6th Forms

Harton Academy has its own 6th Form: https://harton-tc.co.uk/sixth-form/, offering a range of A-level subjects as well as other Level 3 qualifications. However, there are also other 6th Forms in the local area that students could consider applying to.

Colleges

There are a number of local Further Education Colleges that students can choose to progress onto. They offer a wide range of vocational subjects and some also offer A-levels or similar, more academic, qualifications.

South Tyneside College: http://www.stc.ac.uk
Gateshead College: http://www.gateshead.ac.uk
Newcastle College: http://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk
Sunderland College: http://sunderlandcollege.ac.uk
Tyne Metropolitan College: http://www.tynemet.ac.uk

T Levels

https://www.tlevels.gov.uk

T Levels are new courses coming in September 2020, which will follow GCSEs and will be equivalent to 3 A Levels. These 2-year courses have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work.

T Levels will offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during an industry placement of at least 315 hours (approximately 45 days). They will provide the knowledge and experience needed to open the door into skilled employment, further study or a higher apprenticeship.

Students will be able to take a T Level in the following subject areas:

• accountancy
• agriculture, land management and production
• animal care and management
• building services engineering
• catering
• craft and design
• cultural heritage and visitor attractions
• design and development
• design, surveying and planning
• digital business services
• digital production, design and development
• digital support and services
• education
• financial
• hair, beauty and aesthetics
• health
• healthcare science
• human resources
• legal
• maintenance, installation and repair
• management and administration
• manufacturing, processing and control
• media, broadcast and production
• onsite construction
• science

When they will start

The first 3 T Levels will be available at selected colleges, schools and other providers across England in September 2020. This means pupils who entered year 10 in September 2018 will be the first to be able to study them.

A further 7 T Levels will be available in September 2021.

We have published a list of the providers who’ll be offering these courses.

Training

As an alternative to college, students could also consider applying directly to a local training provider. There are a significant number of training providers in the Tyne & Wear area, including South Tyneside, covering a diverse range of occupational areas. For more information, please speak to the school’s Student Progression Manager or, for opportunities within South Tyneside, South Tyneside’s Training Provider Network (STTPN).

Apprenticeships

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) website: https://www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships has lots of information about apprenticeships for young people, their parents and prospective employers. It also includes listings of current vacancies although you need to be registered in order to actually apply for any of these vacancies. In addition, it contains some excellent support materials for making a successful application: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeships-resources-for-teachers-and-advisers#resources-for-learners

The NAS website also has details of current traineeship vacancies.

Connexions (Tyne & Wear) also have a website: http://www.connexions-tw.co.uk/vacancies that has useful apprenticeship information on it, as well as the details of some current apprenticeships in the region. Once again, you need to be registered in order to make any applications online.

Rising Star: http://zenithrisingstar.com is a recruitment business, located in South Tyneside, who are totally focused on helping young people find employment.They list current vacancies on their website and also support individuals with their applications through the employment ‘boot camps’ that they run.

School Leaver Programmes

School leaver programmes are increasing in number and provide a fantastic alternative to Higher Education – although many of the programmes also involve you studying for a degree whilst getting paid and gaining important work experience.

If you are interested in working for a major national/international company like those listed below, go to the Student Ladder website: http://www.studentladder.co.uk and do some research on their school leaver programmes or work experience opportunities. There are ICT, financial, engineering, legal, human resource, accountancy opportunities, amongst others, available.

Here are some examples of the types of companies who offer school leaver programmes: British Airways, Bank of England, KPMG, Laing O’Rourke, Jaguar Land Rover, National Grid, Siemens, Mars, Aviva, Channel 4, IBM, Boots and Harrods.”

Similar opportunities are also advertised on:

Rate my Apprenticeship: http://www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/top-employers
All About Careers: http://www.allaboutcareers.com/jobs

Degree Level Apprenticeship

If you are interested in degree level apprenticeships, then you can use the UCAS Career Finder tool: https://careerfinder.ucas.com to search for opportunities.
University

The UCAS website: http://www.ucas.com contains key information on all UK university courses, with links to individual institutions websites – so that you can continue your research. It is also the website that students use to make their university applications at the start of Year 13.

Unistats: http://www.unistats.com is the website used for displaying the government’s Key Information Sets (KIS). It has up-to-date statistical information on each individual course at all the UK’s universities. There is information displayed on the following categories: student satisfaction, average salary after graduation, progression, accommodation costs, time spent in lectures & seminars, how it is assessed and student satisfaction with the university’s student union. You should also find a link to Unistats from individual university websites.

The school has recently purchased Unifrog: https://www.unifrog.org, which is a very useful website that brings together the information from a wide range of other resources that help students to search for suitable university degrees. Students can register and then use Unifrog to search for degrees taking into account location, quality of research, student satisfaction, contact hours, costs, assessment methods etc. It also has a section on apprenticeships/school leaver programmes. For log-in details, please see your form tutor, Mr Burroughs or Mr Joyce.

UK Course Finder: http://www.ukcoursefinder.com is a website where you can search for universities based on course title, location and entry grades. If you are unsure of your plans but know that you want to progress onto Higher Education you can register (free of charge) and complete a short questionnaire that will ‘suggest’ degree courses that might interest you. This process is not an exact science but it can help you to start a search or to confirm your plans.

Which University: http://university.which.co.uk is another website that provides key information on individual degree courses, including the average UCAS points achieved by students actually starting the course, employment prospects and drop-out rates etc. For students unsure of their plans, they can also use the A level explorer tool: http://university.which.co.uk/a-level-explorer that suggests degree courses – based on the subjects that a student is studying or plans to study at A-level.

For more information

If you would like some further information, or would like the opportunity to speak to a professionally qualified careers adviser, to discuss your future plans please contact Miss Morris, the school’s careers advisor via email (KMorris@hartonacademy.co.uk) or via your form tutor. You could also go to see Mrs Cassar.

Alternatively, the school can arrange for you see a fully qualified careers adviser from Services for Young People (South Tyneside Careers Service). They also offer impartial information, advice and guidance to young people, helping them to make informed decisions around their career choices and future goals. If you would prefer to contact them directly, they have an office based at Ocean Road Community Centre where young people can book an appointment by calling (0191) 424 7400.