Careers at KCI
Careers & Future Pathways
At King Charles I School our Careers programme is about more than just planning the next step—it is about unlocking potential, sparking ambition, and preparing our students to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Whether aiming for university, a high-quality apprenticeship, or the start of a promising career, we ensure every student has the tools, support, and confidence to map out their own unique journey.
Our Commitment to Excellence
To ensure our students receive world-class preparation, our comprehensive careers curriculum is built on two gold-standard national frameworks:
The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks: The ultimate standard for world-class careers provision in schools.
The Career Development Institute (CDI) Framework: Ensuring our curriculum actively develops the real-world skills students need to manage their future careers.
What We Guarantee Every Student:
Unbiased, High-Quality Guidance: Personalised advice tailored to individual strengths, interests, and ambitions.
Real-World Connections: Regular, meaningful opportunities to engage with employers, experience diverse workplaces, and explore modern industries.
Clear Pathways: Transparent, up-to-date information on all post-16 and post-18 options, including technical qualifications, apprenticeships, and higher education.
Our Vision: To bridge the gap between education and employment, empowering every young person to step confidently into their future.
Gatsby Benchmarks
The eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance are:
- A stable careers programme
- Learning from career and labour market information
- Addressing the needs of each pupil
- Linking curriculum learning to careers
- Encounters with employers and employees
- Experiences of workplaces
- Encounters with further and higher education
- Personal guidance
Our Careers Lead is Mr Pearson and is contactable via the contact page
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8, and 9), careers education at King Charles I School is all about exploration and self-discovery. Before making bigdecisions about GCSE options or future pathways, we help our younger students understand their unique strengths, explore the vast worldof work, and start matching their passions to potential careers.
Our KS3 curriculum is designed to build a strong foundation of self-awareness and curiosity through several key experiences:
Key Careers Experiences in KS3
Students begin their Unifrog journey in Key Stage 3. They learn how to navigate the platform, record their achievements, and explore the massive careers library to see what different jobs actually involve.
To help students understand their growing skillset, they complete the Future Skills Questionnaire. This interactive tool helps them identify their current strengths—such as teamwork, leadership, or problem-solving—and shows them how these skills apply to the workplace.
Throughout the year, KS3 students attend a series of specialised assemblies designed to demystify the future. These sessions introduce:
- The wide variety of different qualifications available.
- What post-16 education (colleges, sixth forms) looks like.
- How apprenticeships work and the incredible career paths they offer.
We believe you can’t be what you can’t see. Our students get regular opportunities to meet and hear from real-world employers from different industries, giving them a firsthand look at modern workplaces and inspiring them to think big about their futures.
We don’t expect our Year 7, 8, or 9 students to have their entire lives mapped out. Instead, we want them to finish Key Stage 3 feeling excited about their potential, aware of the options ahead of them, and confident in using Unifrog to research their future careers.
Key Stage 4
In Year 10, the focus is on gaining hands-on experience and beginning to align personal strengths with future ambitions. We bridge the gapbetween classroom learning and the workplace through active preparation and professional immersion.
Key Careers Experiences in Year 10
The highlight of the Year 10 careers calendar is our work experience programme. Students step outside the school gates and spend time in a professional environment, gaining invaluable insights into workplace expectations, routine, and industry culture.
Using their Unifrog accounts, students begin to narrow down their interests. They use the platform to search for specific post-16 and post-18 opportunities, draft CVs, and log the skills they developed during their work experience placements.
Every student begins receiving formal, impartial Information, Advice, and Guidance (IAG) meetings with a qualified careers advisor. These one-to-one sessions help students cut through the noise and build a bespoke, achievable action plan.
Through regular interaction with local employers and structured careers curriculum sessions, students explore what modern workplaces expect. They learn about essential employability skills, professional conduct, and the changing landscape of local and national job markets.
It is never too early to look ahead. Year 10 students explore the full spectrum of future choices—including our own Sixth Form, external colleges, V-Levels, T-Levels, and apprenticeships—ensuring they understand entry requirements well in advance.
Year 11 is all about execution, confidence-building, and finalising applications. We provide personalised support to ensure every student successfully transitions to the right post-16 destination.
Key Stage 5
Year 12
In the Sixth Form at King Charles I School, careers education is tailored to support students as they transition into young professionals. Key Stage 5(Years 12 and 13) is designed to help students refine their goals, build competitive profiles, and make secure, ambitious decisions about university, degree apprenticeships, or direct employment.
