Introducing Career Compass Leeds
Last week, I was honoured to co-host the launch of the exciting new Career Compass Leeds alongside the brilliant Kate O’Connell.
Back at the beginning of 2023, I was asked by the team at Leeds Health and Care Academy if I would like to co-chair a steering group for a new project that would be developing a ‘Career Exploration Tool’ for people interested in a career in health and care.
At Thrive by Design our mission is to improve people’s access to digitally enabled health and care, so supporting the development of a tool to improve people’s access to careers in health and care felt like a great fit.
There was also a second, more personal motive that made the decision to take on the role easy. Like many people, the job I have now is not something I ever set out to do. In fact, I didn’t know that my role was even a thing when I was growing up. Throughout education, I was always pointed towards traditional vocations, so the opportunity to help shape a platform to help people understand how their strengths and interests relate to the wide variety of career opportunities available to them was one I couldn’t turn down.
Fast forward 18 months to last Wednesday, standing at the front of a packed auditorium at Leeds City College, introducing the new Career Compass Leeds platform, I felt a sense that we were launching something really special.
Career Compass Leeds
The Career Compass Leeds homepage
Career Compass Leeds is a person-centered digital navigation platform that aims to inform, inspire and open doors to diverse careers in the Leeds Health and Social Care sector.
Building on individual preferences and interests, people are encouraged to explore the wide range of education opportunities and careers in Leeds which best match their own skills, circumstances and aspirations.
It’s an open-access resource for the people of Leeds including:
Students and young people
Anyone looking to start a career in the health and care sector in Leeds
Existing health and care professionals looking for a new challenge
Career advisors, employment services, student advisors and teachers.
Career Compass Leeds details information about more than 100 different roles that exist within the city’s health and care workforce. Ranging from key roles such as nurses and care assistants to the less well known such as pathologist, lawyer, chef, debt advisor and volunteer coordinator.
The platform guides you to complete a quiz of 30 questions designed by an occupational psychologist to identify you preferences and interests. The answers are used to suggest roles that you are well matched to, and you’re invited to find out more. There is then the opportunity to identify and log practical next steps to progress your career exploration based on the information provided by the platform.
The launch event last week was our opportunity to release the platform to the world but also a chance to reflect on the incredible work that has gone into the development over the last 18 months.
The team at Leeds Health and Care Academy have worked tirelessly in partnership with organisations including Leeds City College, Healthwatch, Youthwatch and Leeds Youth Forum to engage with over 500 young people across the city through co-design and testing activities. And our friends at HMA have been the perfect partner to help bring their ideas to life.
So now you know about it, it’s your turn to start using Career Compass Leeds and telling everyone you know about it.
