Careers Advice and Guidance

Key Dates

• Careers evening: 7th October 2026 - 16:00 - 18:30

• Work Experience: 28th June - 2nd July 2027

Employers

Want to get involved: Opportunities & Provider Access 

Want to get involved?

A number of events, integrated into the school’s Careers Programme, will offer providers an opportunity to come into school to speak to pupils and/or their parents/carers. 

We run focussed drop down days across the school year for all year groups. Numerous career activities are then delivered to whole year groups or tutor groups.

We would welcome local companies, alumni and educational institutions to come and speak to our students. Please find our provider access information here:  https://www.kingswinfordacademy.org.uk/assets/downloads/policies-and-procedures/KA-Careers-Provider-Access-Policy-Statement-v2.pdf 

We are always on the look out for employers to inspire and nurture our students.

Please email us if you are interested.

Pupil Entitlement (Provider Access Legislation)

Under the updated Provider Access Legislation (formerly the Baker Clause) all students in Years 7 to 11 at Kingswinford Academy are fully entitled:

• To explore technical education qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities as an integral part of a structured careers programme, providing comprehensive information on the full spectrum of education and training pathways at every transition point.

• To engage directly with a diverse range of local education and training providers, hearing firsthand about the opportunities they offer—including technical education, T-Levels, and apprenticeships—through targeted options events, assemblies, group discussions, and interactive taster sessions.

• To understand how to navigate and successfully complete applications for the full range of both academic and technical pathways available to them.

Kingswinford Academy guarantees that every student will have the opportunity for multiple meaningful provider encounters throughout their journey with us, systematically spaced across Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 to ensure well-informed, aspirational post-16 decisions.

Discovering Pathways with Unifrog

Kingswinford Academy utilises Unifrog—the award-winning, completely impartial online careers platform. Unifrog serves as a comprehensive digital space where students can explore the vast, fast-changing professional world and map out their future educational pathways toward employment.

Unifrog Guide For Parents

How Unifrog Empowers Our Students:

• Explore & Compare All Options: Students can easily research and compare every post-16 opportunity in the UK side-by-side. The platform allows them to filter and rank options based on real-world factors like average starting salaries, travel distance from Dudley, study hours, and course retention rates.

• Streamlined Search & Applications: From local sixth forms and FE colleges to nationwide technical pathways and apprenticeships, students can find and track applications all in one place.

• Building the ASPIRE Portfolio through the child’s locker: Working hand-in-hand with our school's iPad initiative, every student from Year 7 to Year 11 uses Unifrog to log key employability skills, track extracurricular activities, and record milestones where they have demonstrated our core character virtues. This creates a powerful, living portfolio of evidence for their next steps.

• Interactive Careers Library: Students have 24/7 access to an extensive multimedia library to browse diverse job sectors, take personality profile quizzes, and "favourite" career paths that spark their ambition.

Kingswinford Spiral Careers Curriculum

At Kingswinford Academy, we believe that career readiness isn't a one-off conversation in Year 11—it is a continuous journey of discovery. Our Spiral Careers Curriculum is intentionally designed to revisit and build upon key career themes year after year. As students mature from Year 7 through to Year 11, their knowledge deepens, their horizons expand, and their ambitions grow.

This progressive journey is fully powered by Unifrog, the UK’s leading unified careers platform. Every student at Kingswinford Academy has a personal Unifrog account, creating a seamless digital thread that connects their classroom learning, character development, and future planning. During each half-term, students will complete a dedicated Careers lesson during form time.  

Labour Market Information

Want to know which jobs are growing and where? Labour Market Information (LMI) gives you the inside track on employment trends so you can make smart, sustainable career choices.

Looking at LMI on a local, regional, and national level helps you map out:

• Where to train: Find the right courses and education providers for your goals.

• What you'll earn: Get realistic data on expected salaries.

• Where the jobs are: Discover local career opportunities and industry demands.

• Who is hiring: Understand the split between public and private sector roles.

• What’s next: Stay ahead of economic shifts and future workplace trends.

Local, regional and national LMI

• Dudley LMI

• West Midlands LMI

• LMI For All - find out key information about different jobs including average pay, working hours and projected workforce changes

• Future labour market predictions

• Your Future Black Country - focus on support for SEND students

Useful links

• Apprenticeships

• Careersbox

• Careermap

• Connexions Dudley

• National Careers Service

• Prospects

• UCAS

• Unifrog

SEND Careers Support & Next Steps

Discover key resources and guidance to help parents, carers, and SEND students navigate employment, education, training, and life after Year 11.

