careers-enterprise

Employer

West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub

What do we do?

The West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub works with schools, colleges, apprenticeship providers, and employers to raise students' aspirations and prepare them for the fast-changing world of work. We are the local link between education and employment to improve careers education for every student.

Our dedicated team supports 100% of entitled schools and colleges and hundreds of employers. The Hub's mission is to inspire young people and prepare them for their best next steps. 

Careers Hubs have been shown to drive up standards of careers education, measured against the best-practice Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance.

What does this mean for young people?

  • More work experience,  
  • More curriculum time linked to the world of work, 
  • More awareness of Post-16 and Post-18 routes, including apprenticeships and technical pathways here,  
  • More 1-to-1 guidance,
  • Better chances of finding a secure destination. 

What does this mean for employers?

  • They access schools and colleges in a coordinated and organised way using our Calendar of Events here,
  • They meet their future workforce face-to-face,
  • They shape the content of careers education, 
  • They target their programmes at young people who need more support.

What does this mean for parents, carers, and families?

  • They can access free resources and webinars from the Careers Hub and our partners to help them prepare for their young person's transition into post-16 and adulthood. 

What are our main aims?

  • to raise the quality of careers provision in schools and colleges,
  • to provide high-quality experiences with employers for students and teachers,
  • to amplify apprenticeships, technical and vocational routes,
  • to provide targeted interventions for economically disadvantaged young people and those who face barriers, 
  • to connect careers provision in schools and colleges to the needs of local economies and available opportunities. 

What have we done recently to support young people across the region?

Teacher Encounters enables teachers to engage directly with employers to discover the different career pathways relevant to their subjects and see how their subject is applied practically in business.  Please have a look at our video here: Teacher Encounters

TeenTech Sussex gathers hundreds of students from across the region to participate in fun challenges and interactive activities to showcase their ingenuity to industry experts.  Please have a look at our video here: TeenTech Sussex

Your Future SEND Careers & Transitions Fair is an inclusive careers event for students with special educational needs across the region. A chance to meet with employers, education providers, and charities in a controlled environment.  Have a look at our video here: Your Future SEND Careers & Transitions Fair

A community of volunteers supports the Careers Hub's work, and there are several ways to get involved as a Cornerstone Employer, Enterprise Adviser, or Industry Champion. Please contact us for more information. 

How do we support Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools and colleges?:

The SEND Inclusion Community of Practice (CoP) is part of the West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Careers Hub. It brings together special schools, specialist 16-19 colleges, and mainstream schools and academies with a high percentage of SEND students.

The Careers Hub:

  • Provides day-to-day support tailored to your school or college's needs with our SEND Enterprise Coordinator,
  • Advises on which careers programme providers, activities and resources are most effective,
  • Offers a bank of resources used by professionals across the country,
  • Works with local employers to coordinate workplace experiences for students that are tailored to their needs.

Our West Sussex, Brighton, and Hove Your Futures website supports students with SEND and their parents, careers, and families in accessing the latest labour market information, job profiles, and current vacancies. 

The West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub, hosted by West Sussex County Council (WSCC), is funded by WSCC, Brighton & Hove City Council, the West Sussex districts and boroughs, and The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC). Careers Hubs are key to the Government's aim to improve careers education.

Who are The Careers and Enterprise Company? 

The Careers and Enterprise Company, the national body for careers education in England, was set up in 2015 to deliver 21st-century careers education and drive strategic change throughout the careers education landscape.

They work to:

  • Train and support Careers Leaders in schools and colleges,
  • Bring together employers, educators and Further Education/Higher Education and Independent Training providers through their network of Careers Hubs,
  • Share best practices, practical digital tools and resources via their dedicated Resource Directory.

Useful Resources

The West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub, The Careers and Enterprise Company, and other networks have produced helpful resources, which you can access here.

  • Our Careers Hub Padlet Resource Board is regularly updated with local and national resources to help support Careers Leaders to meet the Gatsby Benchmarks.
  • The Gatsby Benchmarks Toolkit and the SEND Gatsby Benchmarks Toolkit from The Careers and Enterprise Company are valuable tools to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks for young people in any setting. You will find lots of practical help in this toolkit.
  • The My Skills My Future programme has been collated from resources across our partners and network to support young people with SEND under the 2 groups identified in the SEND Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit. It contains lessons about employability skills development, employer projects and engagement videos to support young people in their next steps.
  • The Talking Futures family toolkit supports parents, carers, and families to have careers conversations about training and education with their children.
  • The Inclusive Careers Health Checklist from Talentino! and The Careers and Enterprise Company will enable you to review your current SEND careers strategy and highlight areas of achievement and areas for development.
  • Funded places for Careers Leader training courses through The Careers and Enterprise Company will help schools and colleges improve your understanding of your role and develop the skills to embed a strategic careers programme.

Please visit West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub to find out more. 

You can contact us as follows: