Career Paths and Post-16 Studies

Many young people, when beginning their post-16 education, do not have concrete ideas of what career path they would like to follow. Others do have specific plans of a career but may find themselves changing these as they get older and more mature. The breadth and depth offered by the IB Programme means that there are a variety of study pathways available to students. Some pathways can be chosen to support a route into specific careers (such as medicine or engineering). However, for students who are undecided, they can choose a broad range of subjects which keeps open more opportunities for a variety of courses at university. The majority of students do not have firm ideas of their preferred career before beginning their post-16 education. Those students should do some, or all, of the following things to help them make the right decision when the time comes:

• Think about what they like to do and imagine what careers might link to those things
• Volunteer and do some work in the area they think they are interested in. Taking some time in this endeavour will help them to see if it is right for them or not
• Ask adults who they know working in the field to give them their honest insights into the job. Often our perceptions are different from reality
• Conduct research about the careers they feel are interesting and the routes into those jobs
• Remember that whatever path they decide to follow they can change your mind. The IB programme is broad enough to support changes they make.

By following the IB Programme and studying 2 languages, maths, science and humanities, students are supported into a variety of career pathways and university courses. It really is the best course to support career progression and university entrance.

*NUCB International College is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision. Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org