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Careers development institute
quality in careers standard (qics)
growth mindset
the gatsby benchmarks
student employability guide
student work experience guide

career development institute

The Career Development Institute (CDI) is the main professional body for professionals involved with various forms of careers education, development and guidance. It covers work with all age groups and a wide variety of roles. 

Below is a short video of less than three minutes that will give you an overview of LAT’s career- learning outcomes, based on the CDI-Framework. See below for details. 

To find out more about careers learning and guidance, please check out this video, which can also be used for professional development amongst teams.

QUALITY IN CAREERS STANDARD (QICS)

The Quality in Careers Standard (also known as QiCS) is the national standard for careers education and guidance. Academies are encouraged to meet these standards and be assessed against them, leading to an award which can then be displayed on notice boards and websites. 

It is fully aligned with the Gatsby benchmarks and complies with the DfE’s statutory guidance. It accredits the four components of CEIAG:

  • careers education
  • careers information
  • careers advice
  • careers guidance 

There are a number of licensed awarding bodies that assess the learning providers’ delivery and recognise them appropriately. The one commonly applied across LAT is Investor in Careers (part of the CSW group).  There are set criteria for providers to meet, covering the Gatsby benchmarks and further requirements set out under the government’s careers strategy 2017.

Leigh Academies Trust academies should either be working to maintain an existing award or working towards a new one. While this is not essential for Ofsted inspections, it is strongly recommended and is invaluable as supporting evidence for Ofsted assessments. 

Across Leigh Academies Trust, we currently partner with Investor in Careers (IiC), one of several awarding bodies, to achieve the Quality in Careers Standard. The process begins with a commitment to the award by paying the fee, followed by four stages (C.O.D.E):

  • commitment
  • organisation
  • delivery
  • evaluation

Each academy needs to collect evidence to demonstrate that the above criteria have been met. This process usually takes about 12 months or more. Where an academy has an existing award, they will be required to complete a reassessment via the standard which is the same process as described above. They will also need to complete at least one Compass report (careers evaluation tool). See link below for details. 

This varies from one awarding body to another. The cost includes payment for an assessor as well as support and advice during the process of collecting relevant evidence towards the award. 

As well as advice from IiC, academies will also receive support and guidance from the linked careers professional, as well as from their Careers and Enterprise Coordinator and Enterprise Advisor allocated to your academy.

Growth mindset

We all have beliefs about our own abilities and potential. These beliefs are part of our mindset, which fuels our thoughts, emotions and behaviour.  Our mindset shapes our everyday lives, helping us interpret our experiences and future aspirations.

A growth mindset occurs when we believe our intelligence and abilities can be improved with consistent effort and right strategies.

A willingness to confront challenges, a passion for learning and viewing failure as just another learning experience.  This type of mindset is strongly linked to greater happiness and achievement in life.

In contrast, those with a fixed mindset believe their intelligence and abilities cannot be altered in a meaningful way.  As a result, mistakes are often seen as failures rather than opportunities to grow and learn.  When stuck in a fixed mindset, we may fear new experiences, avoid risks and feel the need to repeatedly prove ourselves over and over again.

Watch the videos below for more information.

When students feel like they belong in school, they are more motivated, engaged, and ultimately show higher performance. In this course, you will learn about belonging, why it’s important, and belonging strategies for your classroom.

watch growth mindset lessons here

Growth mindset vs fixed mindset

Introducing a growth mindset

Pupil reflection

Teacher modelling of growth mindset

Student effort

Free staff resources