Year 12: Broadening Horizons & Securing Experiences
In Year 12, the focus is on looking ahead to post-18 destinations. We encourage students to explore the full breadth of options available, gain professional experience, and begin building a standout personal profile.
Key Careers Experiences in Year 12
Students use Unifrog to research their post-18 pathways. They use the platform to search for university courses, explore degree apprenticeships, and shortlist opportunities that match their career ambitions.
All Year 12 students participate in a dedicated work experience placement. This is a crucial opportunity to gain industry-specific, hands-on experience, helping them test out potential career paths and build a strong portfolio for future applications.
We host and facilitate visits to various universities. These trips help students experience campus life, understand the transition to higher education, and gather firsthand information on courses, student finance, and entry requirements.
Students attend focused sessions led by industry professionals and current apprentices. These talks demystify higher and degree apprenticeships, explaining how they work, the application process, and how they offer a debt-free route to a degree.
Students attend careers fairs, giving them direct access to a wide range of top-tier employers, training providers, and universities under one roof.
Key Stage 5
Year 13
Year 13 is all about execution, securing competitive offers, and preparing for the practical realities of life after secondary school.
Key Careers Experiences in Year 13
Every Year 13 student receives dedicated, personalised support to finalise their applications. Whether submitting UCAS applications or applying for competitive school-leaver schemes, our tutors and careers advisors provide targeted feedback.
To ensure a smooth transition to employment or higher education, we focus on workplace preparation. Students learn about professional networking, financial literacy, understanding employment contracts, and managing their online professional presence.
Unifrog remains the central hub for tracking references and searching for live, real-time apprenticeship and job vacancies.
Students continue to interact with employers through targeted networking sessions and Q&As, ensuring they remain informed about the latest recruitment trends and assessment methods.
We want every student leaving the King Charles I School Sixth Form to feel fully prepared and highly competitive. Whether heading to atop-tier university, embarking on a degree apprenticeship, or entering the professional workforce, our students graduate with the skills and confidence to succeed.
Unifrog
At King Charles I School, we are committed to providing our students with the highest standard of impartial careers guidance. To support this, every student has access to Unifrog—the UK’s leading online careers platform.
Unifrog is a complete, one-stop shop that helps our students explore their interests, identify their strengths, and confidently plantheir next steps—whether transitioning into our Sixth Form, applying for college, securing a high-quality apprenticeship, orpreparing for university.
Why We Use Unifrog
Unifrog brings all the best careers resources into a single, easy-to-use platform. It empowers King Charles I students to:
- Compare Every Opportunity Side-by-Side: From local post-16 college courses and apprenticeships to degree programmes at top universities, students can compare entry requirements, travel times, and pathways in real-time.
- Build a Portfolio of Success: Students are encouraged to log their key skills, extracurricular activities, and personal achievements. Over time, this builds a robust portfolio of evidence ready for writing CVs, personal statements, or interview preparation.
- Navigate a Fast-Changing Job Market: The platform integrates up-to-date Labour Market Information (LMI) so students understand which industries are growing locally in Worcestershire and across the UK.
Students access the platform by clicking a link in their welcome email, where they create a password and can begin using the platform. They login to Unifrog using their email address and password and they can do so from any computer, tablet or smartphone.
To log in to Unifrog, please click here.
Careers Provider Access Policy Statement
To access our Provider Access Policy please click here.
CDI Framework in the Tutorial Programme
The Career Development Institute (CDI) Framework is embedded within King Charles I School’s tutorial programme to support students in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to make informed decisions about their future. Through a range of age-appropriate activities, students explore their strengths, aspirations and career opportunities, while developing an understanding of the pathways available to them. The tutorial programme is planned around the CDI Learning Areas, ensuring a progressive approach to career development and helping students to become confident, informed and ambitious young people.
Careerometer
Use the Careerometer below to explore and compare a wide range of careers. This interactive tool can help students and parents discover more about different job roles and support informed career planning.
Simply enter the name of a career that interests you and select the most relevant occupation from the list provided. The Careerometer will then display key information, including:
- Average salary
- Typical working hours
- Future employment prospects
You can also compare different careers side by side, helping you to explore options and identify pathways that match your interests, strengths and aspirations. The information is based on up-to-date labour market data, providing valuable insights into the world of work and future opportunities.