a key part of our curriculum at The Oaks Specialist College. We aim to provide them with access to volunteering and job opportunities within their local community, thereby promoting independence and adding value to the local economy.
Our Careers Programme
The Oaks Specialist College offers a comprehensive Careers Programme, coupled with an Internal Work Placement Programme, and Steps to Employment Framework. Subsequently, we ensure high-quality career education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG).
We believe that employment is key to making our learners feel valued contributors to society. Through our programme, learners can explore different career options that match their interests and identify their strengths – consequently, they feel empowered to make informed decisions about their futures.
The programme in
detail
The Careers Programme at The Oaks Specialist College has 10 different sections that dovetail together, to ensure a high-quality careers offering.
‘Steps to Employment’ framework
We follow a comprehensive Steps to Employment framework – made up of four equally important steps. Each of these distinct steps has a series of tasks, specifically designed to help our learners develop into employment and beyond.
Internal work
placements
Our internal work placements offer an incredible opportunity for learners to develop essential skills – thus immersing themselves in the world of business through fun, creativity, and practicality.
Meet the Careers Team
Josh Epstein
Careers Lead
Graham Thomas
Tracy Simmonds
Careers Co-ordinator
Julia Benstead
Job Coach
Carmen Bailey
Job Coach
The Careers Team at The Oaks Specialist College is here to support all learners gain meaningful employment, or volunteering, in their local area. We work with learners with all aspects of seeking employment, particularly job searching, writing CVs and preparing for interviews.
Additionally, we support employers to become disability confident to empower them to provide opportunities for adults with learning disabilities. For all enquiries regarding careers, employability, work experience, community outreach & enterprise projects or supported employment & internships, please contact us on 01732 207950.
The Gatsby Career Benchmarks
Gatsby Career Benchmarks is a framework that all schools and colleges must aim to achieve, in order to provide good quality careers advice and guidance.
The Oaks Specialist College Careers Programme helps us to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks and, consequently, to provide high quality career education, information, advice, and guidance (CEIAG) to all learners who attend The Oaks.
Over the past two academic years The Oaks has moved to 100% achievement of all eight benchmarks.
Information for employers
The Oaks Specialist College Careers Team offers a wealth of support for employers.
Among the many ways in which we can support your business to become even more inclusive, are;
- Employment support
- Disability awareness – helping you move toward being a Disability Confident employer
- Job coaching
- Job and task analysis
- Risk assessments
- Recruitment adjustments
- Work experience options
- Job matching
- Advice regarding Access to Work funding
Why work in partnership with us? – Corporate Responsibility and the benefits to your business
Whether they have an official name for it or not, small and large businesses from every sector take societal issues into account, strengthening their companies accordingly. It just makes business sense.
At The Oaks Specialist College, we understand that our collaborative work must benefit all parties, so we work closely with each individual business partner to make sure that our events and programmes are bespoke and meet the needs of the business and our learners’ development.
We strongly believe that any business choosing to work with The Oaks and, therefore, our learners will benefit from many of the following:
- Boosted company reputation (77% of the UK public think more highly of businesses that make the extra effort to employ people with a disability)
- Improved team morale and productivity
- Greater employee retention and attraction of quality candidates (people with learning disabilities stay in a job role an average of three times longer)
- Improved understanding of your customers and, subsequently, an increase in their loyalty and trust
- Help and support in accessing grant funding
- Most significantly, direct access to a hugely loyal and hard-working, untapped, talent base – our learners.
To discuss this with us, and for all enquiries regarding careers, employability, work experience, community outreach & enterprise projects, supported employment & internships, please contact our Careers Team on 01732 207950.
Information for learners
The Careers programme at The Oaks Specialist College has 10 different sections that all come together as part of our careers offer. Our programme follows guidance from “The Gatsby Career Benchmarks” that supports colleges to provide quality careers education, information, advice and guidance.
We understand and celebrate our individual differences and get to know our learners passions and skills, so we can match these up to employment opportunities close to their homes.
Among the support services we offer our learners, are:
- Careers information
- Work placements
- Searching and applying for jobs
- Job coaching/Employment support
- CV writing and covering letters
- Interview practice
- Career resources
- Labour market information
- Top tips for employment
- Therapies and Interventions
Information for parents and carers
At The Oaks College, we encourage parents and carers to get involved in the Careers Programme, so as to share their knowledge and opportunities with the wider college community. An opportunity might not be suitable for one learner but might be perfect for another. So, please get in contact with the college the Careers Team at The Oaks and share any opportunities.
Here are some of the ways in which you can help:
- Don’t discourage high aspirations but be realistic with the careers advice and guidance you explain to your young person.
- Share work placement and employment opportunities with The Oaks College – although a work placement opportunity might not be suitable for your learner there are other learners who might be interested.
- Keep The Oaks Careers Team informed of any new businesses that start up in your area.
- Be a part of the Careers Programme by joining us in college to speak about your career, experiences and/or job role, as well as answering the learners’ questions.
- Parents, carers and guardians are encouraged to help with enterprise and community projects at The Oaks, especially in sharing their skills and contacts.
- To support the different enterprise projects throughout the year, as a customer. All proceeds are reinvested to continuously improve all of our enterprise projects, therefore, our sales are vital to their development.
- Share community projects with The Oaks College. If you have an opportunity for our learners to do some work in the local community, in order to explore different job roles and teach employability skills, please contact the Careers Team.
Useful Careers Websites
There are some amazing websites that offer careers advice and guidance, support to gain employment and provide opportunities for volunteering and employment – please take some time to explore these resources:
- The Careers & Enterprise Company
- National Careers Service
- Prospects.ac.uk (careers advice)
- Monster.co.uk (careers advice & career guidance)
- UK Youth Employment
- Careers Guidance And Advice For Disabled Young People
- Sec-Ed (careers education for students with SEND)
- startprofile.com (careers Information)
