At Itchen College, we help every student explore their options and take confident steps towards their future. Whether you are considering university, an apprenticeship, employment or a gap year, our Careers Advisers, tutors and curriculum teams offer guidance throughout your time with us.
Careers learning is part of college life. Through work experience, employer encounters, guest speakers, visits and online resources, you can discover new opportunities, build useful skills and make informed choices about what comes next.
Below you will find further information about the different support available to help you with your next steps.
The College is further supported by a SUN Progression Mentor. SUN (Southern Universities Network) has been tasked with helping more young people access Higher education where there may be barriers to progression. The SUN Progression Mentor works with designated students on a 1:1 mentoring basis band also delivers workshops and activities for learners interested in HE progression.
Work Experience is important to us at Itchen College and every student is supported via the Tutor programme to obtain relevant opportunities during year one of their study. Nikki Parnell is the dedicated Work Experience Coordinator who provides support on a class and 1:1 provision to obtain and secure the best places possible.
If you would like to support the College by offering Work Experience placements, workplace visits or tours, careers workshops or provide any kind of industry insights, then please contact Rachel Mays, the Progression and Careers Manager- rmays@itchen.ac.uk.
The Careers provision is supported by two qualified Careers Advisers offering support to all students at times when it is most relevant. The Careers offer is also embedded within the Tutor programme and supported by the Unifrog platform which provides access to extensive careers information and guidance whilst also supporting UCAS and apprenticeship applications. The UCAS Hub is also utilised during the university application process but also supports apprenticeship options.
The Pathways Careers platform is also embedded in to each Faculty page on the website providing careers information linked to Labour Market Information so that career ambitions can be explored independently and at any time.
Each curriculum area provides strong careers support and information across the academic year to increase cultural capital for all learners. Guest speakers, insight days, trips and master workshops compliment the curriculum so that Careers is part of learning at Itchen College. You can see the established Careers in the Curriculum programme below which is supplemented by additional opportunities when they arise throughout the year to provide meaningful careers encounters for all students.
Adrian Waters
Position: Director of Student Support
Debbie Finch
Position: Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)
Rachel Mays
Progression and Careers Manager
Nicola Parnell
Position: Work Experience Co-Ordinator
James Evans
Wellbeing Practitioner
Lucy Prout
Position: ‘SUN’ Progression Mentor