Our next Open Event is Tuesday 4 March

Careers Advice

At Nescot, our number one priority is starting you on your career journey

Our Careers team will support you every step of the way, helping you to grow in confidence and to gain the skills and qualifications you need to progress in your chosen career.



Ways we can help
  • Offering careers advice for all ages, and impartial information and guidance on choosing the most appropriate qualification

  • Providing information and advice on local and national learning and training opportunities, and on local business training needs


  • Supporting students throughout their training by providing careers information and guidance, and supporting progression

  • Helping students to find and prepare for employment, apprenticeship opportunities and work experience

  • Helping students to develop career management skills, and raise awareness of future career options

  • Maintaining relevant and up-to-date careers resources, including access to IT-based resources

  • Supporting you in making course applications

  • Promoting the welfare and educational achievement of looked-after children and care leavers, including ensuring that the appropriate financial, academic, social and emotional support are offered

  • Working with schools to provide an outreach programme for pupils in Years 10 and 11, providing impartial information sessions, attending assemblies, careers events and parents’ evenings, holding application workshops, and hosting group visits to the college.
Progression

Progression is the route you plan to take through education and into employment. 

At Nescot we encourage our students to think ahead, so that they can choose the right courses to fit them and their future. Our Careers Engagement Officer visits tutorial groups at the beginning of the spring term to speak to students about planning their next steps, so that they are as prepared as possible. Students who want to move to the next level of their subject are made a conditional offer, based on entry requirements and a reference. Interviews are arranged for students thinking about studying a different subjects at the college, and information and advice is offered to those who are undecided.

Students are offered support with their UCAS applications through the Careers Team and via their Subject Tutors.

We also hold an annual careers fair aimed at helping our students to plan ahead.

National Careers Week 2025, 3 – 8 March

Nescot students can attend our Next Steps fair on Thursday 6 March.

Information for parents & carers

As a parent or guardian, you are incredibly influential when it comes to the decisions your young person makes in all areas of their lives, and that is especially true when it comes to their education and careers. We know that the choices which are open to your young person today may be very different from when you were in their position, and you may feel as if you’re unsure about what advice to offer.

Our young people may have more choice about their careers but less security. They will contribute to an economy that has changed from industry-based to services-based in recent decades, and meet the challenges of the impact of technology.

You know your young person's strengths and interests best, and you can encourage them to think and talk about their future. There's no point nudging them towards your career of accounting if their weakest subject is maths, and little point trying to persuade them into the family dog-grooming business if their passion is science. Talking to your young person about how they could apply their interests to a future career is a great starting point.

If you have a family member or friend whose career is of interest to your young person, ask them to meet and discuss their experiences. Most people are more than happy to help.

Work experience can prove invaluable in either confirming your young person's career choice, or showing them that a different path is needed.

What employers look for

Qualifications are important to your young person's career, but successfully entering the world of work requires 'soft' or 'life' skills too. These are the things we know employers look for, and can make all the difference to your young person's chances of success. These include:

  • Self-confidence, with a willingness to learn from others
  • Good communication skills, including not talking too much or too little
  • Creative problem solving
  • Adaptability and flexibility, with a good work ethic
  • Assertiveness, with realistic expectations.

The specific skills needed to thrive in the workplace vary from job to job, but many of the basic 'soft' or 'life' skills remain the same.The notion of a 'job for life' is changing, and people tend to apply their skill sets in a variety of positions throughout their working life. If your young person speaks to someone who has had a lot of experience in their career they are likely to hear about a journey that has taken them on many twists and turns.

Working with employers

Nescot is keen to work with employers and non-profit organisations as a way of supporting the employability of our students. We aim to weave the engagement we provide into the fabric of our provision and make this an exciting prospect for our students, enhancing their employability and developments.

We are always looking for innovative ways of engaging with employers. This includes inviting employers to events at Nescot, such as careers fairs, visiting our students as a guest speaker or giving mock interviews. This all helps prepare them for the jobs market. We are keen for you to tell us about programmes that your organisation runs for students.

