Careers & Progression Advice

CAREERS TEAM

The Henley College works with many employers, training providers, and universities to support the development of our students through talks, fairs, projects, work experience and other activities.

EXPLORE YOUR CAREER OPTIONS

Use our careers tool, take a profile quiz, or use our careers resource to discover careers that meet your interests, and see which courses you need to take to get there.

CAREERS TOOL

CAREERS RESOURCE

GATSBY BENCHMARKS

THE EIGHT GATSBY BENCHMARKS OF GOOD CAREER GUIDANCE ARE:

1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each pupil
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance


Find out more via: www.gatsby.org.uk

CAREERS RESOURCES AND SUPPORT:

If you are a student or a parent/guardian of a student at The Henley College you can book to see Julia Lock or Lisa Abraham, the college's Careers Advisers, at https://www.picktime.com/HenleyCollegeCareers.
If you have any queries please contact us via careershub@henleycol.ac.uk or by calling 01491 634010 / 634168.

The CareersHub Team is a source of information, advice, websites and resources for students of The Henley College. Students can access this from their Microsoft Teams area.

  • Booking a Careers interview
  • Careers Exploration
  • University (UK and Abroad)
  • Open days, Tasters and Super-curricular activities
  • Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary courses
  • Gap years and volunteering
  • Jobsearch and Employability skills
  • Apprenticeships
  • Labour Market Information
  • Work Experience
  • Careers Newsletter archive

Unifrog is a one-stop-shop for destinations, allowing students to explore every university course, apprenticeship and college course in the UK plus other opportunities such as European and US undergraduate courses. 
The 'Careers Library' provides great up-to-date information and job profiles. The 'Know-How Library' is full of valuable information about employability, well-being, apprenticeships and university.
The students can draft their personal statements and CVs on Unifrog and request tutor feedback.   
All parents/guardians can have access to the Unifrog system and use it to support their students to explore all the options available post-college.

Find out more here.

This fortnightly publication is emailed to all students. It contains news about opportunities, events and important deadlines, covering all aspects of careers, university, apprenticeships, gap years and work experience. The archive is saved onto the CareersHub Team for students to access.
This newsletter is also sent to all parents / guardians.

The Careers Advisers organise several careers fairs a year, inviting a wide range of exhibitors including employers, training providers, universities, charities and more. Students prepare beforehand and reflect on their learning.
Companies who are interested in exhibiting should contact the Careers Team via careershub@henleycol.ac.uk.

Our PPD programme, which is delivered to all our students at the College, provides extensive support on careers and next steps. This includes the development of employability skills, use of Unifrog and advice and guidance on university, apprenticeships and jobsearch. Students receive one-to-one support from their professional tutor.

Personal and Professional Development Programme (henleycol.ac.uk)

We offer a range of enrichment options including courses/clubs catering to Sports and Wellbeing, Skills For the Future, and Community and Social Enterprise. 

Employers, universities and guest speakers regularly present to students and parents to provide information on current career and study opportunities.
Companies who are interested in visiting the college should contact the Careers Team via careershub@henleycol.ac.uk.

The Careers Library is not available for the beginning of the 24/25 academic year, due to building work at the college. 
Once available, it will contain university prospectuses, careers literature and jobsearch support materials.

Labour Market Information (LMI) is useful to help research future jobs in the local area, understand the skills needed for certain roles and the demand for future employment.

LMI helps to break down the complex ‘world of work’– ranging from descriptions of different careers, their entry routes, promotional prospects, salaries paid, skills and qualifications needed, etc. Crucially for young people, LMI also covers future demand – what kinds of jobs will be in demand after leaving school and what kinds of skills will be needed.

Why is Labour Market Information Important to Young People?

"Whatever stage you’re at in life, wherever you live, you’ll now have more opportunities to get on by learning new skills that employers really want, leading to the jobs you really deserve – and building the economy the nation really needs." Alex Burghart, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister

Unifrog is a very accessible source of LMI for our students and parents/guardians.
Please see some further links and resources for you to explore Labour Market Information both locally and nationally.

National and local statistics:

Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) Labour Market Information: Labour Market Information 

Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (BucksLEP) Local Skills Report: Buckinghamshire-Local-Skills-Report-2021-1.pdf 

Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (TVLEP) Skills Report: Thames Valley Berkshire LEP Skills Report.pdf

Compare the Labour Market by region, job type and company UK Labour Market Stats | Adzuna

UK Labour Market projections 2014 – 2024 UK labour market projections: 2014 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

NEXT STEPS.....UNIVERSITY

There is a wide range of support for students wishing to apply for university. The College provides information and advice on choosing a university course and how to make an application to UCAS.

