careers guidance for students this past year

As part of our further education training programmes at asphaleia training, students can access careers advice with a qualified Careers Advisor. Over the past year, our students and teaching staff have had access to careers advice from a specialist careers advisor employed by the Education Development Trust. Joanna is embedded in our team and on a weekly basis is located in the centre and is accessible for staff and students to drop in and chat to her. She also goes into classes to talk about careers information and has organised other activities relating to careers, such as a talk from Chichester College about Apprenticeships.

Our careers provision is based on the Gatsby Benchmarks for Colleges – the sector standard for good practice in careers guidance. Students participate in activities tailored to meet their needs, including 1:1 impartial careers guidance and opportunities for real-life encounters with the world of work, to learn first-hand what it's really like to work in different jobs.

In May 2025, the Department for Education published updated guidance confirming that, from September 2025, all secondary schools, colleges and independent training providers (ITPs) will be expected to use the updated Gatsby Benchmarks to shape their careers programmes.

The eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:

1. A stable careers programme

2. Learning from career and labour market information

3. Addressing the needs of each young person

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

We're looking forward to seeing our September intake of students, plus some returning students, benefitting from this provision over the next academic year.