To find out more about working with us, please email careers@nescot.ac.uk

Contact details

Amy Bruce 
Careers Officer
My working days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday


General enquiries: careers@nescot.ac.uk
Book a one-to-one appointment here

Careers Lead: Lisa Moynihan

Feedback

Nescot is keen to continuously improve its careers programme. 

We welcome any feedback on our careers programme from students, parents and employers. Feedback could include identification of any gaps in our programme, suggestions on how we might improve our careers programme, and success stories of how our careers programme has helped a student's careers journey. 

Please send feedback to careers@nescot.ac.uk

Careers resources

At Nescot we offer a range of careers information and advice opportunities. We encourage students to get involved, to talk to our Careers Advisors, and to explore all their options.

  • We produce a termly careers newsletter for our students (click here to see a recent example)
  • Grofar is a free and comprehensive digital platform, schools and colleges a single starting point to help simplify careers guidance.
  • Careermag is a magazine for parents supporting their young person with career planning
  • The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help students to make decisions on learning, training and work by using step-by-step career tools
  • iCould - Information to help you inform your child’s decision-making
  • Barclays Life Skills - Advice for parents in helping their child gain valuable work experience
  • Writing Your Personal Statement - Advice on how to write a UCAS Undergraduate Personal Statement
  • Choosing Your Degree Subject - Advice from Which?
  • Going to University - A complete guide to going to university
  • Student Finance - Government website providing information on student finance
  • 16+ Choices - Visually engaging guides developed by the Department for Education about the options available after GCSE level learning
  • Careermap - Keep up-to-date with the latest opportunities for young people, and access free CPD webinars and online events
  • Parental Guidance - a valuable resource for those who are thinking about their child’s career options
Other Useful Careers Services

There are lots of services that can help you plan your career. Click on the links below for more information:

The National Careers Service

The National Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential and impartial advice. This is supported by qualified careers advisers.


Career Pilot

Plan your study and work. Find out more about your choices at 14, 16 and 18, explore different job sectors and learn about how you can study and work at the same time - even to university-level.


Graduate Prospects

Graduate Prospects is the UK's leading provider of information, advice and opportunities to students and graduates. They publish a wide collection of journals and directories, as well as provide an extensive graduate careers website.


Morrisby

Morrisby provide the leading careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) service to schools, colleges and careers institutions across the UK and Europe, celebrating international successes..


All About School Leavers

All About School Leavers is the essential springboard into the job market for school and college leavers. If you're looking for apprenticeships or school leaver programmes, you're in the right place!


NHS Careers

NHS Careers is the careers information service for the NHS in England.


Practice Aptitude Tests

Free practice aptitude tests for job applicants and graduates


Education and Learning.gov

Get help if you’re at school, planning to go on to college or university, looking for training or interested in a student or career development loan.


Glass Door

A free jobs and career community that offers the world an inside look at jobs and companies. They offer 'employee-generated content' – anonymous salaries, company reviews, interview questions, and more – all posted by employees, job seekers, and sometimes the companies themselves.


iCould

A website which is open to everyone which uses the power of personalstories to inform and inspire young people’s career choices.


Careersbox

Careersbox is the national careers film library, a free careers resource showing hundreds of real people doing real jobs.


Go Think Big

GoThinkBig.co.uk is an online digital hub from O2 bringing you the inside scoop on exciting work experienceopportunities, valuable career advice, amazing insider contacts andexclusive tips to set you up for your dream career.


Target Jobs

Your essential guide to graduate job hunting.


AllAboutCareers

Career exploration, jobs and advice.


Student Ladder

Information and advice for all stages in your journey towards your career.


Talking Jobs

Interviews and videos from different people working in a variety of careers.


Milkround

Resources to explore apprenticeships, traineeships and school leaver schemes.


Careers Gateway

Thousands of useful links for finding out about careers and higher education choices


Bright Knowledge

Thousands of useful links for finding out about careers and higher education choices.

Job opportunities and wages in different sectors

The 'LMI for all' (Labour Market Intelligence) service provides up-to-date info on wages and opportunities. Use the tool below to find out about the sectors that interest you.