Careers and the World of Work
Mary Immaculate Catholic High School - Cardiff
Mary Immaculate Catholic High School is
an 11-16 school serving the Catholic
community of the western region of
Cardiff and admits
used to highlight training needs or gaps in
staff knowledge, such as how to achieve
sustainable employer engagement and
the effective use of labour market
intelligence (LMI).
Careers Wales Mark
The school is currently in the process of
re-accreditation for the Careers Wales
Mark (CWM). Mr Tony Peachey, the
school’s Careers Co-ordinator, is working
with the Careers Wales, Careers and
World of Work Co-ordinator to provide
support for the wider careers family in the
school, to support the development of a
fully integrated delivery of the Careers
and World of Work Framework.
The Careers Wales Mark audit and selfassessment showed that opportunities to
link with partners in the business
community,
including
the
sectors
mentioned below, could be improved.
The
CWM
recognises
continuous
improvement in the provision of Careers
and World of Work education and
improved outcomes for learners, relating
directly to
The ‘learning core’ of the 14 -19
Learning Pathways.
Estyn’s drive to build capacity for selfevaluation and improvement.
Aspects of the School Effectiveness
Framework (SEF).
LMI for Learners
Understanding and an awareness of the
labour market is an area which Mr
Peachey recognises as an essential factor.
During the re-accreditation process, Mr
Peachey has found the Careers Wales
Mark Supporting Documents section of
the website “both very informative and
extremely useful”.
While the audit and self-assessment
identifies areas of good practice and areas
which would strengthen the Careers and
World of Work curriculum, it can also be
Guidance on how this exercise was
undertaken
is
covered
in
the
supplementary guidance document in the
professional section of the careers wales
website. 1
Learners are taught how to research LMI,
and understand how important it is in
relation to career planning and decision
making at key transition points.
Consequently, learners have discovered
that the current labour market within the
Cardiff area can be broken down into:
1
(www.careerswales.com)
http://www.careerswales.com/prof/upload/pdf/careers
worksupplementaryguidance-e.pdf
1
2
Manufacturing - Historically the
manufacturing
industry
had
a
significant presence during the pre and
post war years, but it employs fewer
workers today than it did previously.
Public Sector - Cardiff was the natural
choice to become the country's
administrative centre after devolution.
Public sector employment is divided
between the Welsh Government, local
authority and other agencies.
Leisure & Retail - The city is recognised
as one of the top ten shopping
locations in the UK and this sector now
employs much of the city's workforce.
Customer Services - Cardiff has
developed one of the highest
concentrations of call-centres in the
UK.
Financial Services – This sector has
witnessed substantial growth, with
hundreds of organisations providing
employment.
Links With Employers
Pauline O’Hare, the Careers Wales
Education Business Adviser, was included
in the initial partnership agreement
process at the school. She is currently
facilitating the building of relationships
with local employers to accomplish some
of the action points identified within the
development plan and to provide the
evaluative evidence for final accreditation.
Mr Peachey measures, evaluates and
disseminates the impact of outcomes, by
ensuring open and effective dialog with all
of the careers family within the school.
This includes the Careers and the World of
Work co-ordinator, tutors, programme coordinators, learning coaches, careers
adviser, and the Education Business
Adviser.
The communication and evaluation of
relevant information is seen as a vital
aspect of the Careers and World of Work
programme at Mary Immaculate and the
positive working relationship between
Careers Wales and the school supports
learners to realise their potential.
Media – Cardiff has long been home to
the Welsh media sector, boasting the
UK’s largest film, TV and multimedia
sector outside London, complimented
by a large independent media sector.
Programmes such as Doctor Who and
Casualty are made here.
2
http://career-advice.monster.co.uk/searchingfor-jobs/local-job-advice/employmentcardiff/article.aspx
2