The College organises a programme of university advice each year. This includes talks on choosing a university and a course, personal statements and student finance. Students are taken to a UCAS Exhibition and the college holds its own University and Gap Year Fair. 
The Careers Library holds current university prospectuses and UCAS guides to subject areas.

UCAS GUIDELINES

For those looking to apply to university, please find the latest UCAS Guide 2025. All information is included in the PDF but if you require any further information contact one of our Careers Advisers via careershub@henleycol.ac.uk.

 

The Henley College Annual Careers Fairs gives students the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of local and national employers. This allows them to start to develop their networking skills and research employment opportunities.

Our Professional Tutors and Careers Advisers support students with applications and interviews. Information and opportunities are available on the CareersHub Team resources, including the Jobshop and Careers Newsletter.

"For the past fifteen years, in my role as designated Oxbridge Co-ordinator, I’ve prepared students for application to Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.
I’ve developed a comprehensive programme offering information and support throughout the two years of students’ college courses including: monthly bulletins (advertising such outreach activities as subject masterclasses, college/departmental open days, residential courses, competitions), and regular email contact with individual students and their parents.

Specific support is provided during the actual application process, refining of the crucial Personal Statement, co-ordination of the subject-tutors’ reports into the main UCAS academic reference,preparation for the tests and written work which many subjects at Oxford and Cambridge now require before applicants are short-listed for interview, and focus on the interview itself. We’re very proud of our Oxbridge Programme and hope those new students interested in finding out more about what’s involved with making an Oxbridge application will take advantage of all we have to offer when they start their course at The Henley College!” - Dr Joanna Atkinson 

At Henley, we are proud of the achievements our students make and the impact they have in society. We teach our young people the knowledge and skills you need to be an asset to your business and to be ready for the world of work.

As part of a course, students have the opportunity to work with specialists in the subject area through the College’s extensive links with employers. Students see how the subjects lead to careers in the world of work, either through the College’s work placements programme, visits to employers or by attending talks. 
 
We offer opportunities to explore the world of work through:

  • Industry Placements
  • Work Experience
  • Student Mentoring
  • Guest Speaker Sessions
  • Careers Events
  • Enterprise Workshops
  • Sponsorships

Each subject area has links with employers, both local and further afield. Examples are in Sport, where the College partners with the Leander and Henley Rowing Clubs, the Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club, Reading Rockets Basketball and Henley FC. In IT the College partners with Cisco and Softcat, two global companies specialising in IT networks, applications and cyber-security, and in Engineering with Volvo. Other partnerships are with hospitals and medical care facilities, the armed forces and emergency services, theatres and media companies, local newspapers and publishing companies.

Use the Careerometer below to compare different jobs — salary, working hours, etc. Just click the dotted square. Type in the first career that you think you might be interested in and select from the drop-down list, then add your second choice to see the comparison.

LMI For All – LMI For All

DOCUMENTS

Document Title Date Download
Destination data 07th Dec 2023 Download
Careers Policy 2023 11th Jan 2024 Download
Unifrog Presentation 2024 04th Jun 2024 Download
UCAS Guide 2025 11th Sep 2024 Download

Careers Programme at The Henley College

Careers Lead:

  • Name: Ty Sterry – Head of Sport & Careers
  • Email: tste@henleycol.ac.uk
  • Phone: 01491579988

Overview of Our Careers Programme: The Henley College is committed to providing comprehensive career guidance in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks, ensuring our students are prepared for a range of future pathways. Our programme includes workshops, industry placements, employer encounters, career fairs, and individual guidance sessions. This is available to students, parents, teachers, and employers.

  • Students: Access information through scheduled career workshops, enrichment, our dedicated career advisors, and on our virtual platforms.
  • Parents and Carers: Invited to information evenings, careers newsletters, and can access resources through our parent portal.
  • Teachers: Receive updates via staff training, employer encounters and have access to resources supporting career integration within the curriculum.
  • Employers: Connect with us through career fairs, industry placements, and advisory board participation, providing students with real insights to the world of work.

Assessing Programme Impact: We utilise the Compass tool to track our adherence to Gatsby Benchmarks and gather feedback via student and employer surveys post-events. Destination data is analysed to ensure the programme's effectiveness in supporting positive student outcomes.

Next Review Date: Our careers programme information is reviewed annually, with the next scheduled review in July 2025