Sandwell marks National Careers Week 

Look out for a series of posts on social media accounts throughout the week and events coming up this month.

National Careers Week is for careers staff working in schools and providers helping Year 11 students as they get ready to leave school. The one-week celebration of careers guidance across the UK runs from Monday 6 March until Saturday 11 March. Councillor Simon Hackett, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Education, will be visiting a variety of Sandwell schools and Training Providers throughout the week, where Connexions Sandwell Careers Advisers work and give advice and guidance, to discover how careers advice and guidance has helped young people on their journey and empowered them with information about their next steps.

In addition, each day the Connexions Sandwell team will post four separate messages to help people thinking about career choices. The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people leaving education.

You can follow Connexions Sandwell on Facebook, Twitter (@Connexion_Jobs), Instagram and LinkedIn

NCW is the perfect platform to advise and inspire the next generation as they enter the world of work. It encourages education providers to bring together students, local employers and advisers through a range of careers activities.

Sandwell Connexions holds careers events throughout the year and also has a duty Careers Adviser available to help and advise on 0121 569 2955 or you can fill in an enquiry form on the website.

Further events aimed at helping people other than school leavers are also scheduled. Later in the month, Connexions Sandwell will also be hosting a careers event at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich for Elective Home Educated young people and their parents/carers. Taking place on Friday 17 March (9.30am – 4pm) there will be activities including 3D Printing, VR headsets, a driving challenge as well as lots of prizes. In addition, there will be carefully chosen exhibitors offering well-being and brilliant next-step courses. Connexions advisers will also be on hand offering support and careers information advice and guidance.

In addition, the Think Sandwell Employment and Skills team have the following events throughout March aimed at 16 to 29-year-olds looking for support to get into employment:

• Monday 6 March 9:30am- 12:00pm - 4Community Trust Hub, Wiltshire Way, West Bromwich, B71 1JU
• Tuesday 14 March 11:00am- 12:30pm - Jubilee Park Community Centre, Powis Avenue, Tipton, DY4 0RJ
• Tuesday 14 March 1:00pm-3:00pm - SWEDA, Church Street, West Bromwich, B70 8RP
• Monday 20 March 11:00am-1:00pm - Yew Tree Community Centre, Redwood Road, WS5 4LB
• Wednesday 22 March 11:00am- 2:00pm - Brasshouse Community Centre, Brasshouse Lane, Smethwick, B66 1BA

The Think Sandwell Employment and Skills team supports people of all ages to find employment and training. For advice on jobs, apprenticeships and training courses contact the team by email

The team is based at job clubs throughout Sandwell – for details of locations, days and times please visit our website or contact the team for more information.

Our teams can help with
•            One-to-one careers guidance
•            Exploration of career ideas and options
•            Advice about Labour Market Information (LMI)
•            Help with learning and career plans
•            Support in moving forward
•            CV creation
•            Interview techniques
•            Application forms

Guidance is pivotal in identifying suitable career paths for young people. The role of a Connexions Sandwell careers adviser is to help the young person understand which qualifications or standards have to be met to progress, so they are ready for the next stage of education, employment or training

Sandwell Adult and Family Learning Service is also offering courses in English, Maths and IT skills for the workplace to enable adults to get the qualifications that may help them change careers. Level 2 qualification courses are starting this month. Assessments for these courses are being held between 13 and 16 March. Call now on 0121 557 0837 to book an assessment or visit their website for more information.

Councillor Hackett said:

“In Sandwell we are committed to giving our young people the skills and experience they will need to apply for the jobs of the future.

“The Connexions team helps young people to understand enough about the world of work to know what skills they need to succeed. The team will continue to help inspire young people to make informed decisions about their future.”