Term dates for the College and University Centre academic year 2024/2025 are now available online.
Career zone
The College Career Service objective is to help our students as much as possible with career options, including Higher Education, Apprenticeships, alternatives to university, jobs of the future, sourcing and understanding Labour Market Information (LMI).
Discover our Career Zone
Watch our video and meet the team behind the Career Zone. Hear from students and employers and discover the benefits that the Career Zone can give you, including one-to-one appointments with career advisers and collaborative working with external agencies such as Next Steps South West.
Appointments with a careers adviser
All students at Truro and Penwith College have access to a wide range of Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) throughout their time with us. Experienced staff enable students to make the most of their time at college and plan their future. It is our aim that all students leaving college at the end of their course will have the skills, attitudes and confidence to plan their future careers and fulfil their potential.
All students whether full or part-time, Further or Higher Education, are entitled to a guidance appointment at our Career Stations, with a qualified Careers Adviser. Appointments can also be made for non-students. The advice that is given is impartial and confidential, unless we feel that the student, or someone else, could be at risk.
Our advisers hold the Level 6 in Career Guidance and Development and are on the Career Development Institutes (CDI) professional register. Conversations are timely and supportive, providing careers information, advice and guidance to students on an individual basis or in groups. Local and National Labour Market Information (LMI) is referenced and we strive to inspire, instilling the importance (and excitement) of researching possible career pathways and how this can enhance future prospects.
Book an appointment with a careers adviser
Personal one-to-one careers guidance
Personal one-to one careers guidance is available for all our learners and potential college students.
Our fully qualified and experienced careers practitioner provides impartial advice and guidance, supporting learners in their career planning and helping them make well informed decisions about their progression and future plans. Once enrolled, students also gain access to a dedicated Careers Hub hosted on the College's internal Sharepoint, offering help, advice and links. Â
Take a Career Assessment
Take a Career Assessment to learn about yourself and Career Coach will give you career suggestions based on your interests.
Browse Careers
Browse for careers and we will give you relevant data on wages, employment, and the training you need.
Course Search
Search for the available courses that lead to the career you want.
Build Your CV
Use CV Builder to give the most relevant detail to your CV, with suggested tasks and skills based on real job descriptions that match your experience and desired jobs.
The Gatsby Benchmarks
As students you need to know what we are striving to provide for you and where ‘careers’ advice comes in. We will commit to the highest possible standards in Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) through a set of standards which define best practice.
These are the Gatsby Benchmarks and Truro and Penwith College will implement the following:Â
1) A stable Careers Programme
2) Learning from career and labour market information
3) Addressing the needs of each pupil
4) Linking curriculum learning to careers
5) Encounters with employers and employees
6) Experiences of workplaces
7) Encounters with further and higher education
8) Personal guidance
*If you have an additional need, please let us know so we can arrange to see you in a suitable place. We can also organise materials or language translation to meet your needs.
Our goal is to ensure that we are meeting the benchmarks 100% and we meet on a termly basis with Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly Careers hub to complete the compass assessment. This, combined with our own stringent quality procedures, means that the 8 benchmarks are integrated into all careers activity across Truro & Penwith.
We are proud to commit to the Quality in Careers Standard through Investors in Careers which is a 3-year cycle of ensuring that our provision is of the highest standards. We have held this award since 1996 and, with the inclusion of the Gatsby Benchmarks, there is an even more robust measure of quality incorporated.
The award evaluates our careers teams’ provision of guidance looking at the content, resources and impact, but we also ask our programme areas to provide examples of how careers, labour market information, work placements and employer encounters are captured within curriculum. The award is divided into 4 stages, commitment, organisation, delivery and evaluation.
Meet the team
Our Careers Programme
What you can expect...
- Access to 1:1 careers information advice and guidance for every significant decision you need to make regarding study or career. Our offer is for all students, on all courses.
- We provide IAG on a range of future options including all levels of apprenticeship, higher education, gap years, voluntary work and full/part-time opportunities.
- The Career Zone is a visible, welcoming and professional area where you can actively engage in career exploration. Our advisers are impartial, have the highest qualifications and will see you in a confidential space.
- We encourage you to record your enrichment, achievements, skills and work placement experiences on the Navigate platform. This allows you to reflect on your strengths and pinpoint where key decisions were made. Navigate acts as a digital portfolio of vocational achievement and will store vital records as you progress with study and work.
- Labour market information informs us of trends, local and national opportunities, skill requirements and gaps and general patterns attached to all sectors. We incorporate this in our guidance, in lectures and through employability awards.
- Careers is embedded in programme areas highlighting the relevance of subject’s studied to future pathways.
- We ensure that work placements are available to all. Certain courses have a specific need for regular work placements, but we want to ensure that all students have a chance to access the world of work. Our work placement officers will ensure you get the support required to source, complete and document your work experience effectively.
- The tutorial programme offers career themes, skills clinics and guest speakers giving valuable insights into yourself and those who have embarked on a career journey.
- Employability awards (The Navigate awards) offer a full package of work readiness, career exploration and self-assessment. These awards prepare you for your next steps, give you digital badges and, more importantly, confidence in your future direction.
- Our Career Zone assistants can help you with CV writing, interview techniques, careers research and assessments. They can help you source part-time work as they are aware of who is recruiting in the local area.
- We ensure that our offer is tailored to individual need and those with SEND.
Our Strategy and Policies
Our Careers Strategy has been formulated by the Careers Strategic group to ensure our students' personal development and to give them the tools for a successful future. We provide an effective careers programme that offers advice, experience and contact with employers to inspire learners and to help them make good choices.
Career resource links
Useful links to websites and resources which discuss careers.
