Pre-Degree
Progression & Careers
Personally tailored careers information, advice and guidance (CIAG) for our students.
The Pre-Degree Progression & Careers plan provides a bespoke, tailored and scaffolded Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG) model embedded within our curriculum.
<p>At Arts University Plymouth we aim to align the learners' experiences, views and ambitions with the academic and vocational skills needed to future-proof learners for the 21st-century industrial landscape.</p>
<p>Discover how we are raising aspirations and connecting young students with meaningful encounters in Higher Education and employment environments.</p>
Students benefit from impartial careers advice and guidance. A qualified careers guidance adviser visits the university weekly and is available for individual consultations with students.
Ofsted Report (Rated "Good"), June 2023
ARTiculation
The ARTiculation competition is a nationally-acclaimed annual event designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of art. The competition seeks to engage all full-time students aged 16-19 - and regardless of background or experience - with art, and to develop their confidence and ability to express their opinions and thoughts through critical thinking and problem solving techniques.
The Skills Project
The Skills Project continues to provide an embedded methodology to develop personal development, British values and progression readiness through the recognition and collective ownership of a set of values required to meet these important demands. The Project allows our teachers and students to track and communicate progress in relation to employability and soft skills via regular progress checks. In terms of impact, we continually assess Pre-Degree learners through progress checks to measure the demonstration of character traits and attributes that mirror expectations of working in higher education or industry.
Design to Sell
This project is designed to enhance your professional practice and our learners maturity as an artist, maker or designer. The skills and knowledge they gain in this project will be transferable in any chosen academic or career path. They will explore elements of a business focused environment, this brief is about creativity, collaboration and commercialism.
NEETs
NEET stands for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training". It refers to a person who is unemployed, not in school or in a meaningful training programme.
NSSW
Next Steps South West (NSSW) is a collaborative Uni Connect programme funded by the Office for Students that supports young people and adult learners in Cornwall, Devon, and Somerset in their higher education journey.
Design To Sell, our long-running fair and marketplace where Pre-Degree students sell their work, takes place annually in our dedicated Pre-Degree buildings.
<p dir="ltr">The Arts University Plymouth, Pre-Degree Progression and Careers year plan is achieved via two platforms of engagement within each learners study programme. The first platform of activities are embedded within the enriching and diverse curriculum model delivered in sessions and includes Creative Careers Toolkit interventions, University progression workshops, the Design to Sell project where we turn our whole campus into a shop for three days, national competitions such as ARTiculation and Worldskills and International Baccalaureate Service Learning interventions and activities.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The second platform exists as activities that sit outside the formal curriculum model and includes Work Placement opportunities, the Pre-Degree enrichment programme, our Year 2 GAP year club, and weekly careers interventions that start in January and continue through to June.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition to these platforms of engagement, we intricately track and thread the Pre-Degree Skills Project throughout the course of each learners study programme.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Skills Project continues to provide an embedded methodology to develop personal development, British values and progression readiness through the recognition and collective ownership of a set of values required to meet these important demands. The Project allows our teachers and students to track and communicate progress in relation to employability and soft skills via regular progress checks.</p>
<p>We continually develop and improve on our Pre-Degree progression and careers provision. Our intention is to continually keep working towards the university’s ethos of continual creative learning and social justice via the Pre-Degree Skills Project, whilst also driving toward 100% achievement of the Gatsby Career Benchmarks. The Gatsby Benchmarks are a framework of 8 guidelines that define the best careers provision in schools and colleges.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Our university provides a number of qualifications, we offer a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design course, a suite of 6 UAL Art and Design Extended Diploma courses including Graphics, Illustration and Game Arts, Film, Animation and Media Production, Photography, Fashion and Textiles and Art and Design.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Our students are able to engage with a number of work experiences from across a multitude of industrial sectors including: Construction, Engineering, Design and Technology, Visual Communication, Architectural design, Fashion, Media and Marketing, Radio as well as in the Public and Health sectors. Which helps them to build upon new and existing skills to align these with professional practice and industry expectation.</p>
Leaders and governors have established ambitious curriculums for students that enable them to develop their creative knowledge, skills and behaviours [and] that align closely with the strategic skills needs of the city. They ensure that students learn about immersive technologies and entrepreneurial skills to support the growth in creative and digital microbusinesses. Leaders plan curriculums to ensure that students are taught the digital skills they need to work remotely and flexibly to prepare them for work in an industry that no longer requires professional creatives to live in larger cities.
Ofsted Report (Rated "Good") June 2023
<p>The Gatsby Benchmarks were developed on behalf of the Gatsby Foundation by Sir John Holman, which aimed to highlight what "good careers work" looked like. They provide us with a clear framework for organising our careers provision, and have been accepted as best practice by the Government. </p>
<p>Find out more about the Gatsby benchmarks <a href="https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/schools-colleges/understand-gatsby-benchmarks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>
| Gatsby Career Benchmark | Brief description |
| 1. A STABLE CAREERS PROGRAMME | Every school should have an embedded programme of careers education and guidance that is known and understood by students, parents and carers, staff, governors, employers and other agencies. |
| 2. LEARNING FROM CAREER AND LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION | All students, parents and carers, teachers and staff who support students should have access to good-quality, up-to-date information about future pathways, study options and labour market opportunities. Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers may require different or additional information. All students will need the support of an informed adviser to make the best use of available information. |
| 3. ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF EACH YOUNG PERSON | Pupils have different careers guidance needs at different stages. Careers programmes should help students navigate their concerns about any barriers to career progression. In addition, opportunities should be tailored to the needs of each student, including any additional needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged students, young people with SEND and those who are absent. |
| 4. LINKING CURRICULUM LEARNING TO CAREERS | As part of the school’s programme of careers education, all teachers should link curriculum learning with careers. Subject teachers should highlight the progression routes for their subject and the relevance of the knowledge and skills developed in their subject for a wide range of career pathways. |
| 5. ENCOUNTERS WITH EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES | Every student should have multiple opportunities to learn from employers about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace. This can be through a range of enrichment opportunities, including visiting speakers, mentoring and enterprise schemes, and could include students’ own part-time employment where it exists. |
| 6. EXPERIENCES OF WORKPLACES | Every student should have first-hand experiences of workplaces to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks. |
| 7. ENCOUNTERS WITH FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION | All students should understand the full range of learning opportunities that are available to them, including academic, technical and vocational routes. This should incorporate learning in schools, colleges, independent training providers (ITPs), universities and in the workplace. |
| 8. PERSONAL GUIDANCE | Every student should have opportunities for guidance meetings with a careers adviser, who could be internal (a member of school staff) or external, provided they are trained to an appropriate level. These meetings should be available for all students whenever significant study or career choices are being made. They should be expected for all students but should be scheduled to meet their individual needs. The careers leader should work closely with the careers adviser, SEND coordinator (SENDCO) and other key staff to ensure personal guidance is effective and embedded in the careers programme. |
<p>If you are 11—19 and living in the South of England, <a href="http://www.careerpilot.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Careerpilot</a> has all of the information you need to help you plan your future study and work.</p>
<p>Find out about and look at: </p><ul><li>Your choices at 14, 16 and 18</li> <li>Different job sectors and what they are looking for</li> <li>Information on routes to different qualifications including apprenticeships and university level study</li> <li>Your skills and how to use them</li> <li>Online careers sessions and stories</li></ul><p>Get ALL of the information you need to help you plan your future study and work in one place.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.careerpilot.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>www.careerpilot.org.uk</strong></a></p>
