Careers Education

Labour Market Information (LMI)

Labour market information is important so that you know what is happening in your local area and what job opportunities may be available now and in the future. We encourage parents to look at labour market information for their local areas so that they can support their young person’s future.

Below is a great link to a SEND friendly LMI website covering Swindon & Wiltshire. If you have difficulties with reading you can click on the sound links and listen:

https://swindonandwiltshire.yourfutures.uk

Careerometer lets you find out LMI data about different jobs and you can compare different jobs side by side: https://www.lmiforall.org.uk/careerometer/

To find out more about the Swindon and Wiltshire local Economy have a look here: https://swlep.co.uk/about/our-economy

You can explore local indicators, trends and get data for Wiltshire on the Office for National Statistics website here : https://www.ons.gov.uk/explore-local-statistics/areas/E06000054-wiltshire/indicators

Fairfield College’s Careers Programme will support you as a student to:

• Understand who you are, your interests, abilities and aspirations.
• Help build your confidence, listening and communication skills.
• Help you make well informed choices about your future and next steps.
• Help you to learn about different careers, what they involve and how to get into them.
• Help you to understand the range of options available to you when you leave college including paid employment, volunteering, independent living, further training or education opportunities, Apprenticeships and Traineeships etc.
• Help you develop your transferable employability skills to maximise your chances of gaining paid or voluntary employment when you leave college (if this is your chosen path).
• Help you learn how to search for jobs, how to write a CV, develop your interview skills.

We encourage you to use CareerPilot to look at different Job sectors and find out about different jobs, the qualifications needed for different jobs, how much you get paid and routes into that job:

https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/sectors

Fairfield College Careers Programme information for parents/carers

Parent/carer involvement and support is key to a successful careers programme, positive outcomes and transitions. We encourage you to work with us and your young person. 

Fairfield College will ensure that:

• Parents/carers will be sent a copy of the notes from their young person’s pathway planning meeting.
• Parents/carers will be kept informed and up to date of any work experience opportunities that their young person is involved in.
• Parents/carers will have direct communication with their young person’s personal tutor.
• Parents/carers will be sent the college careers newsletters throughout the year by email.
• Parents/carers will be informed of any timetable changes.
• Parents/carers will be given the chance to provide feedback on the college careers programme.

To gain more of an understanding of the Wiltshire local offer please click on the below preparing for adulthood link:

https://localoffer.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/4304/Preparing-for-adulthood-16

Fairfield College Careers Programme information for employers        

Fairfield College has built positive and meaningful relationships with a range of local employers who support the college with employer engagement and work experience opportunities. Employer engagement is a vital part of the learner journey. If you are an employer or organisation that would like to support Fairfield College’s Careers Programme, please click on our work experience document to find out more. 

Work experience document

Fairfield College Careers Programme information for college staff

All Fairfield College all staff are responsible for Fairfield College’s Careers Programme. Fairfield College staff may be involved in the following ways:

• Delivering BTEC course units.
• Delivering work-based learning opportunities.
• Using Training in Systematic Instruction (TSI).
• Employer engagement.
• Supporting work experience.
• Delivering training in employability skills.
• Supporting careers related activities.
• Delivering independence skills training.
• Involvement in EHCP reviews.
• Discussing next steps and future opportunities.

Alumni and Destinations 

When you compare that the national statistic of people with a learning disability in paid employment is 4.8% then Fairfield College student destinations is strong in the employment outcome field. We work closely with Wiltshire Employment Support Team (WEST) who work with our leavers who are ready to move into paid work and provide Job Coach support to help the young person apply for jobs, attend interviews, travel training and then support the young person and the employer until they feel they are at the stage where they can fade out the support. We encourage our alumni to come back to college and talk about their success within the world of work. 

Students have gone on to work at Center Parcs, Chippenham Town Council, 

Calne Town Council, National Trust, Paulton’s Park, Co-op, Sodexo, Silverwood School and Longleat.