Recent research from Talking Futures found that “more than 75% of parents felt that giving relevant career advice to their children was almost impossible in such a fast-changing jobs market”.

At the Priory Federation of Academies Trust, careers education is a key priority and is a central part of achieving excellence through the Priory values.  

We know how important it is for our students to be able to have conversations about their careers with people at home. We therefore hope that this short guide, in the form of FAQs, helps you with having those conversations. 

As always, careers teams in each academy can support you with  these discussions and are very happy to speak to parents and carers as well as students.

What subjects 'should' they study?

There is no single answer to this question. Students should think about what they want to do when they leave school and work backwards. For many jobs, there isn’t a requirement to have studied certain subjects, but a good way of checking this is on the National Career Service website, the UCAS Website, or speaking to a member of their academy’s careers team. 

What if my child has no idea what career they want to do?

Even as adults, we can struggle thinking about what career we want to do, or what job we would like to do next. 

What is important is that your child knows what kinds of skills they need to go into the world of work and to manage their career, and they know which ones they could improve – this is something you can discuss with them. They should also be encouraged to speak to the Academy’s careers advisor.

What is the main thing I can do to help my child think about their career?

Here are a few things we recommend to help with your child’s career planning and career management: 

1. Help them to explore pathways – attend open events, ask questions about their aspirations and keep the conversation going. Don’t feel like you need to have the answers – that is where step four can come in! 

2. Let them lead with researching and exploring, support and empower them to make positive decisions. 

3. Share your story – what career journey have you had? What did you like and dislike? What lessons did you learn? What skills were important? 

4. Encourage them to talk to careers professionals – each student has access to careers teams within their academies, who can support them through difficult decisions or with difficult questions, or simply to help them explore what options are available to them. 

Where can I get more information?

In school - You can speak to your tutor, any member of staff, and any member of the careers team, to receive more information and support about choosing your options, or more generally about careers. 

Useful Links - Use the Useful Links section of the website to see a range of helpful websites, organised into specific areas, to get more information.

The Academy welcomes and actively invites parent and carer input and feedback on our careers programme, as well as asking any career-related questions. This can be provided by contacting the Academy’s Careers Lead, or by emailing careers@prioryacademies.co.uk.