Careers education

At Dixons Unity Academy, careers education is a core part of ensuring all students are well prepared for their future.
 

Our careers programme supports all students to develop the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to make informed decisions about their next steps. We aim to create an aspirational culture, challenge stereotypes and ensure every student understands the full range of pathways available, including academic, technical and apprenticeship routes.

Our commitment to careers provision extends beyond the legal minimum entitlement for students and is underpinned by the Gatsby framework with a commitment to meeting all eight benchmarks.

Students access a structured and progressive careers programme from Year 7 onwards. This includes:  

• Careers learning through the curriculum  

• Dedicated careers sessions, assemblies and events  

• Encounters with employers and workplaces  

• Information about further education, higher education and apprenticeships  

• Access to impartial careers guidance at key transition points  

Our programme is aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks and is designed to support all students, including those with SEND and those at risk of becoming NEET, to achieve positive and sustained destinations. Please see our academy Careers Programme for more details.  

We regularly review and evaluate our careers programme to ensure it is effective, inclusive and meets the needs of our students. This includes feedback from students, parents and staff, alongside destination data and national benchmarking tools.  The intended outcomes of the careers programme include, but are not limited to:

• students will undertake various work related experiences
• students will reflect upon and refine their aspirations
• students will increase their knowledge of education, training and career opportunities
• students will develop a career plan to help them achieve their sentence and realise their potential

The careers overview and what to do document can be found below, you can also access 'Start', an online platform designed to support students and parents in transitioning to the next step of their career. 

Contact our careers lead 

For further information about careers provision at our academy, please contact:  

• Careers lead: Jennifer Smith

• Email: jesmith@dixonsua.com

Ms Clynes is the senior leader responsible for monitoring the planning and delivery of the careers programme at Dixons Unity. Please contact Ms Cylnes by email if you have any queries about our careers programme.

Independent careers adviser

Nurminder is our level 7 external Career Consultant who works for Skills House, part of Leeds City Council. Nurminder initially explores students' current perceptions of future career and education choices alongside feedback from their grades and teachers: this is followed by an informative session of possible options and actions for students to undertake. Every student at DUA is entitled to an independent careers advice meeting by the end of year 11. A summary of each interaction with Nurminder is shared with the Year 11 student with key next steps for the student to undertake.

Resources for students

Resources for parents/carers

Resources for career and labour market information
 

Useful links

You can find our trust careers policy here.

Information for employers

We are always looking to invite employers from different sectors to come in and work with our young people throughout the year. If you are interested in hearing more about working with our young people, please get in touch with our careers lead.

Destinations

We are committed to supporting all of our students, not only during their time with us at Dixons Unity Academy, but also in their Post-16 options and beyond. We are so fortunate that many of our previous students come back to our academy to share their experiences of their next steps and this is an invaluable message for our current students. If you are an alumni of Dixons Unity Academy and would like to come back to share your story, please get in touch with Ms Smith by email. We would love to hear from you and arrange for you to come back and speak to our current students.

Careers education review
 

The careers education programme at Dixons Unity Academy is constantly under review and refinement. A formal, annual review takes place each August when we publish our careers policy which sets out the intended careers programme for the academic year ahead.