“There is no forbearing person who has not stumbled, nor is there a wise person who possesses no experience”
(Prophet Muhammad PBUH)
One of the core aims of London Islamic School is to prepare our students to be good British citizens who make positive contributions to their community. Consequently we have many strategies and projects in place to fully equip our students to fulfill this aim.
- Careers fairs, exhibitions and organizations are visited by students in order to provide them with a platform to question employers on routes to employment and choices. Annually they visit the Skills London fair in Excel, recent visits to companies include Bloomberg.
- Students complete a career plan to map their future which is discussed with careers advisors who carry out a suitability assessment framework which assesses their learner type, skills and personalities; this is then used to judge whether their choices match their personalities/abilities. We then arrange a Careers meeting with Parents who are informed of the route the student wishes to take, make necessary amendments and provided with guidance in supporting the student in reaching his destination after leaving our institute, all with a Islamic ethos and protection measures in mind.
- Workshops are conducted by the school and outside organizations, employers who aim to inspire the students to have high aspirations in life. ULU Outreach attend annually to deliver workshops on making the right choices, BTEC vs A-Levels and other relevant topics.
- Successful Muslims from the community who have graduated as Ulama and Huffaz as well as attaining degrees, masters and PHds attend to deliver workshops and speeches to inspire the students and act as role models to deliver the message that ’Muslims need to excel in both Islamic and Secular fields to be more of an effective community member’
Work experience arranged for year 10 students, is one of these projects which allows the students to explore the world of work and gain a taster to the necessary commitments, skills and attitudes required for future employment. In order to make this experience as effective and safe as possible, the following is done:
- Maintaining a close link between ourselves and our employer links.
- Necessary checks and vetting is carried out to make their experience as safe as possible.
- Students complete a work experience request form which is compared to their career plan so that we may find suitable placements that are related to the students’ industry choice for the future.
- To make the experience as effective as possible, students are provided with a ‘pro active approach to work related learning’ handbook which includes:
- Pre-work experience tasks – whereby students do various activities and tasks related to understanding the world of work, organisational planning for their placements and work skills assessment before commencing placement.
- During work experience tasks – whereby students are required to complete a list of induction tasks and a daily diary record of tasks which are signed off by the employer.
- Post work experience tasks – whereby students evaluate their experiences through formal discussions with staff, various activities in the handbook as well as a work skills assessment which is compared to the one done in the pre-work experience tasks to measure improvements.
These are just some of the strategies in place to make their career aspirations as high and effective to help meet our core aims. LIS is always working to enhance these further to make them as efficient as we can as well as expanding our links with employers. If you own, manage or work in an organisation that may be interested in helping us achieve our aims, please contact us.
Below are some of organisations where our pupils go for work experiences:
- Muslim Charities (Muslim Aid & Islamic Relief)
- Football Associations
- Doctors Surgery
- Printers / designers
- Supermarkets
- Estate Agents
- Garage / MOT Centre
- Youth Service
- Solicitors
- Driving School
- Primary / Secondary School (independent and maintained)
- TV Channels
- Retail Shops