This section is full of information on how to get support in making your next steps in your education or career pathway.
School leaving age
You can leave school on the last Friday in June if you’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays but you are required to stay in education or training until you are 18. This education or training is free if you start before you are 18.
Staying longer in education or training makes sure everyone gets the same chance to achieve in whatever you go on to do – whether it is a job or further study.
Tracking participation for 16-18 years old
Every Local Authority has a legal duty to track what all 16 and 18 year olds (up to beginning of September after 18th birthday) living in the county are doing. This could be studying, working or not currently engaging in anything. We do this by working with schools, post 16 providers, other local authorities and other teams at Wiltshire County Council to determine what each 16 to 18 year old is doing. If we do not know what you are doing, we may contact you to find out. This will be by text, telephone, email, letter or door knocking visits.
When you come to the end of Year 11 and Year 12 we need to know what you are going on to do in September, this is called the September Guarantee and ensures that all young people have an offer of learning available to them.
Update your details
You can tell us your learning destination by completing this form and it will also help us to support you better. Update us with your details – Work Wiltshire
You can also contact us on 01225 716890 or email workwilts@wiltshire.gov.uk
Making your choice
There are lots of post 16 education or training options available in Wiltshire and you will need to think about which one suits your needs or interests and future plans.
The three main routes to education or training:
- You can stay in full-time education in school, sixth-form ,college or other training provider.
- You can get an apprenticeship which will support you to start learning and earning straight away. See our Become an Apprentice page for more information.
- Or you can also start working or volunteering if you combine this with part-time education or training.
Think about what interests you, what subjects you have enjoyed at school, what job you’d like to do. Be aspirational and stretch yourself, you never know what your future may hold.
There are lots of other things you can do to help you decide, such as:
- Visit providers to see what they offer, what facilities they have and where you would be learning
- Go to taster sessions and open events
- Look on provider websites and read their prospectus
- Read Ofsted inspection reports for providers
- Think about how you’ll get there and if you can get any help towards the cost of travel.
If you are a care experienced young person, speak to your social worker or personal adviser. They can advise who you can speak to about what to do next.
Careers advice
If you are still at school or college you should have access to a careers adviser. They will help you by discussing your options and your plans even if you do not know what your chosen career is (most young people don’t). If you are not at school or college and needs careers advice you can contact the National Careers Service for free.
Deciding on what you want to do for work can be confusing, here are some resources to help you explore your career options.
- Plan your future work and study with CareerPilot
- Bitesize Careers explains the world of work, with advice from people who’ve found the right path for them.
- If you would like to talk to someone, you can contact the National Careers Service online or by phone on 0800 100 900.
- Search for career ideas, advice and tips with icould.com. Start thinking about your career & find out what you’re like and what you could do.
- Youth Employment UK – Skills and Careers Hub have lots of useful information and resources.
Use the Careerometer below to compare different careers. Select different careers on each card to compare pay, workforce changes and descriptions.
How much could you earn?
Careerometer can be used to explore and compare key information about occupations, help you learn about different occupations and identify potential careers.
Simply type in the title of the job you are interested in and the widget provides a series of options from which you can select the most relevant to you. You can then look up another two occupations and compare. You can also select ‘display the UK average’ and compare the information with the occupation you have selected.
EET support service
If you are not in Education, Employment or Training and aged 16-17 extra support is available via our EET Support Service.