Careers Guidance at UTC Portsmouth

At UTC Portsmouth, we are committed to providing every student with high-quality, impartial careers education, information, advice and guidance. Our aim is to help students make confident, informed decisions about their futures and prepare them for successful and fulfilling careers.

High-quality careers guidance is vital for our students’ futures, and our provision aims to:

  • Help students prepare for the workplace by building self-development and career management skills

  • Provide experience and a clear understanding of the working world

  • Develop students’ awareness of the variety of education, training and career opportunities available to them

  • Help students understand routes to careers they’re interested in and make informed choices about their next step in education or training

  • Promote a culture of high aspirations and equality of opportunity

UTC Portsmouth is a leading educational institution for student destinations. We are proud of our tailored careers programme, which is designed to meet the individual needs of every student. We follow all Gatsby Benchmarks and aim to be a beacon of best practice within our community.

Careers Leader

Our careers leader is Alex Blandford, Assistant Principal Co-Curricular.

For all enquiries relating to our careers provision, please contact:

📞 02393 120200
✉️ enquiries@utcportsmouth.org

Alex leads our strategic careers plan and oversees all careers activities, working closely with employers, higher education providers and training organisations to ensure students experience meaningful encounters that connect learning to life beyond college.

Our Careers Programme

Our careers programme is fully embedded across the college and aligns with the national Gatsby Benchmarks for excellence in careers education. We provide independent careers guidance from Year 10 onwards, with opportunities that expand as students progress through the college.

Students take part in a wide range of activities designed to broaden their understanding of the world of work, including:

  • Employer engagement: Regular visits, workplace tours and guest speakers from our network of Employer Partners.

  • Project Based Learning: Collaborative challenges set by industry professionals, developing key STEM learning habits – curiosity, creative problem solving, communication, responsibility, resilience and teamwork.

  • Destinations Week: A dedicated week focusing on next steps, including CV writing, mock interviews, a careers fair and sessions led by employers, training providers and university representatives.

  • Personal guidance: One-to-one careers advice for all students, ensuring tailored support and progression planning.

  • Apprenticeship and university awareness: Information on current opportunities is displayed across the college site and shared directly with students via email.

  • National Apprenticeship Week: A chance to celebrate our alumni, explore different routes, and highlight apprenticeship opportunities at all levels.

Careers education is also integrated into lessons, the PSHE curriculum, and our enrichment programme, helping students understand how their learning links to future pathways.

Parents, carers, employers and training providers are encouraged to engage with our careers programme. To discuss opportunities to support or participate, please contact us using the details above.

Measuring and Assessing Impact

We continuously evaluate the impact of our careers provision to ensure it meets student needs and reflects current labour market information. We measure success through:

  • Student surveys and feedback following events and guidance sessions

  • Monitoring participation in careers activities

  • Tracking destination data into further and higher education, apprenticeships and employment

  • Employer and partner feedback from events and collaborations

  • Ongoing contact with alumni to track their career journeys

This ongoing review ensures that our careers programme remains relevant, inclusive and effective in helping students achieve their ambitions.

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