Attending SMB College Group is about more than just completing your course - we want to help you achieve your full potential and get the skills you need for your dream career.
SMB College Group has been accredited to the Matrix Standard, demonstrating high-quality training to their students. The Matrix Standard, owned by the Department of Education, is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice, and/or guidance (IAG). Head of the Matrix Service said: “ With their accreditation success, the SMB College Group is working to provide the best possible support to their students.”
As well as dedicated teams for Careers, Apprenticeships and Work Placements, we also have our i-SMB virtual backpack. You can find out more on each of these areas below.
Click here to read the CareerMag for Parents, Carers and Guardians.
Check out this Aspire Guide 2022/23 , deisgned to help you understand the wide variety of educational options open to you when you leave school or college!
The Careers and Employability team can help provide guidance on career choices, as well as information on job opportunities or options for further study.
The team can:
- Organise work placements to help you develop your employability skills
- Offer support when applying for employment, including:
- CV writing
- Job applications
- Preparing for interviews
- Provide help with UCAS information and applications to university
- Provide help with finding, and applying for, apprenticeship vacancies
For advice about this service contact:
Careers and Work Experience: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or complete the enquiry form below.
i-SMB is an opportunity for SMB College Group students to collect a wide range of evidence to support their lifelong journey in education and future career. To help you do this, we want you to collect ‘backpacks’ - allowing you to store certificates, CVs, letters and college materials in your very own virtual space, keeping everything in one place during your time at college and beyond.
There is plenty of scope during your time at SMB College Group to complete many different things both in and out of the classroom. We have online materials which will issue you a certificate, photo opportunities of you engaging in enterprise, and work placement and project opportunities - all of which employers would love to see!
This online space will enable you to save all your achievements in an online folder that you can access even after you’ve left college. Helping you to be work ready.
You can find a full list of our current apprenticeship vacancies here
Or you can talk to one of the apprenticeship team by calling 01530 519 001 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
SMB College Group’s commitment to your Careers Programme:
To inspire, inform and guide each and every student on career opportunities and pathways with the ultimate objective to prepare you for a positive and sustainable career – whether that is via University, Further or Higher Education, direct into Employment or an Apprenticeships or to start your own Business.
SMB embed careers and employer engagement activity into your programme of study and follow the well-recognised Gatsby Benchmark: Career Guidance in FE
Your programme of study will include various activities to enable you to achieve your intended destination. The support and opportunities will include:
- Careers and Work Experience expectations and guidance during Induction
- Introduction to Grofar - to record your career and work experience activities and access to online activities to support your career progression
- 1-1 Careers IAG to enable you to understand requirements to achieve your intended destination
- Career advice during parent’s evening
- An insight into Careers (from employers linked to your course)
- Preparation for Work Experience
- Career Drop in session at the Learning Resource Centres (LRC) – available at each Campus
- UCAS progression awareness sessions, including application and personal statement support, understanding of student finance
- UCAS and HE career fair open day attendance
- UCAS interview preparation and understanding the UCAS ‘clearing process’
- Careers and Job Fairs at each Campus
- Apprenticeship Awareness sessions
Embedding employer encounters and employability into your programme of study is a key aspect of your experience at SMB to enable you to truly understand the potential career opportunities that will be available to you, this will include (but not limited to):
- Insight into Industry events
- CV sessions
- Mock interviews
- Industry/work placements
- Employer talks and guest speakers
- Industry visits
- Employer led projects
- Maths and English workshops
- Entrepreneurial activity
In addition to this, throughout the academic year we acknowledge and celebrate key national career events, which are promoted and supported through The Careers & Enterprise Company.
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Global Enterprise Week |
18 – 24 November 2022
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National Apprenticeship Week
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6 - 12 February 2023 |
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National Careers Week
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6 – 11 March 2023
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Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service