Make sure you spend some time at the beginning of the session to break the ice again!

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Activity 1: Skills Assessment Quiz

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• Ask you pupil to go to nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/skills-assessment and complete the quiz, "Discover your skills and careers”. Make sure they are sharing their screen with you as they complete the quiz, so you can help them with the questions and learn more about your pupil.

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• Don't worry about spending too much time on each question, the aim of this activity is to help them connect their skills and interests with job roles and see the wide range of options available to them. Therefore, the discussions around the results are more important than spending loads of time answering the questions perfectly.

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• This activity will also help your pupil practise evaluating job roles. Therefore, don't worry if a job comes up that they think is random or doesn't suit them.  Ask them why they aren't keen on that job compared to others and you will both be learning more about their criteria for jobs that excite and motivate them. 

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Activity 2: Related Careers

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• This activity aims to help your pupil explore their career options by looking into sectors and related careers. It's a good idea to read the blurb at the top of the page together. Let them know that there are lots of careers within one sector and it's worth exploring sectors for other careers they may be interested in.

• It's also worth mentioning that salaries can be different within a sector and usually higher salaried roles involve more training or higher qualifications.

• Using the results of the skills assessment, have a look on the National Careers Website for some related careers to those that came up and see what your pupil does or doesn't like about them. 

• Your pupil can then add these to their longlist on the next page if they are interested in learning more about them.

 

Activity 3: My Career Longlist

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Don't let your pupil get too bogged down in the details at this stage of the research and focus on the bigger picture of what matters to them more broadly.

 

• Your pupil will select 4 careers they want to "longlist" based on their skills assessment results and what they may have already thought about.  Think about sectors too- do they seem to be interested in several roles from one sector? Does looking into the wider sector seem more appropriate? You can also use other websites for your research- see the extra research information tab at the top of this page.

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• If your pupil has more than 4, that's fine!

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• Your pupil will then think about whether these 4 careers match their interests, fit with their motivations and excite them.

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• Using this criteria, your pupil will then identify and circle the top 2 they would like to research in more detail during this session.​​​

 

Activity 4: Career Profiles

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• There is no pressure for them to choose careers they will definitely go into and we know they will probably change their mind about the careers they are interested in, but this activity will:

  • give them more information about careers that excite them right now;

  • help them develop the research skills they will need throughout their career journey.

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• You and your pupil will now do some research on their top 2 careers, to fill out the career profile sheets for each career. Make sure to have a look at the example page, to show your pupil what information you will researching, discussing and noting down together. Of course, it doesn't have to be as detailed on the page - as long as you discuss the sections in depth.

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•  Discuss each section in detail, making sure your pupil is evaluating the information they found. We have some suggestions of websites you can use for your research- see the extra research information at the top of this page

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• As a coach, it is important supplement their research with open questions and challenges, referring back to their interests and motivations.

 

Activity 5: Preparing for your Sector Role Model conversation

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• Giving your pupil insight from somebody working in one of their top careers, or pursuing a pathway they are interested in, is hugely valuable.

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• Discuss with your pupil who they would like to speak to - it's important that they give you more than one professional. This gives you plenty of time to try and find the sector role model and increases your chance of finding someone. This will have been discussed at training, but have a look at the top of this page for more information on how to find your sector role model.

• Remember, if you are able to have more than 1 sector role model, that's great (even if they do the same job) as they can offer different experiences and advice to your pupil.

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Debrief

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• Go through the checklist noting what you have achieved that session. Give your pupil lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement for what you have successfully completed

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• Remember the debrief framework in training:

  • Ask what you have done in that session

  • Ask what they have enjoyed

  • Ask what the implications of this are

  • Ask what they can think about before the next session

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