Care leavers – education, training and employment

16-18 year olds – education and employment options

Further education

At 16 years old, the Virtual School will assign a virtual school personal adviser to support you with further education, training and employment. They will work with you until you're 18.

They will:

attend your Year 11 Personal Education Plan (PEP) review meetings

advise you on financial matters relating to education / training or employment

monitor your attendance and progress, if you have given permission

give advice and progress updates to your carers and other professionals working with you

advise on careers and postgraduate courses.

18 years plus – education and employment options

Services for Young People can provide tailored advice, guidance and support for care leavers up to the age of 25. This includes:

careers guidance

CV writing

how to write applications

preparing for interviews

highlighting opportunities.

We also have an education panel that you can attend to request funding for bespoke learning, or when you can no longer fund education courses for free (around 19 years old).

Your leaving care personal adviser will assist you to complete an application to this panel. You will then be invited to attend the panel, which is chaired by the Virtual School 16+ team manager and a care leaver team manager. They will ask you a few questions about what you are requesting funding for, how this will help you in the future, and how you will support yourself through the course / learning. They will then decide whether your request can be funded or whether there are alternative avenues that can be accessed to pay for this.

Going to university

If you want to go to university, our Virtual School further education personal adviser offers workshops and advice by email, phone and social media about:

education options, including degree apprenticeships and study abroad
UCAS and CUKAS applications
managing budget, debt, and student finance applications, advocating on your behalf to universities and financial organisations
arranging student housing and resolving disputes extensions
deferring and gap year options
health and wellbeing, including referrals to specialists.

You can also get a higher education budget of up to £5,500 a year from our Virtual School to cover your education and maintenance costs.

Training and apprenticeships

You might be eager to start work and / or train while in employment. We work with several teams and organisations who will support you and your leaving care personal adviser to get you ready for employment, build your CV, give a practical view on supporting letters and support you to find opportunities that suit you.

Support for care leavers (Services for Young People)
Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal
Employment Support (Step2Skills)

Volunteering and other opportunities

Volunteering can make you feel good, give you mental stimulation and provide a sense of purpose. If you're struggling to find work or just don’t know what to do, volunteering is a great way to gain experience and prove commitment to future employers.

It can also give you connections that lead to paid work.You don't have to make a long-term commitment. Find an opportunity to suit you.

GoVolHerts – volunteering in Hertfordshire

Care Leaver Covenant – Connects

Hertfordshire became a signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant in May 2024. This was part of our commitment to expand education, employment and training opportunities and to make the lives of Hertfordshire care leavers better.

The Care Leaver Covenant runs a site called Connects, which shares opportunities and updates to care leavers nationally. All you have to do is sign up to get regular alerts.