Careers support

From year 7 onwards, students at Cowes Enterprise College have access to expert and effective careers support delivered through a variety of delivery methods such as interactive workshops, careers fairs, employer talks, guest speakers, and trips to colleges and universities. Our students benefit from our established partnerships with local businesses and universities, ensuring our students make well informed plans and decisions about their futures.

All students have a one to one guidance appointment with an impartial highly qualified careers adviser in years 11, 12 and 13. Students and parents can request a guidance appointment at any time and students benefit from timely support at key transition points such as year GCSE options, key stage 4 career planning and into the Cowes Sixth Form.

Cowes Enterprise College is committed to delivering ‘Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance’ (CEIAG) in line with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Good Career Guidance. This sets out the eight ‘Gatsby Benchmarks’ which are acknowledged as best practice and which all schools must work towards, and achieve by the end of 2020.

Our students leave with a clear direction and pathway; they are open-minded and ambitious, equipped with the confidence to overcome barriers and seize opportunities that lead them to a life of rewarding and fulfilling careers.

2024 Parents Guide To National Careers Week 2024 – NCW One Stop Shop (ncw2020.co.uk)

  • David Sanchez-Brown – Assistant Principal, Head of Sixth Form and Careers Email: [email protected] Telephone number: 01983 203174

Please click here to view the CEC Careers Strategy.

Please click on this link to view our provider access policy statement 2025-26: Provider Access Policy Statement

Please click here to view the Careers Education Information and Guidance Policy.

Cowes Enterprise College has been awarded the prestigious ‘Quality in Careers Standards’ award for its dedication to providing students with valuable career engagement opportunities.

The Career Mark assessor praised the academy for offering students a wide range of career programmes and support.

Years 9, 11 & 13  1 : 1 Independent, impartial careers guidance delivered at key stages by Island Futures
All years  Careers education delivered through all curriculum subjects, ‘every teacher is a teacher of careers’, 
Year 7 & 8 Maritime Futures 
Years 7 to 11 E1M 
 
Years 7 to 13 University engagement programme, Learn With US (in partnership with University of Southampton)
Years 10 & 11 2 day ‘try-a-trade’ and employer engagement event 
Years 11 to 14 Dedicated support team for UCAS, apprenticeship and employment opportunities
Years 12 to 14 Access to career pilot
Years 12 to 14 Unique and bespoke charter opportunities within sixth form, including work-skill development, work placements and entrepreneurial promotion (Young Enterprise).

96% of all our students stay in education or enter employment after key stage 4. This is significantly above both local authority and national average. 93% of our disadvantaged students stay in education or enter employment again, outperforming national averages.

At Cowes Enterprise College, all students are given the information, guidance and skills they need to make highly effective choices for their future. From Year 7 onwards students are offered a variety of opportunities to develop their career aspirations, through established partnerships with local businesses and universities, ensuring our students make well informed plans and decisions about their futures. If you would like to get involved with our careers education programme please contact [email protected]. You can find further information about how employers can support careers education in schools through the Solent LEP and the Island Careers Partnership.

Solent LEP

Island Careers Partnership

It can feel overwhelming when you have to make choices about your next steps…

OAT Futures is here to help you get inspired and plan your future! Use the portal to investigate careers across England in a number of different sectors and use the links to find out more about the employers and potential apprenticeships and work experience.

Then create your own favourites page to help you make the right choices for you!

https://oatfutures.co.uk

Click here to view the Cowes Enterprise College careers curriculum.

All careers information is reviewed annually, in September. The date for the next review will be September 2026.