Careers Service

Petroc’s Careers Service provides impartial, objective and person-centred careers guidance to its students. The range of careers services at both of Petroc’s campuses includes 1:1 careers guidance appointments, paper-based and digital careers resources, and careers workshops. Find out more:

• • 1:1 careers guidance appointments
  • Further Education careers resources
  • Higher Education careers resources

You will also have the opportunity to attend our Careers and Apprenticeship Events, join our Apprenticeship Talent Pool and, if on a Level 3/A level course, and interested in progressing to university, take a trip out to the UCAS Discovery Event at Westpoint.

Course Advice: If you are considering studying at Petroc but need more course information, or you are unsure of which course to choose, our friendly Advice and Guidance Team are on hand to help you. You can contact them at guidancecentre@petroc.ac.uk.

Careers Guidance: Petroc is working with a local National Careers Service careers adviser to provide adult careers guidance. You are welcome to contact Petroc’s Careers Service, but depending upon your enquiry there may be a referral to the National Careers Service (with your consent). Please contact careers@petroc.ac.uk for more information.

At Petroc, we recognise that leaving school is a big step to make; it can be challenging choosing a course or understanding your options. Petroc’s Careers Service is here to help in the following ways:

• 1:1 careers guidance appointment: Petroc’s careers adviser will provide guidance on decisions about courses, university and career planning. Before booking a careers guidance appointment, please complete the Post-16 Choices tool mentioned above. Book a careers appointment.
• Open Days/Evenings: Petroc’s careers adviser will be available to answer your questions during our open events.

Parents, carers and guardians are some of the key influencers on a young person’s career decisions. Petroc provides support through termly careers newsletters as well as information on our Careers Central website.

As a parent, carer or guardian, we would welcome your involvement in our careers programme, this could include offering a talk about your own career journey, your job or your business. If you would like to find out more, please complete this form.

Petroc’s Careers Service works with local employers in the following ways:

• Industry talks: Petroc very much values the experience and expertise of employers, and the positive impact this can have on the future career decisions of its students. If you would like to find out more about delivering a virtual talk, or on-site presentation, please complete this form. 
• Careers/Employability/Apprenticeship Fairs: Petroc hosts careers fairs where students can meet local employers to find out more about their business, apprenticeships and job opportunities. If you would like to participate in future events, please complete this form. 

Petroc ensures its careers provision is up to date and of high quality by following the Gatsby Careers Benchmarks, the Matrix standard, and staff undergo regular training. It is also a member of the Careers Development Institute.

Petroc is also a member of the North and Mid Devon Careers Network, which brings together Careers Leaders from member secondary schools.

We assess the impact of our Careers Programme by measuring our standards against the Gatsby Careers Benchmarks, seeking feedback from our stakeholders. This informs our annual evaluation which is due in June 2025.