Work ready

Work ready careers programme

St. John’s College career programme consists of ten development opportunities (see below), information, advice and guidance for learners that align with Preparing for Adulthood outcomes.

St. John’s embraces the eight Gatsby standards that enable us to provide bespoke and high-quality career information, advice, and guidance to our young learners with a variety of complex needs.

Our job centre facility at St. John’s provides an environment and work ready culture that promotes the work-based learning programme, internal and external work experience opportunities.

The career programme is designed to ensure the information and guidance is accessible to all learners and will be delivered with a differential approach. It is our aim that all learners will gain work ready outcomes, purposeful successful destinations, improved life choices and the skills required for independence.

At St. John’s, we are proud to be part of the changing culture around people with learning disabilities and work.

You can download a pdf of our Work Ready programme here.

Where to next?

You can find local career and labour market information for learners here.

Learners, teachers, employers and parents/carers can find links to further information below.

Curriculum 

Careers, employability knowledge and skills are embedded and acquired throughout the curriculum. You can download our learner journey (pictured above) here. It visually demonstrates the opportunities open to our learners.

Person-centred work ready plans

These are comprised of aspirations, vocational profiles, setting of learning goals (broad goal). Each learner is supported to own a personal ‘career / skills for life’ plan, using my work and independence profile. This plan would be regularly visited and updated.

Career workshops and St. John’s job centre

All learners can access workshops delivered by the St. John’s work ready team and external personnel, such as employers and other St. John’s stakeholders. Business leaders are invited to present the world of work to our learners.

Our job centre is managed by the work ready team and provides learners with resources, information, and guidance on employment opportunities. These include research, job application and job interview skills and access to various resources about the world of work. There are advertisements for college work experience placements, external job opportunities and further learning courses.

Work experience placements

Learners gain practical skills and knowledge of the world of work through timetabled work-based learning sessions, internal and external work experience placements.

These opportunities are organised in line with learners’ aspirations, interests, and potential.

Micro- and social enterprise

Learners will be encouraged to participate in creative enterprise projects which will enable them to understand business activities e.g., sales, marketing, customer service, teamwork and communication and quality standards.

These projects may be college-based, where products are made and sold on-site or in the local community, and/or external projects where learners are supported to work with other community groups on a set enterprise.

These experiences promote different levels of employability from volunteering to setting up their own business.

Work ready accreditation

An opportunity to obtain a recognised qualifications in employability and relevant industry-recognised qualifications e.g., customer service, first aid and food safety.

Workplace visits

Learners will be encouraged and supported to visit places of work in order to gain a greater insight into the world of work and to give them a wider choice of future work opportunities.

Careers and job fairs

Learners at the College organise and deliver their own job fair, promoting to their peers their learning experiences and successes from their work-based learning sessions.

Learners will have access to external job fairs and visits to the local job centres and consider what they have heard and seen in relation to their aspirations.

Internships

St. John’s has a partnership agreement with Project Search, a supported employment initiative for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Preparing to leave college

Learners are supported by multi-disciplinary team of staff with their transition into their future beyond St. John’s.

Meet the work ready team