Careers education at DES
The school places great value on students' personal development, providing an education that prepares students to meet the challenges of their future lives, and our Careers programme impacts many aspects of students' learning. Our Careers education recognises our students as individuals who need to explore their unique abilities and qualities to progress in a world of
rapidly changing opportunities. Careers guidance is provided by tutors, Key stage phase leaders and the Careers Coordinator, with subject teachers and sixth form tutors working with students on higher education applications. We aim to provide students with opportunities to explore their career interests and to make informed choices.
A busy programme of presentations by international university representatives and career professionals gives students the opportunity to interact in-person and to ask any questions to help them to explore career choices. Visitors are from within Qatar Energy, and from varied Qatar higher education institutions including Doha University for Science and Technology and the University Foundation College, as well as from universities in Qatar's near neighbours like the UAE, and more far-flung destinations like Canada and Malaysia, representing the varied interests in higher education destinations our students have.
At DES we host international university fairs, like the recent Malaysian Universities Fair. These are opportunities for students and parents to discuss university courses, admissions, fees, scholarships and find out more about a range of institutions.
In tutor time we explore career choices.
Careers pathways and ideas for how students can apply their skills and expertise to careers are displayed around school on our digital display boards, with career pathways and ideas based on faculty subject areas.
Opportunities for students to explore careers pathways, opportunities and higher education courses in more detail are provided, with a wealth of online webinars, taster lectures and online discussions with academics and university admissions professionals linked for students to join. These are posted in Teams for specific year groups, with over 50 different webinars and online taster lectures and presentations advertised each term so far. Often these are in response to students' individual questions or interest in career pathways, like the example below.
Visits to university expos and fairs are beginning again after the Covid years, and our sixth form students visited the Qatar Expo to find out more about universities, courses, admissions, fees and scholarships. Students came away with ideas, information, literature and enjoyed their visit.
Careers is embedded as a learning opportunity for students within Wellbeing Days, with an age-appropriate content for each year group. In the sixth form this is a workshop based on interview questions; we look at the less usual interview questions to start thinking about responses and what we reveal in an interview context. For younger years the Wellbeing Day content is varied by topic, and learning is enriched with visiting professionals sharing their working experience.
Volunteering experience is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop soft skills and valuable life experience that can be included in a personal statement and university application, and as part of students' applications for their first employment after higher education, or to gain a part time job during university. Students can volunteer to support sports clubs and sporting events such as the inter-school cross country and primary athletics competitions. Students also work with younger students in our Primary School, supporting reading and other learning.
The Girls' Cricket Club is one of many clubs benefitting from sixth form support, with sixth form volunteers working alongside teachers and gaining the soft skills that top the international surveys of skills required in job advertisements: commitment, organisation, communication, teamwork, motivation and innovation.