Connexions Careers Services

We partner with Connexions Dudley to provide our students with expert, impartial, and tailored career guidance. Students with EHCPs and additional SEND needs are highly prioritised, with appointments scheduled as early in the school year as possible.

Need extra support? If your child needs a follow-up appointment or hands-on help completing application forms, please reach out to Mr Dimmock or the School's SENCO

Useful links: 

Skills for careers website: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/ 

National careers service website: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ 

Discover uni website: https://www.discoveruni.gov.uk/ 

Access to work: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work 

Talentino: https://www.talentinocareers.co.uk/send-school-careers.html 

Work Experience

At Kingswinford Academy, we believe in introducing students to the world of work right from the start of their educational journey.

The 'Database of Dreams' (Years 7–9)

To tailor our approach, we track and analyse students' professional aspirations from Year 7 onwards using our 'Database of Dreams.' By grouping students with shared interests, we can offer highly relevant workplace visits when opportunities arise. Recent examples include:

• Healthcare: A "behind-the-scenes" tour of Russells Hall Hospital.

• Construction: A guided visit to Kidderminster College 

• STEM and Engineering: A tour of Williams F1 factory 

When off-site visits aren't possible, we bring the workplace to our students by inviting industry professionals to deliver 'Aspire Workshops' regarding the daily realities of their careers.

Year 10 Placements: What You Need to Know

Year 10 students can take part in a week-long work placement during Activities Week at the end of the summer term.

 Key Requirement: Students must find and secure their own placements. To ensure the environment is fully risk-assessed and approved for health and safety, both the student and the employer must confirm all details with the school. Ideally, this will be before the Christmas Holidays and submissions received after the February half term may not be processed. 

All information regarding work experience can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CxNbVSZO3fAY9ZVdjPQTepd7S98wgOrF/view?usp=sharing 

Our Alumni Network

Kingswinford Academy is proud to host a vibrant and engaged network of former students, which remains open to all who have walked our halls.

This community provides a valuable platform for alumni to reconnect with peers, participate in school-wide events, and play a pivotal role in inspiring the next generation of aspirational students.

If you would like to join our alumni community and help guide the next generation of Kingswinford Academy students then  please contact careers: careers@kingswinford.windsoracademytrust.org.uk

Previous Alumni Speakers Include:

Taylor Perry

Upon concluding his studies at Kingswinford Academy, Taylor embarked on his professional footballing journey by joining the Wolves Academy. His progression culminated in a senior debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 25, 2019, appearing as a substitute during an EFL Cup triumph over Reading. Notably, Taylor was selected for the club’s pre-season tour of China, where he participated in the Premier League Asia Trophy Final against Manchester City, successfully converting a penalty in Wolves' shootout victory.

Evvan Wooldridge

A dedicated golfer since early childhood, Evvan pursued his ambition of securing a scholarship to study and compete professionally in the United States. Following his graduation from Kingswinford Academy in 2018, he progressed to Birmingham Metropolitan College before successfully transitioning to Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Evvan is pictured here demonstrating his expertise alongside renowned professional golfer and Sky Sports broadcaster, Nick Dougherty.

Tom Dainty

A former student at Kingswinford Academy, Tom pursued his ambition to become a veterinary nurse. He has since shared his expertise with our current students by running interactive workshops, where they gained hands-on experience creating casts and nose cones for dogs, providing them with a valuable insight into the world of veterinary care.

Sarah Hickman

After graduating from Kingswinford Academy, Sarah pursued her dream of becoming a veterinarian at the University of Bristol. Having been inspired to work with animals from a young age, she returned to the academy to share her journey and support other students who share her aspiration of entering the veterinary profession.

Ben Newbold

A former student at Kingswinford Academy, Ben has forged a successful career as cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic. He has spoken to current students about how his time at the academy prepared him for the demands of the aviation industry, offering valuable insights into the skills and mindset required to excel in such an exciting and global profession.

Past further education opportunities and visits

At Kingswinford Academy, we take careers and further education seriously and are committed to ensuring every student has as many experiences of the workforce as possible. 

In the past, we have taken students to universities such as Cambridge, Birmingham, and Oxford, and invited them to speak to our students in school. 

We also regularly invite local further education providers such as Dudley College, Dudley Sixth, Halesowen College, Kidderminster College, and King Edwards VI College to speak with our students and have arranged trips to experience life in post-16 education.

Useful Documents for Students

Take a look at these documents for some helpful tips and advice.

• Personal Statement Checklist

• Writing a personal statement

• Personal Statement example 1

• Personal Statement example 2

• Personal Statement example 3

• Personal Statement template

• Curriculum Vitae template

• College / Sixth Form application process

• GoCompare