2) Get a summer job 💪

Working a summer job will allow you to develop highly transferrable skills for your career such as communication, teamwork and time management – all while building up some funds at the same time 💸You could become a shop assistant in your local supermarket, or even find a job stewarding at a music festival (if you’re over 18!). There are opportunities for under 16s as well – from babysitting and petsitting to dog walking or a paper round.

3) Learn a skill online 💻

There are loads of free online courses to teach you languages, coding and other great skills to put on your CV and impress employers. Providers often issue certificates for you to add to your CV – for example, this marketing on Instagram course on LinkedIn provides a shareable certificate which you can download as a pdf.

4) Research apprenticeships and uni courses 🔎

It’s never too early to start preparing for your next steps. Use our website to have a think about what you want to do in your career and explore the different ways of getting there, whether that’s a degree course, an apprenticeship or something else. Find out the programme requirements – Is there anything missing from your CV that you can develop before you start your applications? If you’re heading into Year 13, start booking onto uni open days and contact employers with any questions you have.

5) Review your choices 🤔

Whether you’re starting an apprenticeship, off to uni or have just picked your A-levels/equivalent or GCSEs, it’s not too late to change your mind. Think about the direction you want to go in – is the choice you’ve made the best way to get there? More importantly, does it feel right to you?