Progression

We offer a comprehensive careers programme, alongside personalised support to aid you with all of your future careers decisions, including the UCAS application process, apprenticeship and alternative routes.

We have been awarded the Quality in Careers Standard in recognition of our outstanding careers and progression provision.

Our Award Winning Progression Team

We have an award winning Progression Team at Durham Sixth Form Centre, who are highly qualified and experienced in providing you with impartial information, advice and guidance so that you are equipped to make informed decisions about your future choices. We will support you in gaining the essential experience and developing the skills to make a competitive university and apprenticeship application, so you can be whatever you want to be!

Throughout your time with us our Progression Team offer a comprehensive progression programme, events for both parents and students, specialist NextGen programmes and one-to-one appointments to explore your career ambitions and options.

The Progression Team at Durham Sixth Form Centre is a dedicated, professional and friendly team committed to helping you maximise your potential, realise your aspirations, and make the right decisions to secure your future career pathway.

Careers Hubs

We are also proud to be a “Careers Hub” school, working within the “North-East Ambition: Cornerstone Hub”, supported by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, the Careers and Enterprise Council and many local and national businesses and organisations, to shape, drive forward and improve the quality of Careers Education across England.

Quality in Careers Standard and Gatsby Benchmarks

We hold the The Quality in Careers Standard which is the only national quality award for careers education, information, advice and guidance in schools, colleges and work-based learning – often described as “the British kitemark for careers”.

The Gatsby Benchmarks

A Stable Careers Programme

Learning from Career and Labour Market Information

Addressing the needs of each Pupil

Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

Encounters with Employers and Employees

Experiences of Workplaces

Encounters with Further and Higher Education

Personal Guidance

Information for Parents and Carers

We aim to keep you informed of the steps your son/daughter needs to take to enable them to make informed, positive career decisions about their futures.

We host a programme of events for you and your son/daughter throughout the year, which can be accessed via our Parent Dashboard.

For anybody looking to get involved with working with Durham Sixth Form Centre, please contact our Progression and Employer Engagement Manager who will connect you with one of our Work Experience and Employer Engagement Leads.

Contact

Careers in the Curriculum

Meeting and interacting with inspirational people helps you to find out about the opportunities available to you after Durham Sixth Form Centre. That is why we provide opportunities for you to meet representatives from industry and higher education, linked with your learning, subjects and associated industry areas, to keep you informed about job opportunities, areas of growth – even exciting new jobs that are just being created now, to meet the needs of a changing technological world.

Did you know that “Healthcare” has the highest predicted rate of employment growth in the North East region? Or that there is a huge skills gap emerging in the North East in the Digital and Tech industries which are growing at a faster rate here than anywhere else in the UK? Or that the North East also has a fantastic array of renewable energy and Offshore opportunities, including world-class research / development and testing facilities such as Siemens Energy, EDF Energy Renewables, SSE Renewables and more?

Where Will Your Future Take You?

The majority of you will progress to higher education after leaving Durham Sixth Form Centre to a variety of universities and colleges, including the highly competitive ‘Russell Group’ and other leading non-research based institutions. We have excellent links and partnership working with all of our local universities, who offer specialist academic support, mentoring programmes, masterclasses, guest speakers and more.

We are also dedicated to supporting those of you aspiring to professional vocational careers through a specialist programme to help you succeed in applications for primary teaching, social work and NHS careers such as nursing, midwifery and radiography.

Some of you will choose to pursue higher level/advanced/degree apprenticeships and employment in a range of career sections such as engineering, civil service, IT, police civilians, retail and business management. For you, we offer an alternative range of specialist programmes, providing links with local businesses and opportunities to enhance your success. These include work placements, mock interviews, assessment days, workshops, talks and “fast-track” schemes.