LEAVING SCHOOL

 

School Leaving Dates

If your 16th birthday falls on or between 1st SEPTEMBER and 1st JULY, you will be eligible to leave school on the 30th JUNE of that academic year.  If your 16th birthday falls on or between 2nd JULY and 31st AUGUST, you will have to wait until the 30th JUNE of the following year before you will be eligible to leave.

Advice Available 

You are advised to make an appointment to see a Careers Adviser at your Careers Office, JobCentre or Jobs and Benefits Office. You can find contact details for your nearest office by going to the Careers Service website www.careersserviceni.com and clicking on 'Find a Careers Office'. Your Careers Adviser will give you information about further education, jobs,training or refer you on to someone else if none of these options are best for you.

National Insurance Number

A plastic card showing your National Insurance number should be sent to you by post around the time of your 16th birthday. Keep the card carefully as you will need it when registering for work or when you start a job. If you lose your card or for some reason do not receive one, you should contact your nearest Social Security office.

Finding Work 

You may go straight into a job when you leave school but there are few employers who employ young people without any training. Vacancies for school leavers are normally advertised in The Belfast Telegraph, The Irish News or The Newsletter and may also appear in local newspapers. You should check all of these and also jobcentreonline.com during your last term in school. 

 
Opportunities in:-

Further Education

One of the main problems facing school leavers looking for work is that they have neither the qualifications nor the experience required by employers. School leavers can gain qualifications and experience at the Colleges/Institutes of Further Education or through training. 

If you decide that you would like to go to one of the colleges, you can make an appointment with a college tutor who will give you more in-depth information on the courses you are considering or you could talk to your Careers Adviser. 

Training

The Training for Success programme gives you the chance to experience different workplaces before you decide on what job you would like to do. To find out more speak to your Careers Adviser and also have a look at www.trainingforsuccess.info

The ApprenticeshipsNI programme offers apprenticeships in over 100 different occupational areas.All apprenticeships lead to National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) at Level 2 and/or Level 3.To find out more speak to your Careers Adviser and also have a look at www.apprenticeshipsNI.info

NVQs are assessed at various levels to show that a person is able to perform competently in a specified range of work-related tasks. Lead bodies, made up of employers and employee representatives, set the standards required for NVQs in their particular sector. Various assessment methods are used, with emphasis on candidates showing that they can perform tasks in the workplace or under similar conditions.