School leaders at Ryde Academy have introduced a new careers guidance programme to ensure Year 11 and Year 13 students do not suffer from the school being closed due to the current lockdown.
Ryde Academy is part of the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), one of the largest and most inclusive family of schools in the country.
Working in partnership with the BeReady organisation, Ryde Academy has launched the ‘Remarkable Futures: BeReady Lifeskills Programme’ as a key part of their expanded careers provision. This is an online learning platform, created by employers and education providers, to ensure that all young people can access high quality skills and employability training from home.
The platform consists of 14 accredited online learning modules which focus on the development of key employability skills. These consist of videos, quizzes, and workbooks. At the end of each module students take a short quiz to test their understanding, with a certificate to recognise their success.
Each module covers a key employability skill, and is designed to help students show what they have learned when contacting employers.
In addition, the BeReady Platform has separate functions to help students learn more about university and future careers. The platform provides the option to research degree programmes, virtual open days and university webinars, as well as support navigating the labour market and a live feed to the national apprenticeship service.
Joy Ballard, Principal at Ryde Academy, said:
“We wanted to launch this programme to make sure our students still have every opportunity to develop – and to demonstrate they have developed – the skills they’ll need for the world of work. This programme will help provide them with a secure baseline of skills so that they can be confident in taking that next step and go on to reach their full potential.”
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Julian Drinkall, CEO at Academies Enterprise Trust, said:
“It was so important to us as a school trust that those students leaving school this summer know that they are not going to be forgotten about or left behind. The AET BeReady Lifeskills Programme will offer our students essential career support and make sure they leave school with the skills they need to thrive.
“AT AET we want every student to go on and live a remarkable life, and this career support will be invaluable in helping them do so. Even though we can’t have our students in school right now, we will always support them.”
David Hatchett, National Director of Secondary Schools at Academies Enterprise Trust, said:
“Despite the obvious challenges that the current circumstances pose, the AET BeReady programme has made a real difference to our older pupils in terms of preparing them for their next steps, whatever their ambitions. The important focus at this time of year on employability skills or preparation for university doesn’t necessarily require a face to face experience, and this platform has enabled us to continue our excellent provision for students but through a virtual means.”
