St. Joseph's
Grammar School, Donaghmore
Educating For the Future Since 1922
Careers Education Information and Guidance (CEIAG)
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At St Joseph’s, careers education is a fundamental part of our curriculum, equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to make informed decisions about their futures.
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Our comprehensive Careers Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG) programme ensures every student is prepared for seamless transitions into employment, further education, or training.
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Cutting-Edge Careers Support with PeopleHawk
To enhance career planning, St Joseph’s has introduced the innovative PeopleHawk IT Platform into our careers programme. This cutting-edge tool provides pupils with:
Enhanced Self-Awareness:
Scientifically validated assessments of values, interests, and personality enable students to identify their strengths and discover ideal career matches, courses, and subject choices at every key stage.
Immersive Career Exploration:
Pupils can explore thousands of tailored career options, access UK and Irish university course information, and view a live, customised job board featuring over 10,000 apprenticeship and regional job opportunities. Pathway Comparison: Students can compare post-16 and post-18 options, including apprenticeships, further education, and university courses, to find the pathway that best suits their aspirations.
Streamlined Applications:
AI-enabled tools allow pupils to create high-impact CVs, personal statements, and letters of motivation, with direct feedback provided by the platform’s AI engine or our Careers Team.
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Key Stage 3: Building Foundations
Careers education begins in Years 8–10 through Education for Employability lessons, introducing pupils to the world of work. In Year 10, students receive tailored guidance to make informed subject choices for Key Stage 4, including:
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Careers information from subject teachers and Heads of Departments.
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Attendance at a Year 10 Options Evening, where presentations are delivered by the Head of Careers, Mr P Corrigan, and the Head of Curriculum, Mrs O McCourt.
Our curriculum team works closely with the careers department to ensure each student has a personalised learning pathway that maximises their academic potential and career opportunities.
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Key Stage 4: Exploring Opportunities
Year 12 pupils engage in careers lessons designed to inform them of the various training, work, and study options available at the age of 16. Key activities include:
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Valuable work experience placements, offering insights into specific roles and workplaces.
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An A-Level Subject Choice Afternoon and Mini Careers Fayre, where students interact with subject teachers, A-Level pupils, and local employers.
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Guiding Futures, Shaping Success
Interactive Workshops
Each year group participates in engaging Young Enterprise Northern Ireland workshops. These interactive sessions explore workplace themes through practical activities, encouraging pupils to connect classroom learning with real-world applications.
Dedicated Careers Guidance
Our Careers Officer, Nuala Madden, provides tailored advice at key transition points in Year 10, Year 12, and Year 14, ensuring every pupil is fully supported in their educational and career choices.
Collaboration and Development
As a member of the Dungannon Area Learning Community, St Joseph’s works closely with other schools to share resources and develop careers education. Careers staff also attend events organised by Mid-Ulster Council, ensuring they remain informed about local career trends and skills demands.
Promoting STEM
Promoting STEM for opportunities in these high-demand sectors, and career choices.
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Sixth Form:
Tailoring Aspirations
A-Level students receive individualised guidance and a wealth of resources to support their career planning:
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One-to-one consultations with the Senior Management Team at the beginning of Years 13 and 14.
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Careers lessons and personalised advice in the dedicated Careers Suite.
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Presentations from Ulster University, Queen’s University, Scottish and South of Ireland universities, South West College, and Student Finance Northern Ireland.
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Work experience placements in Term 3 of Year 13 to deepen their understanding of specific careers.
Year 14 pupils benefit from additional support, including presentations on Foundation Degrees, Higher-Level Apprenticeships, and Life at University training sessions. These sessions prepare students for the challenges of higher education, offering practical advice on managing academic and personal responsibilities.
​Generation Innovation
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As part of our partnership with Catalyst NI and other leading industry figures all of our Year 13 students complete the Generation Innovation work experience programme. Generation Innovation is an innovative approach that reimagines traditional work experience and energises the imaginations and aspirations of our students by increasing their knowledge of 21st-century skills and awareness of future careers in innovation. Students receive Design Thinking training and learn how to work as part of a team. The new skills are then put to the test to solve a company challenge, developing a solution before pitching it to the partner company and their fellow students
By linking with Catalyst we aim to inform, upskill and empower our students to thrive as the leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs of the future.
Generation Innovation offers our students the opportunity to develop a range of transferrable skills:
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Communication Skills
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Teambuilding
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Build Emotional Resilience
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Learn Problem-Solving Skills
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Creativity
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Presentation and Pitching Skills
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User-centred Design
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Design-led Thinking Skills
Impact Day
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Year 13 students in St Joseph’s are in the privileged position of having been selected to complete an Impact Day as part of their Generation Innovation experience.
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An Impact Day is a one-day, fully immersive design-thinking experience for our Year 13 students facilitated by industry specialists from Catalyst NI. Through this programme students become skilled in the design-thinking methodology which leads them from identifying a problem, working through several stages to iterate and design a prototype/solution.
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On this journey, our students learn important employability related skills, including user-centred design, working in a team and critical thinking. The impact day will also help foster softer, intangible elements such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
Innovation
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Industry Links
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“St Joseph’s Grammar School, Donaghmore is committed to being at the forefront of innovation and we work hard to foster high quality and meaningful links with industry to ensure that our students achieve the very best opportunities on offer.”
In the 2021-22 academic year we were delighted to be one of a small number of schools to successfully secure a place on the ‘Catalyst Schools’ programme. Catalyst Schools is a Design Thinking programme for post-primary schools that seeks to empower school leaders by giving them the skills to create a culture of innovation and deeper learning across the school.
A number of our staff secured professional learning fellowships with Catalyst through which they gained an opportunity to develop a ‘hacking’ and equity mind-set and applied a design thinking-based approach to their practice in school. As a school we are excited to have embarked upon this journey through which we aim to transform our school culture to better prepare all students for post-secondary education, career, and civic life.
Through this programme we are proactively action planning to ensure that the practice across St Joseph’s remains cutting edge and that the most up to date research in relation to teaching and learning and pastoral care provision is implemented across the school. We are proactively strengthening St Joseph’s connection to local industry to ensure our students are ready to enter the work force of tomorrow.