National Careers Week - Monday 4th to Saturday 9th March 2024
4 March 2024
Why Character is essential for career readiness (Baroness Morgan)
As national careers week approaches, it is important to look at how character impacts career readiness. This is to ensure young people flourish when they arrive in the workplace and are truly ‘career ready’, however there is much work to do. Exploring the different opportunities during this week will help with preparation.
The long-discussed notion of ‘character’ – who we are! how we interact with others! and the qualities we display! – is a fundamental part of preparing young people for the next decade and beyond. Developing positive character traits is good for young people and employers alike.
Core subjects, such as English and Maths, remain non-negotiable for all students, they are the building blocks for all further study and work. With knowledge comes confidence, as well as the broadening of horizons – which is crucial for the future.
Helping young people develop positive ‘character’ traits is an old idea that endures. In fact, the more things change, the more important it becomes. From Aristotle onwards, educators have focused on how to develop human flourishing. They considered, as I do, that fulfilling careers depend on the skills and traits we have the chance to develop early on. Character is a complex concept – affected by a wide range of factors – many out of the control of educators. Teachers inspire ambition and resilience; enrichment activities provide contexts for developing confidence and skills including:
Self-belief
Determination
Self-control
Coping skills
Employers want similar things. They emphasise what might be called ‘applied’ character traits – like speaking, listening and teamwork, essential employability skills for the workplace. In essence character and career readiness go hand in hand…
National Careers Week (NCW) promotes careers guidance across the UK.
National Careers Week 2024 takes place from Monday 4 March to Saturday 9 March 2024 and aims to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar, helping support young people in developing awareness and excitement about their future pathways.
NCW has teamed up with BBC to promote different careers. Why not join Bitesize Careers throughout the week to find out how we can help you find your next step. We’ll be launching a new series of content to coincide with National Careers Week:
Bitesize Careers offers support for your students planning for their future with over 350 job case studies from people who've found the right path for them.
They've also produced a series of panel discussions exploring jobs in:
Job swap – watch Dr Ranj swaps jobs with Radio 1 DJ Charlie Tee – can they smash it in a totally different role?
From hobby to career – meet three young people who turned their passions and interests into jobs.
- Video podcast – join Radio 1 presenter Katie Thistleton for three special episodes of The Bitesize Careers Podcast. Hear from young workers and award-winning careers experts to get inspired about what your future career could look like
- Quizzes – see if you can suss out which school subjects can lead to which careers with our Can you guess the job? quiz
- Top 10 jobs list – find out which jobs teenagers want to do the most, and loads of interesting insights about motivations, ambitions and worries, as we reveal the results of our big Bitesize Careers survey.
Upcoming: Themed days
We’ll have themed days from Monday to Friday during NCW. We'd love for you to join us each morning throughout the week, but if that's not possible the content can be explored at a day or time that suits you better. The themes will include the content mentioned above, and more. Here's what's planned for each day:
- Motivation Monday – exploring which jobs you may enjoy and why.
- Talented Tuesday – linking your passions to possible future jobs.
- Working World Wednesday – getting a glimpse behind the scenes of real jobs
- Throwback Thursday – hearing real-life stories of young people who've turned their long-loved hobbies and interests into jobs.
- Your Future Friday – identifying your career goals and how to achieve them.
There's lots of helpful content to explore all year on Bitesize Careers.
Not sure where to start? Check out the pages below for some inspiration.
- Jobs that use… – explore jobs by school subject. Where could your favourite subject take you?
- Careers in… – browse jobs by sector (job area), like "Education and childcare" and "Healthcare and frontline services".
- Careers A to Z – all our job profiles in one place. Each profile is a chance to hear from a young person doing that role.
- Skills and qualities – find out more about skills for the workplace and beyond. Get top tips for CVs, applications, and interviews.
Countdown - National Careers Week 2024 Virtual Careers Fair
East Careers Week sign ups are now LIVE! You can sign up via Eventbrite here!
East Careers is delivered by East Education, a cross-organisational effort between LLDC and our world-leading East Bank partners; BBC, UCL, UAL's London College of Fashion, V&A and Sadler's Wells. The programme also features collaborations from other incredible local partners.
East Careers Week 2024 will take place from Monday 4 to Friday 8 March 2024. The programme is aimed at Year 9 to Year 13 and will offer a range of exciting activities like workshops and tours across an array of sectors and industries. All of these will be delivered by industry professionals at exciting venues across the park or in your school.
Here are some of the exciting programmes you can book onto:
- A Voyage into Visual Effects with ABBA Voyage
- Radio Show Workshop with the BBC
- Be a Designer for the Day with London College of Fashion
- Technical Careers with Sadler's Wells
- And so much more!
Places will be offered on a first come first served basis. We ask that schools sign up to a maximum of 2 activities. If you have any questions, drop us a line at go@queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk!
The annual youth conference Future Me Future Youth 2024 is taking place on Wednesday 6 March from 4pm! Young people will be able to experience talks and debates with industry trailblazers, interactive workshops, and upcoming funding opportunities for young people!
Future Me, Future Youth 2024 Tickets, Wednesday 6 March 2024 at 4pm | Eventbrite