YEAR 13 CAREER READY GRADUATION CELEBRATION
Grace Academy Solihull’s Post 16 Team work closely with Career Ready, a UK-wide social mobility charity. They provide selected Sixth Form students a chance to be a part of their programme with workplace opportunities and 1:1 support. Their strong business links offer young people help with developing their skills and attitude, which is much needed for transitioning from education to employment. Many of the students completed an internship as part of the programme at the end of Y12 where they successfully presented to the company they were working with showing highlights of their internship.
As the programme comes to an end we invited parents/carers to join us to celebrate their child’s achievement. The celebration included a short presentation by our Career Ready lead Caroline Emery, mentor feedback and some light refreshments.
The feedback we’ve received is fantastic from the mentors – we would like to thank them for this, as it has been a pleasure seeing the students grow and develop their skills and confidence with the support they’ve received from the Career Ready Team, as they prepare to move onto their next stages after their final year in education
Grace Academy Careers Fair
Over 700 students from Years 8 to 13 recently “dived into a world of opportunities” at the Academy’s successful Careers Fair. The event proved to be a pivotal day, described as being “packed with inspiration, advice, and real-world connections” designed to help shape student journeys. The Academy welcomed over 35 guest professionals, providing an exceptional breadth of expertise for the visiting students as they represented a wide variety of pathways, ranging from major organisations to colleges and higher education institutions.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Year 11 & Post 16 Mock Interviews
We invited employers/business partners from a variety of industries to come and deliver one to one mock interviews with our year 11 and Post 16 students. The feedback from students showed how much they valued the experience, with 100% of our students saying that this has helped them prepare for their next steps. Our guests were also overwhelmingly positive about our students’ attitude and engagement, and all said they would love to return and support next year.
 |
 |
 |
IntoUniversity
Students at Grace Academy Solihull took part in a series of workshops delivered by IntoUniversity, a nationwide organisation that supports young people to achieve their academic potential and explore future opportunities. The sessions included bespoke 1:1 personal statement support, guidance on education choices beyond 16, and activities focused on developing independent learning and employability skills. Students also engaged in teamwork and leadership challenges and a “Choosing Success” workshop, which was all aimed at building confidence, supporting informed decision-making, and helping students prepare for their future education and career pathways.
We are always looking for new employer partnerships to work alongside the Careers Team to extend the student’s experiences and opportunities around careers.
This could include mock interviews, industry talks, assemblies, career fair stands, work experience placements and drop-down days to name a few.
In return we can promote apprenticeships/job opportunities and include information in our newsletters.
Please contact bradpettitt@graceacademy.org.uk or juliebaker@graceacademy.org.uk for more information.