Sixteen-What Next? Disability and Post-16 Education and Skills Pathways - held at Resource for London, 19th October 2017, 10:00 - 16:30
This event brought together key speakers and representatives from the Department for Education, National Development Team for Inclusion, Further Education Colleges, service providers, parents and other stakeholders to share best practice and raise awareness of new policies and developments about educational and career options for young people when they reach age 16.
Presentations from the event
Helen Brooks from the Department for Education presented on Post-16 choices: The policy perspective. Helen talked about the importance of having good careers advice for a successful transition into post-16 education and work for young people with SEND and about government reforms including the Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHC), Preparing for Adulthood and the Local Offer.
Daniel Estrada from Camden Society presented on Journey To Employment, a new DWP initiative that is being rolled out across the UK. The emphasis is on meeting individual needs, help people identify various routes to employment and create a work support plan.
Sue Jenkins, Head of Inclusive Learning at West London College presented on Pathways to Employment, a new and redesign curriculum which is employment focused, enterprise embedded and includes pathways to supported employment courses. Sue also talked about their supported internship programme in partnership a range of businesses.
Mark Capper, Business Development Manager/Head of Employer Engagement at Mencap presented on The 3 Ships, Supported Internships, Traineeships and Apprenticeships an initiative aimed at having these three programmes available consistently in all local authorities.
Professor Sir John Holman from the University of York and Gatsby Foundation presented on Good Career Guidance; the eight benchmarks for providing good career guidance and Compass, the careers benchmark toolkit.
Kathy Melling, presented on Preparing for Adulthood: Preparing for Adulthood and the Local Offer. What it must set out what is available to assist young people to prepare for adulthood including information about employment, education, and health and care services, leisure activities and support groups.
Daire OCleirigh, Supported Internships Lead at Westminster Kingsway College presented on Transition into Employment through Supported Internships, a new initiative aimed at providing learners with a supported pathway into employment through a personalised programme.
Dr. Melanie Thorley from Greenwich University presented on STAART: Support Through *AccessAbility: Retention and Transition, a programme available for all new disabled students considering college or university – regardless of location.
Claire Nix, Career Consultant at the Career Development Institute, presented on Independent and impartial career guidance: practical elements of The Gatsby Benchmarks, what matters in terms of context and top tips.
Charlotte Thurston, Head of Schools, Education and Employer presented on Inspiring the Future a new project linking up the worlds of education and employment and working with role models and employers to raise aspirations and help young people understand the breadth of work that is out there.