Question 1

Why are Careers Plymouth contacting me?

Accepted Answer

The team are contacting you as you are either aged 16 to 18, the parent or carer of someone that age, or have previously been listed as an emergency contact.
 
The team are contacting you to check if you or your young person is in education, employment or training.
 
This is just a quick check-in call so they can update their status on the system, and offer support if needed.
 
You can let the Careers Plymouth team know what you or your young person is doing via this form:
Careers Plymouth follow up form - Section 1 - PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK

Question 2

Information for young people

Accepted Answer

Careers Plymouth check-in to see whether young people are in Education, Employment or Training and to offer signposting support if needed. We typically call Year 11 and 12 leavers around June to August and September to November, so you may have been contacted by the team.
 
You may see the Careers Development Consultants at your school. They are there to support you in understanding your goals, and how you might get there. This can include discussing further education, your CV, hobbies, and what you care about. They are there to support you in making your own choices – they won't tell you what you ‘should’ do but can help you understand why certain paths might be worth considering.
 
Your school might have its own in-house advisors. It is important you utilise these while you can, to better prepare for life after school.
 
If you need careers support and are not in education, employment or training, you can reach out to Careers Plymouth directly. The Client Contact Administrators cannot give careers guidance, but  they do have connections with lots of organisations that can support you to figure out what you want to do, and how to get there.
 
You can reach out via this form. 
 
If you have an EHCP, you may be eligible for support from Careers Plymouth's Careers Advisers, even if you are not in education. You can find our more about this in the EHCP drop down (scroll down).

The Careers Plymouth team contribute towards Plymouth City Council meeting its statutory duties in the Education and Skills Act 2008 to support young people aged 16 to 18 to participate in education or training. As part of this, Careers Plymouth follow up with young people to see if they are in education, employment or training. They call people based on their academic year. This means that even if you have recently turned 18, you may receive calls up until the end of Year 13, even if you are not in education.

Question 3

Information for parents/carers

Accepted Answer

If your young person is struggling to find Education, Employment or Training, please get in touch via this form: Careers Plymouth follow up form - Section 1 - PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK
 
Whilst the Careers Plymouth team can give you information on options and signpost you to organisations, they cannot directly find placements for young people.
 
If your young person is not in Education, Employment or Training, you need to inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as this will affect your Child Benefit. Careers Plymouth is not affiliated with this service and will not inform them on your behalf.

If you need support understanding Child Benefit and your responsibility, please get in touch with Citizens Advice. Click here for more information. 
 
DWP will not tell Careers Plymouth if your young person is not in Education, Employment or Training. Please ensure you still get in touch with the team if they have recently tried to contact you.
 
If your young person is in education, or on an apprenticeship, Careers Plymouth should receive information from the training provider about this. Sometimes there are delays in getting this information, or data doesn’t quite match up. In these instances, the team will call you to check-in and confirm they are on roll.

Question 4

EHCP students

Accepted Answer

Careers Plymouth provide targeted support for young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The Career Development Consultants (CDCs) support Plymouth young people with EHCP’s who are planning to make a transition to a different education or training provider.
 
The CDC’s complete an options appraisal report which gathers the views of young people and their parents/carers on their next steps. They also support young people with EHCPs who are seeking:
employment
education
training.
The support can continue up to their 25th birthday.
 
If you have an EHCP, the Careers Plymouth Career Development Consultants may contact you to offer support. They may also arrange a meeting through your school.

If you are the parent/carer of a young person with an EHCP, the team may contact you to give information, advice and guidance on the Post-16 education, employment or training options.

Question 5

Meet the team

Accepted Answer

The Careers Plymouth Career Development Consultants (CDC’s) provide careers information, advice and guidance for young people to help them plan, make informed choices, and successfully progress into post-16 education, training or employment that is right for them. They provide specialised support to young people to explore their post-16 and future options. The CDC’s are all Level 6 or Level 7 qualified in Careers Guidance and Development.
 
The Client Contact Administrators call young people or their carers to see if they are in education, employment or training, and offer signposting support to help them get into their desired role. They cannot give advice but can suggest routes that might be beneficial for the young person. They can also direct people to appropriate mental health services, and other activities that may support them in engaging with education, employment or training in future.

Question 6

Information for education providers and professionals

Accepted Answer

Previously, the team offered careers advise through CSW Group. Now that Careers Plymouth is part of the council, they are rolling out that offer again. If your school would like to purchase this service, please get in contact via the email below.
 
Email: CareersPlymouth@plymouth.gov.uk
Phone number: 01752 305943
 
The Career Development Consultants:
are Level 6 (or actively working towards a level 6) or Level 7 Qualified in Careers Guidance and Development and registered with the Career Development Institute (CDI) in line with the requirements set out by the Gatsby Benchmarks
are all trained to the highest standard and undertake a minimum of 25 hours' Continuing Professional Development each year
adhere to the CDI’s Code of Ethics
hold Partnership Agreement meetings with key personnel in schools/colleges to ensure delivery of a tailored quality service.

The Careers Plymouth team:
are quality assured with regular observations of their professional practice, and they keep up to date with statutory training such as Safeguarding, GDPR, Equal Opportunities, Disability Awareness, Trauma Informed practice etc
regularly survey our clients to create Impact Reports
are trusted with a long history of careers support in the region
live and work in Plymouth and the surrounding area and have an excellent understanding of the local labour market, including work-based opportunities for students
have strong links with local education and training providers who keep us updated on new courses, opportunities and offers
are able to cover any of our team’s staff absences if required to ensure limited disruption for schools in our delivery of services
deliver the Transitions Contract in all schools, which gives us increased visibility in schools, leading to enhanced impact (Gatsby, The Next 10 Years).
 
As part of Plymouth City Council, they:
have strong links with any service offered by the Local Authority under statutory duties and closer relationships with other services provided by the Local Authority such as Skills Launchpad Plymouth and On Course South West
remain independent and impartial within Plymouth City Council
work towards Plymouth’s strategy for unlocking potential and supporting young people
consult with schools to tailor our professional charged services.
 
If you think this service could benefit your students, or would like to learn more, get in touch.
 Email: CareersPlymouth@plymouth.gov.uk
 
For businesses
If your organisation is offering training, apprenticeships, or work experience that you believe would be relevant for 16 to 19 -year-olds in Plymouth (or up to 21 for care leavers, or up to 25 for those with EHCP’s) then please get in touch. The team can signpost young people to you. Please ensure you provide comprehensive detail on the qualifications young people can get through you, placements available, or other benefits young people may receive through your organisation. The more detailed information the team has, the easier it is to explain to young people.
Email: CareersPlymouth@plymouth.gov.uk

Support for education leavers - click here!

Careers Plymouth

Careers Plymouth is the new name for CSW Group