21 October 2025
The William Henry Smith School Careers Newsletter for Students and Parents
The information in this newsletter is designed to be of benefit to students but also to help parents understand about the help and options available to young people.
Hi everyone,
My name is Adele Greenleaf, and I am head of careers at William Henry Smith School and our Careers advisor is Suzanne Impagliazzo who is employed by C+K Careers.
C&K Careers come into school at various times of the year and have an advice stall at the Christmas and Summer fayre.
- Christmas Fayre - Careers stand - Thursday 19th December
We will be continuing to meet with Years 9-13 students for one-to-one appointments, and this will continue throughout this term.
In summary, our job is to:
- Help identify your personal qualities and skills
- Explore your interests, likes, family influences, personal barriers and work experience
- Help you to research ideas for study, training and employment
- Help to discover future and current opportunities
- Understand how to search for jobs and apprenticeships
- Help create a CV and prepare for interview
- Help you to develop employability skills to enable you to be work ready
We are keen for students to make their own informed decisions based on careers guidance meetings and high-quality careers and labour market information. You will be given an appointment in morning registration to allow you out of your lesson for the duration of the appointment. If you have yet to make some decisions for after Year 11, it’s important that you let us know so that we can meet with you as soon as possible.
Open Events
Another piece of vital research can be carried out by going to some Open Events at colleges and sixth forms.
Forthcoming open events:
Calderdale College
- 4th November 4.30pm - 7.30pm
Leeds City College
- 19th November 4.30pm - 7.30pm
T: 0113 386 1997 https://leedscitycollege.ac.uk
T: 0113 532 4428 https://leedssixthform.ac.uk
Check websites for dates and times.
Applications to College/Sixth Form
Applications for colleges are open, and we are available in January to help you complete these if needed. Most applications are done online and instructions of how to apply will be on each college or sixth form website.
Apprenticeships
Some of you have expressed an interest in going into the World of Work after school.
This route is certainly not an easy one but can be tremendously rewarding if you find the right employer and the right job role.
Normally, within an apprenticeship you will be working with an employer for most of the week and going to a training provider or college for a day a week to gain a qualification.
One of the ways to apply for an apprenticeship is to go to the National Apprenticeship Website and search for vacancies in your area of interest. You can find this website here.
C+K Careers also list vacancies on their website when they are available: https://ck.mydirections.co.uk/
Some colleges and training providers list companies they work with who have vacancies, but just because you get accepted on to an apprenticeship programme with a college, this does not mean they will automatically find you an employer. This is your responsibility.
You may want to ask local companies or individuals whether they would take you on as an apprentice. Year 11 students will be taking part in a CV writing /job search/application form drop-down morning in January to support with this so you could start this process soon but remember you won’t be able to start an apprenticeship until you finish school.
We will be providing further support through Apprenticeship Workshops this term for students who are looking for an apprenticeship.
It is worth having an offer of a full-time college place as a back-up just in case you are unsuccessful in securing an apprenticeship after school. Bear in mind, you can pursue an apprenticeship after a college course or at any stage in life, so all is not lost if you don’t find one immediately after school.
Green careers of the future
Find out about green jobs and what green career opportunities there are for the future.
The climate emergency is a concern for everyone, particularly for younger generations worried about their futures and what opportunities await them.
Governments around the world are under mounting pressure to stop global warming and reduce carbon emissions across every level of society. This shift is leading to the creation of new jobs and emerging ‘green careers’ within renewable and sustainable industries.
The 'net zero' targets set by the UK government are set to impact the way businesses run, leading to changes in the way people work and the creation of new jobs. The UK government has said it is planning to create 2 million green jobs by 2030.
What are green jobs?
Green jobs are found within organisations that focus on restoring or preserving the natural environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It may be the organisation produces renewable energy or products, or that they operate with net zero practices.
Some examples include:
• Renewable energy
• ECO homebuilding
• Sustainable farming
• Environmental science
• Conservation
The government has predicted that most jobs will be ‘green’ by 2050.
To find out more go to this link.
https://www.ckcareers.co.uk/c-k-news/green-careers-of-the-future
It is worth having an offer of a full-time college place as a back-up just in case you are unsuccessful in securing an apprenticeship after school. Bear in mind, you can pursue an apprenticeship after a college course or at any stage in life, so all is not lost if you don’t find one immediately after school.
Unsure or require further advice and guidance?
If you have any questions or queries, we are here to help. Even if you have already had a careers meeting, you are welcome to request further appointments until you are feeling confident about your plans.
All the best,
Adele Greenleaf, Head of Careers (School)
Adele.greenleaf@thesmithfoundation.org.uk
Clair Britton, Head of Careers (College)
Clair.britton@thesmithfoundation.org.uk
Suzanne Impagliazzo, Careers Adviser, C+K Careers
Suzanne.Impagliazzo@ckcareers.org.uk