Career Starter

Curriculum Essentials

Our trusted foundation of bite-sized assembly, tutorial and classroom careers resources for every student in every year group, all mapped to Gatsby benchmarks.

All students

Activities and resources for all young people

All year groups

For all secondary and sixth form, years 7 – 13

Bite-sized resources

Easy to drop into your existing timetables

Gatsby-ready

All mapped to Gatsby Benchmarks

As of the start  2023-24 academic year, we will no longer be running Career Starter as an active programme. All our resources are still available for download by schools or colleges who wish to use them for their learners but will no longer be updated by Career Ready.

These resources are available for you to use with your learners as you wish, without the need to submit an evaluation. Given our wish for you to use or update these resources as you may need, they will no longer carry the Career Ready brand.

You can access all resources and supporting documents in the below Google Drive or by scrolling down for further information on each activity.

Further information on why we are no longer running Career Starter is available at the bottom of this page.

Resource download
Our programme

Starting strong

Our structured, Career Starter activities will provide your school with a trusted foundation of careers guidance, all mapped against Gatsby Benchmarks and our own learning outcomes, that will help prepare your students for the world of work.

Content is sequenced for each year group, ensuring that every student has the information, resources, and inspiration required for each stage of their education journey.

From exploring and introducing skills in Year 7, through to industry insights and apprenticeships in Years 11 and 12, we offer every student 10 or more careers interventions per academic year.

All out Career Starter resources are available for download and ownership by schools and colleges until the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

“The resources offer new perspectives and showcase subjects in a way that is ‘not the norm’, challenging stereotypes.”

Kate Forrest
Assistant Head, West Derby School

Our free resources

Assemblies

Our assemblies enable you to deliver Gatsby Benchmarks 1, 2 and 7 for Good Careers Guidance across each year group of your learners.

Each session lasts approximately 10 minutes and can be easily integrated into your existing assembly timetable.

Through sequenced presentations, learners are given the information, resources, and inspiration to make informed decisions in their journey from education to employment, with content tailored to each year group.

This 10-minute assembly, in the form of a slide deck, introduces the world of work.

This 10-minute assembly, in the form of a slide deck, explores transferable skills for the world of work.

 

This 10-minute assembly, in the form of a slide deck, explores education and career choices.

 

This 10-minute assembly, in the form of a slide deck, explores career options now and in the future.

This 10-minute assembly, in the form of a slide deck, explores education and career choices.

This 10-minute assembly, in the form of a slide deck, explores what jobs and work will look like in the future, which is crucial context for your future decision making.

 

Resource download

Tutorials

Our tutorial activities enable you to deliver Gatsby Benchmarks 1, 3 and 7 for Good Careers Guidance to small groups of your learners.

We provide a range of expert-produced resources on career pathways for your staff to deliver in 20 minutes sessions during pastoral or tutor time. Our tutorial resources are tailored to each year group, ensuring that your learners have the information, resources, and inspiration required for each stage of their journey from education to rewarding employment.

This session introduces students to the concept of the labour market, its changing nature on a national and local level, and the impact of these changes on opportunities for young people in the future.

Learning from Labour Market Information (LMI). Learning objectives:

  • to be able to describe three facts about your local labour market
  • to be able to describe two facts about the national labour market
  • to understand how the labour market is changing and be able to give one fact about how jobs may change in the future

 

This tutorial expands on the assembly on skills, supporting students’ understanding in why skills are important and building their confidence by demonstrating how they are already building skills in their daily life.

Aim: for students to understand how they are already developing skills that they will use in the world of work
  • recognise key employability skills 
  • understand how they are developing these skills through school

This session explores the different progression routes that are available to students post GCSE including apprenticeships and T-Levels.

Aim: by the end of this session, students will have an understanding as to the 3 different pathways that are available to them, the importance of researching the career(s) they are interested in and which pathway(s) will enable them to enter that career:
  • Understand the different progression routes available to them after their GCSEs.
  • Understand the importance of researching the career they are interested in, the routes available to this career and the grades they will need.

This session builds on the Year 9 assembly, Your Choices, and provides more depth on GSCE option choices and careers.

Aim: To deepen students knowledge and understanding of what to consider/explore when choosing their GCSE options and what careers their chosen subjects could lead to.  
 
