Careers Information for Parents and Carers

At the UTC, we understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration, working together to achieve the best outcomes for young people. Parents and carers are important members of the UTC community and we aim to keep them informed about and involved with our employability curriculum.

The UTC’s Careers and Employability programme is developed and implemented by Jennie Peirce (Careers Lead) and our Employability and Progression Coordinator. If you have any questions or would like more information on Careers or Employability at the UTC please email nextsteps@berkeleygreenutc.org.uk.

Below are some useful resources to help you support your child during their time at the UTC.

The UTC’s engagement with the Gatsby Benchmarks

SGS Berkeley Green UTC actively strives to meet all of the Gatsby Career Benchmarks to provide good careers guidance. The eight bench marks are:

1. A stable careers programme

2. Learning from career and labour market information

3. Addressing the needs of each pupil

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

To see more details on the Gatsby Benchmarks please visit here. To see how the UTC implements it’s careers provision please see the UTC’s Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Strategy 959 KB pdf.

Support the UTC provides with employability

SGS Berkeley Green UTC is unique in employing a member of staff dedicated to employability and progression. The UTC implements a strong programme of activities throughout a student’s time at the UTC. This has been designed to develop key employability skills and develop industry work experience that will set your child apart when looking at post 18 options.

Activities a student can expect to experience during their time at the UTC include:

Work experience in Key Stage 4 and 5 which the UTC will assist students in finding
Mock interviews in key stage 4 and 5 from relevant industry professionals
A programme of professional talks from industry experts
Regular employer led projects – where companies will set and judge industry relevant challenges for UTC students
Application support – including workshops for universities, apprenticeships and jobs
Industry exposure – regular opportunities to network with key employers both regionally and nationally

To see the UTC’s full careers offer across each year group please download our programmes below.

Unifrog

One of the main tools the UTC has invested in, to assist in delivering careers education to our students, is Unifrog. Every student has an online account for this software package, allowing them to access a wealth of advice, guidance and interactive activities.

Students are taught how to use the software in their induction week and are encouraged to use it during their time at the UTC. Not only does it help guide students, it also gives them access to useful MOOCs to further their studies, but it also allows students to record their experiences and subsequently developed skills as a future reference for employment or education applications.

Parents and carers are now are also able to create an account of their own, so that they can explore the tools and resources with their child. If you have not yet created an account and would like access, please contact nextsteps@berkeleygreenutc.org.uk.