How do we start a Career Academy?

"Guidance has been excellent and Career Academies UK has ensured we have a very strong Local Advisory Board which keeps everyone on their toes."  Christina Cassidy, Principal, Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College

Getting a Career Academy up and running demands exceptional commitment from everyone involved . You will need to allocate time to a member of staff to act as the Career Academy Coordinator and also provide some administrative support. Critical to making a Career Academy work is the formation of a Local Advisory Board that includes senior management members, employers, and other stakeholders who will provide strategic direction to the development of the Career Academy programme and will lay the foundations for the practical support needed to enhance the curriculum.

It is a school or college's responsibility to recruit volunteers to serve on its Career Academy Board. Career Academies UK is not a broker in the traditional sense. Our staff work to provide leads for local Career Academies to follow, and gate-keep some relationships with large employers to provide single points of contact with the Career Academy movement for those that request them, but we do not develop or manage relationships with employers locally.

A school or college may need to flex its teaching and learning techniques to accommodate the Career Academy way of working. Career Academies emphasise learning by doing. Timetables need to accommodate trips away from the classroom, visits to the school or college by people who may not be used to educational establishments and activities that promote project-based learning.

Creating a Career Academy brings with it the responsibility of joining a national network of like-minded educationalists and employers. Career Academies are expected to conform to a number of administrative regulations, set nationally by Career Academies UK. These include very specific guidance on engagement with employers, implementation of the mentoring and internship elements of a Career Academy programme, along with various other administrative procedures. Such conformity ensures consistency between Career Academies throughout the UK. This is important to ensure the integrity of the Career Academy brand with stakeholders such as employers, government agencies and fellow Career Academies.

If you think you would like to start a Career Academy, please contact us. We are happy to put you in touch with affiliated schools and colleges to help you find out what you can expect.