Define Activity

Define begins with a group discussion, addressing the wealth of skills that are required for future academic and employment success. Students are encouraged to think about how certain courses/careers require different skills and to then identify how they may be developing these through their academic and extracurricular activities. Emphasis is placed on identifying skills that may not have a perceived connection to future goals, for example, how could the skills gained through GCSE Geography support a career in Nursing, allowing facilitators to make additional links between curriculum and careers.

To conclude, Define helps students to apply their understanding to their own personal ambitions, creating an action plan that will support their development throughout the next few years.

• Define is a holistic activity, addressing current skill levels, their ongoing development, and plans to ensure skills are strengthened in the future

• The group discussion and reflection elements allow students to understand how all their curriculum subjects work to support skills development and the potential for their current course portfolio to support their future ambitions in terms of both academic knowledge and skills

• Students will develop an appreciation for the need for different skills in different course/career areas. They will feel confident in their own strengths and in how they can apply these to their future ambitions

• Students will take a proactive approach to identifying their own skills gaps, taking steps to plan how these can be adequately addressed through a range of activities and used to evidence success in future college, UCAS and job applications

• Define is a complementary activity that can be delivered in conjunction with Why it Matters, you may also wish your students to complete this task