Practical careers help for young people
6th forms
These are centres, mainly based in schools, offering courses beyond GCSE. the majority of courses on offer are A levels, some centres offer level 2 courses.
- Netherall School
- Workington Academy
- Keswick School
- Cockermouth School
- St Benedics School
- West Lakes Academy
- Millom School
Further education
Local colleges offer a wide range of vocational courses linked to different areas of work and starting a different levels. School leavers start at the level most suited to their ability.
University information
- The UCAS website not only enables you to apply for university - but it's also packed with information about option in year 11, what university is about and the mechanics of applying.
- Push - is a lading guide to UK universities, providing information on universities, student life, gap years, finance and many other things.
- Which University has lots of information about what to study and where to go.
Local Universities
- University of Cumbria
- Lancaster University
- Northumbria University
- Manchester University
- Newcastle University
Apprenticeships
- Many national and local companies recruit through Apprenticeships.gov.uk. You can register then search and apply for vacancies.
- Gen2 recruit apprentices for engineering, business admin, customer service, teaching assistants and other career paths.
- You can also apply for apprenticeships with the following companies through GEN 2:
- Sellafield
- Morgan Sindall Group
- John Wood Group
- EC ITB
- Jacobs
Other apprenticeships are available through:
- JTL Training who recruit and train electrical and plumbing apprentices for construction companies, they also train for:
- Balfour Beatty
- PPL Electrical
- Electricity Northwest - offers plant mechanic, stores and business administration.
- Degree apprenticeships can be done at National College for Nuclear.
Other companies offering apprenticeships include:
- Kaefer
- United Utilities
- Careers Northern Gas Networks
- Network Rail
- Careers at Sea
- Arnold Clark
- M-Sport
- The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)
- Cumberland Council
- Energus
- NHS
- The British Army
- The Royal Air Force
- RWP
- The Royal Navy
- Doosan Power Systems
Don't forget to check out the apprenticeships sections on the local college websites, they all offer a full range of apprenticeship opportunities.
Inspira regularly post apprenticeships and jobs to their Twitter account @inspiraforjobs so if you are on Twitter why not follow them. You can also get more help and ideas via any of their social media accounts - just search for @inspiraforlife.
Supported internships
Cumberland have been working in partnership with local providers to deliver Supported Internships since 2021. Since 2022, the Supported Internship programme is delivered in partnership with NDTI, BASE and Project Search.
If you are interested in applying to current Post 16 providers who are delivering Supported Internships across Westmorland and Furness, you should contact them via their web sites. Alternatively speak with your school, college or training provider to ask about ‘next steps’ to a Supported Internship.
Supported Internships are transforming the employment opportunities for young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
Job search websites
If you are interested in looking at vacancies locally and further afield - why not search the following websites:
- Indeed - has millions of jobs from all over the UK, sourced from job boards, newspapers, classifieds and company websites
- Not Going to Uni (NGTU) is a one stop site for apprenticeships, gap years, distance learning and jobs.
- You can also check out nw1 Jobs (CN Jobs) and Find a Job - GOV.UK
For more information and help
The following websites can help young people with providing careers inspiration and advice, practical tips and insights.
Contact
Inspira - Whitehaven, Civic Hall, Whitehaven, CA28 ISH
Tel: 01946 695541
Inspira in Workington, 213 Vulcans Lane, Workington, CA14 2BT
Tel: 01900 604674
Email: info@inspira.org.uk