Careers: Parent/Carer Area

On-going independent and impartial career guidance for Learners at The Link School is provided by external independent provider Careerwave. The following information is provided by Richard Allnut, Director of Careerwave.

 

Options after Year 11 – Everyone needs to be in learning until 18. Learners have the following options open to them:

 

• College – Colleges, such as City of Sunderland College, Gateshead College, Newcastle College, East Durham College New College Durham offer practical courses covering most industries. All levels are available from entry level courses, level 1, 2 & 3 courses through to A Levels and BTech. There is an offer for everyone! You can also study A Levels and up to university level in some cases.
• Training Provider – Providers, such as Springboard, Chameleon, SETA, Resources NE and others offer many of the same courses offered at colleges but they are smaller and specialise in taking smaller groups of learners and focus on more practical, hands-on courses.
• Apprenticeship – Apprenticeships are real jobs that you have to compete for. You source, apply and work in the same way as a normal job but there will be training and college support along the way. You are paid for your work with a minimum wage of £8.00 although many employers pay more than this.
• Sixth form – This option is usually in a school setting. If you want to continue to learn in a school-like way then this is for you. You would be in a classroom and be assessed by big exams and usually studying for A-Levels or BTech qualifications.

Take a look at the guide below to get more information on all of these areas and contact Gina Nesbitt (Careers Lead) 

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Parent Guides

 

 

We also recommend the website Talking Futures which gives lots of up-to-date and useful information and guidance to parents/carers as to how to support their children with the next steps into post-16. Following the link below for more information.

https://www.talkingfutures.org.uk/

 

 

 

 

 

Another useful resource is a guide to apprenticeships. We have done lots of work in school around the range and benefits of an apprenticeship and this guide tells you everything you need to know in order to support your child to search and find, apply for and take up an apprenticeship in the area of their choice. Please ask Gina for additional support if needed as we have lots of apprenticeship options open to our learners.

 

Your-step-by-step-guide-to-applying-for-an-apprenticeship

 

 

The link below is for a parents guide to National Careers Week 2026 and is well worth a read! Our aim during NCW is to inspire the learners to make confident choices for their futures and this guide shows you how to give them the support and advice they might need. As always, our school staff and careers team are on hand to give you and your children all the advice and support needed as they make their choices for the future. Please contact Gina if you would like any support with where to go next with post-16 choices. Once 2027 resources are published this section will be updated.

National Careers Week 2026

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This guide aims to give parents and carers all the information they need to be able to discuss the range and type of Green Careers out there in the world. The landscape is ever changing and young people are more concerned than ever with the need to be more sustainable and provide better and more green solutions for our planet. This guide will enable parents, cares and their children to discuss Green Careers opportunities.

National Green Careers Week 2026

 

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Other Useful Links

Below is a list of additional links to websites and services that you might find useful when discussion post-16 options with your young people. As always, a great starting point is simply having a chat with them about what they are thinking they might like to do and then where they had in mind to do it. The can ask Gina and Rachel in school at any time and they will be given support to research further both in lessons and in dedicated careers time. Please contact us with any queries and remember that we are always here to help and support the learners with their next steps.

 

• The National Career Service

This is a free service for both young people and adults. Young people aged 13 and over can use the service to find information about jobs and courses, as well as requesting 1:1 support from a qualified Adviser by ringing the helpline, emailing, texting or requesting a webchat. Call 0800 100 900 or log on to the website

https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/

 

• Alexandra Potter – Career Wave

Alex is the school’s careers advisor, you can find out further information on CareerWave as an independent careers advisory company via their website.

https://www.careerwave.co.uk/

 

• Icould

Icould provides career inspiration and information for young people through free access to over 1000 personal video stories, detailed job information, plus practical tips, insight and advice.

https://icould.com/

 

• The National Apprenticeship Service

The National Apprenticeship Service website offers guidance on how to apply for an apprenticeship including current local apprenticeship opportunities.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

 

• Career Advice for parents

We empower young people, regardless of their circumstances, to create fulfilling and sustainable working lives that are built on purpose and talent. So instead of getting lost, they can put their potential to work confidently by knowing that no matter how much the world of work changes, they are contributing to solving some of the world’s biggest and most enduring challenges.

We do this by delivering programmes for parents/carers and their teenagers, which combine our unique INSPiRED Career and Life Planner tool with some lightbulb career coaching techniques that work quickly and easily.

https://www.careersadviceforparents.org/

 

• Parental Guidance

Parental Guidance is brought to you by the Careers Writers Association, many of the writers are experienced and qualified career advisors who have worked in schools, collegeges and universities in the UK. They write articles, books and web-based materials for all age groups, particularly young people.

The aim of this site is to provide helpful information to parents and carers, many of whom feel at a loss about the best way to advise the young people in their care.

http://www.parentalguidance.org.uk/

 

• Not going to Uni

Not going to Uni is now the UK’s leading website dedicated to helping school & college leavers make informed decisions about their future by showing the opportunities that exist outside of traditional university such as apprenticeships, sponsored degrees, diplomas, gap years, distance learning and jobs. However, they are not anti-uni.

https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/