Students will be able to: 
  • Explore their strengths and interests and identify subjects linked to this.
  • Understand the importance of researching what careers their GCSE option choices could lead to.
  • Explore some of the subjects and grades required for certain job roles. 

 

This session is a refresher from the Year 10 assembly, Exploring Careers, and provides more depth on Priority Sectors.

Aim: By the end of this session students will have a greater understanding of the Priority Sectors and examples of the different types of jobs within those sectors.
 
Students will be able to:
  • Understand the key priority sectors and how this can inform future career plans
  • Explored some of the different careers within some of these sectors

This tutorial is 1 of 2 for Year 11 students. Tutorial 1 looks specifically at vocational and academic pathways that students can follow after GCSEs. It is designed to test their knowledge and critically think about which path is best for them.

Aim: For students to understand the pros and cons of vocational and academic pathways, in order to enable them to make informed decisions about their next steps.
 
Students will be able to:
  • understand the different pathways you can take after GCSEs
  • consider which pathway is best suited to you

This tutorial is 2 of 2 for Year 11 students. Tutorial 2 looks specifically at occupational pathways that students can follow after GCSEs. It is designed to test their knowledge and critically think about which path is best for them.

Aim: For students to understand the pros and cons of occupational pathways, in order to make an informed decision about their next step.
 
Students will be able to:
  • understand the different pathways you can take after GCSEs
  • consider which pathway is best suited to them

 

This session introduces students to advanced and higher apprenticeships.

Aim: By the end of the session students will have a greater understanding of both apprenticeship levels, how they can progress via apprenticeships and typical eligibility requirements of both.
 
Students will be able to:
  • Understand the key attributes of Advanced and Higher apprenticeships.
  • Consider how apprenticeships may feature in their own career planning

The purpose of this session is to enable students to understand the intricacies of degree apprenticeships and begin to consider how apprenticeships may feature as an option in their own career planning.

Aim: By the end of this session students will have a greater understanding of the detail of degree apprenticeships and be able to utilise this in their decision-making process.
 
Students will be able to:
  • Understand the key attributes of Degree apprenticeships.
  • Consider how apprenticeships may feature in their own career planning
Resource download

Careers in the curriculum

Our Careers in the Curriculum activities enable you to deliver Gatsby Benchmarks 1,3, & 4 for Good Careers Guidance to small groups of your students. Research shows that linking the curriculum to careers results in higher educational outcomes, increased attainment and attendance, and an increase in young people pursuing subjects in higher education.

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 

The aim of these sessions is to help young people connect their learning to the future career aspirations and the world of work. Students will look at how your subject connects to the real world, the skills they are developing, the career pathways, roles and industry sectors.

  • Year 7 – connecting your subject to everyday life and products
  • Year 8 – the skills and knowledge you develop through studying this subject
  • Year 9 – skills and knowledge needed for certain roles and industry sectors
  • Year 10 – qualification routes and career pathways
  • Year 11 – transferable skills and example job roles
  • Year 12/13 – presenting your subject skills to an employer 
Resource download
‘How to’ guide for Careers Leaders 

Let’s make careers everyone’s business

Our FREE bite-sized, self-serve resources make it quick and easy for your entire team to help embed good careers guidance across your curriculum.

Simply download our resources and drop them into your session plan.

Bite-sized, 15 minute drag-and-drop sessions. No additional timetabling or drop-days required.

Staff buy-in through tailored year group or subject sessions

Deliver against Gatsby Benchmarks for all your students

FAQs

Over the last three years, we’re really proud to have provided schools and colleges with our free, self-service, Career Starter resources, helping them to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Careers Guidance.

However, due to the resource it takes us to deliver these resources and our growth aims for our Career Ready programme, we are no longer able to keep them up-to-date in a way that best serves the schools and colleges we aim to support or carry out required evaluation work and digital maintenance.

However, our resources are sill available for download and for you to use as you wish via this Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DWDXqAvEm1q9n82JnksfoKtfK4RGqhmu

This link will remain active until the end of the 2023-24 academic year.

If you have any issues or wish to find out more then please contact info@careerready.org.uk

You can download them from the following Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DWDXqAvEm1q9n82JnksfoKtfK4RGqhmu 

There is no need to complete any registration or evaluation to access these resources.