Vicky Tuck, Principal of Cheltenham Ladies College, launches our regular column from the Head's office.

The dust has settled on this year's A level results, the new academic year is underway and, at the top end of the school, attention is back focused on supporting our girls in making ambitious and informed choices. When I was at school, ambition was regarded as somehow unfeminine. Today, I keenly foster what I consider a healthy sense of ambition.

With the world of work fast-changing, globalised, much more mobile, less hierarchical and highly digitalised, we cannot be sure what jobs will exist in 30 years' time when today's teenagers might expect to be in senior positions. We have to think about what we should be doing in schools to give them the best chance of succeeding. To be successful they'll need: intellectual flexibility, self-confidence and a strong sense of self-worth; emotional stability and stamina; the ability to show initiative, take risks and responsibility, exercise judgement and communicate well. It is essential that schools like ours provide ample opportunities to build up these skills and attributes.

At Cheltenham we took a long hard look at our careers and higher education service, asking the girls for their input too. Their emphasis was on securing work placements and engaging in worthwhile initiatives that will enhance their career prospects. As a result we are setting up a new Professional Guidance Centre. It will be led by someone who has enjoyed a successful first career in industry as an engineer and who is keen that women are aware of and use their great potential. It will provide more opportunities for participation in international work placements and projects but, most importantly, the Centre will work with staff across College to enrich the programme of activities which develop each girl's skills and confidence.

A life is more than just a career (or a series of careers) and a career is more than just going out to work. Many of the young people I work with understand this perfectly. They look at their parents working crazy hours and think: I am not sure that's for me.

Maynard School in Exeter recently surveyed their alumnae, posing two questions: What are you doing now in terms of career? What are you doing to give back to society? Responses from women showed incredible enterprise, spirit and conviction. For me, these questions sum up what must be the values of our schools: be ambitious for yourselves and find ways to make a difference.