10 reasons why you should be using Career Pilot

10 reasons why you should be using CareerPilot (including tips on things you might not have seen before)

Career advice is a key element in assisting students with the process of being aware and enabled to choose an educational and career path,  which will lead into their desired profession. This process involves students being able to explore available study choices, job sectors, employability skills and their interests. So what if you could have a free interactive tool to facilitate this? Career Pilot does exactly this and even more. It’s an online platform with interactive quizzes, video resources, useful links and labour market information (LMI) all geared towards providing career advice and impartial information about progression routes for 13-19 year olds.

Career Pilot is a tool all Schools We Work With can take advantage of to further support students and better enable teachers and career advisers in the work they do. Here are 10 reasons why you should be using Career Pilot.

1. It’s all about exploring

Whether a student has an idea of the career they want to pursue or subject they’re interested in or has no clue of what job sector to work in, Career Pilot will allow your students to explore careers in a variety of ways. This includes quizzes to get started, activities by year group, Pre and Post 16 Skills Map and options to explore courses, providers and apprenticeships.

2. Videos, Videos, Videos!

There is a dedicated page with real video stories of employees and students sharing their experience of their educational and career journey. Users can also watch industry insight videos about specific job roles.

3. Linking Subjects with Careers

Students might know what school subjects they enjoy the most, but are not fully aware of the careers or routes their interest could lead to. This is when the “Start with a Subject” area comes into play. Students can choose between twenty-eight different subjects and discover what their future career options could be.

4. Students personal profile

Students registered on Career Pilot can save their choices, completed activities, bookmark careers and update their profile with next steps options as they use the platform. These profiles can then be shared with Teachers and Advisers who can then use reports and information gathered to further address students’ individual needs.

5. Map your Skills

Helping young people recognise their skills is just as important as working on their weaknesses. Students who can identify their skills are more likely to further develop them and improve in other areas. The Pre and Post 16 Skills Map is Career Pilot’s tool for identifying skills. Users just have to complete a simple quiz  indicating activities they’ve done, and they will then be presented with a collection of skills they can develop. Selected skills are then added to the personal profile and can be updated as new skills are developed.

6. Starting a CV and Personal Statement

The Skills Map feature on the platform allows students not only to identify skills they have or need to develop but it’s a great starting point for writing a CV for job applications and a Personal Statement for HE applications.

7. Find Courses and Apprenticeships

Students can use a search widget to find post 16 options, including degree courses and apprenticeships. The tool allows students to search by a keyword, location, study level and type. There are also links to other online resources to further expand their search.

8. Labour Market Information (LMI)

In order for students to make better informed decisions, Career Pilot also provides Labour Market Information about sectors and localities where job opportunities are increasing, pay levels, and the skills needed by employers. This information also enables students to broaden their aspirations to include other realistic occupations they might not have considered initially.

9. Adviser Zone and Resources

There is also an adviser zone, specifically created for career advisers and teachers, packed with career guidance presentations, activities, PHSE programmes and related resources, all geared towards facilitating the provision of Information, Advice and Guidance.

10. It is Free!

Career pilot is completely free to use. Teachers, advisers, students and even parents can use this web platform without any subscription fees. The Career Pilot team can also provide free training resources and webinars on how to use this one-stop career advice tool.

Career Pilot has all the above and more. You can start using the platform now by checking out the recently develop Home Learning Activities page, ideal for assisting students who are currently studying/learning  from home.

Jeffery Asante, Higher Education Liaison Officer