This week was National Careers Week which is to bring attention to career guidance and free resources across the UK.

At Transitions UK, one of the main things we support our young people with is their opportunities within education and employment as they move into independence. We’re always looking at their next steps which we do by creating a path plan and development web with them. Both allow for the young person to pick their goals in life and create a plan to work towards it in a way that suits them best.

Recently, two of our Aspire and Attain Project Team members went to the Bucks Skill Show (https://bucksskillshub.org/the-skills-show) which is Buckinghamshire’s largest skills and careers event helping young people explore future careers and work out how to get where they want to go.

They went to showcase Transitions UK and what we do for our young people. There were over 100 different businesses showcasing and hundreds of students from year 9 to year 13 exploring their options.

Many of the young people that came up to our stall wanted to learn more about the charity and the four groups of vulnerable young people that we work with. They wanted to learn more about how to work with us and were intrigued by the mental health side of things as going into social work was a popular choice among the young people.

They were able to connect with many different organisations such as armed forces, construction apprenticeship providers, universities and other youth charities. The allowed for us to form relationships that could help our young people in the future and to promote our volunteering opportunities to them as well.

It was great to be able to make those new connections and hear from the young people on what they are interested in and the routes they would like to take.

So, as National Career Week comes to an end, we thought we would also share some of the options that are available to our young people:

Further Education –
Heading into further education, whether that be into sixth form or college, is always a great option to improve your knowledge in the field you want to go into. It gives you a chance to pursue your passion whilst increasing your employability. Many employers treasure the grade or certificate that comes off the back of completing school which can be added to your CV and improve your chances at a future job role.

Apprenticeships –
An apprenticeship is a great opportunity to earn while you learn as it provides you with all the skills you will need to complete the job role and you get paid to do so. It gives you a foot in the door of your desired career and the opportunity to learn from industry professionals. You can become more independent as you’re learning to do the job and overtime, you become trusted to complete the role on your own. An apprenticeship gives the benefit of gaining real experience and a deeper insight and understanding in the sector you’re in.

Job – Full Time/Part Time:
The opportunity to go into a full time or a part time role is a great step into a real career, become more independent and have a quicker path into career development. If heading into work is what you want to do, you will have a few extra years’ experience before others who had gone into education meaning that you will already understand the role much better and have the possibility of being considered for career developments sooner. You will receive all the benefits of a steady income, fixed schedule, paid leave and other career benefits. For part time work, this can be possible to complete alongside education or work experience, so you can earn a steady wage as well as continuing your education.

Work Experience:
This is a great option to take to gain experience in one or many fields. If you unsure of your path, you can ask for experience at many different companies that you find interesting and want to try out. It allows you to test out all the different career options you have as well as gaining new skills and meeting new people. This can also open up opportunities for a job role as they may keep you in mind when an opening comes through, and you may have the chance to get an interview.

In all, young people have a plethora of different routes to take to succeed in their lives and we, at Transitions UK, help them to do so.

If you think that you can help provide amazing opportunities like the ones listed above, then email partnerships@transitionsuk.org and let’s work together to be the support that changes young lives

Find out more about the different projects we support and how we do so – www.transitionsuk.org/projectsoverview