The staff and students at the Lowestoft Sixth Form College are celebrating after receiving the Careers Mark Award for its outstanding Careers in Education Programme. This nationally approved award is given to schools and colleges who demonstrate a high-quality Careers in Education Service and is validated by The Quality in Careers Standard Board (QiCS).
The work leading to the assessment was prepared by Karen Lambton, the IAG qualified (Information Advice & Guidance) Careers Adviser for the College, who wrote the assessments and gathered the evidence to meet the standards required prior to an onsite visit by the Careers Mark Assessor.
Karen said, “We are absolutely delighted to have received this award. It demonstrates how hard we all work in preparing our students for the future; and that the service we offer is of a very high standard.”
The independent Assessor spoke with a selection of students from around the college, to ensure they have developed the skills and gained the career knowledge to progress with their future. They said, “I really enjoy the careers days as they open up your mind to a wider array of careers.”, “The college guarantees us a bright future.”, “Building our CV’s in class was good because we then had them ready to approach employers.”
The award is just one of the many achievements the College has gained since it opened in 2011, including an Ofsted “good” overall, and their best ever A-level grades to-date during August 2016.
In his report Gary Longden, the Careers Mark Assessor said “Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) is well established in the college and has an integral role which is exemplified by the colleges approach to student support. The college recognises that it has a critical role to play in preparing students for successful adult life; and by embedding ambition in their students the college enables them to progress confidently into adult life, and to make a positive contribution to their community”.
Lowestoft Sixth form College Principal, Yolanda Botham said: “the Careers Mark Award confirms what we do at L6FC is to help our students discover all the rich, exciting options available and support them to progress to a rewarding future.”