This blog is designed to keep you up-to-date with Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG) available locally, nationally and through the school. I’ll be posting information about employment and training opportunities available locally as well as details of open days and useful websites. The world of education, employment and training opportunities is changing rapidly so keep checking in for the latest information.

Mr Cross


Friday 21 December 2012

Re-entering Education or Training at 18+

Re-entering the world of training at 18+ can be challenging as you may have to juggle work and education.  The Citizens' Advice Bureau has published a leaflet offering guidance to young people aged between 18 and 14 called Help Yourself.  Useful information about Student Finances from GOV.UK can be found here.

Thursday 20 December 2012

Advanced Apprenticeships in Aeronautics

Marshall Aerospace, in Cambridge, is currently offering a range of Advanced Level Apprenticeships in aeronautical engineering to applicants with 5 GCSEs at grade C and above, including English, Maths and Science. 
For more information, click here.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Apprenticeships in the East of England

Careers World lists a wide range of Apprenticeship opportunities available in the East of England in employment areas such as computing, engineering, retail and personal training.  Even if you aren't thinking of entering work and training in the immediate future, why not take a look at what's out there as an indication of what you could be doing when the time comes ? ...  If you're not sure what Apprenticeships are all about, click here for more information.

Monday 10 December 2012

More from MED-link

Workshop Conferences  -  the organisation behind MED-link and other courses for aspiring professionals  -  has announced a new course called Medisix which is aimed at 'young people who wish to enter the medical profession and become the doctors, dentists, nurses, radiographers, &c of the 21st century'.  The residential programme, scheduled for March 2013, consists of a range of modules and expert speakers aiming to provide 'the broadest possible understanding of the career possibilities in modern medicine'.  For more information, click on the links in this blog post or see the leaflets in the school Library and Sixth Form Common Room.

Friday 7 December 2012

Free lectures from the Royal Society of Medicine

The Royal Society of Medicine is offering a range of free lectures and careers day for students interested in pursuing Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  These include:
For further details, click the links above or see the leaflets in the school Library.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Entry routes into Accountancy, Finance and Business

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is offering entry into its Accountancy courses for post-GCSE and post-'A' level students as well as graduates.  These Apprenticeship-type courses include the ACA  ( Association of Chartered Accountants ) Qualification.  For more details, click here.

Monday 3 December 2012

What if Money didn't Matter...?

If you are not sure of your way ahead or how to fit together want you want to do and what you think you should do, have a look at this video clip or view it at YouTube.  It just might help ...

Monday 26 November 2012

Research claims that the key to career success is Self-Confidence


Research from the University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Sciences has revealed a strong correlation between confidence and occupational success.  As part of the pilot study, researchers interviewed more than 100 employees from large corporations in Melbourne, New York City and Toronto about their levels of confidence while in elementary school, high school, college and on the job.
 
Self Confidence

Those who self-reported higher levels of confidence earlier in school were earning better wages and were being promoted more quickly.  The research suggests that confident employees have more successful careers than their peers who aren't as self-assured.  The study's lead author, Dr Reza Hasmath, said the research demonstrates a crucial ingredient of workplace advancement.  “The secret to success at work doesn't seem to be about who you know, or even what you know, but how you feel about yourself,” he said.
 
Better Job Prospects

The survey found that confident people were more likely to be hired in the first place - and that this confidence begins in school.  Adults who were confident as children are more likely to be promoted to high-paid jobs. Dr Hasmath went on: "The findings imply that we should stress confidence-building activities at an early age. Such activities should be strongly encouraged both in formal schooling and within the family unit."  "The implications are tremendous in terms of the personality employers should look for when it comes to hiring or promoting staff," Hasmath said.
 
Confidence, Height & Looks

He went on to say that the findings also shed new light on previous studies that argued better-looking people were more likely to get ahead in the workplace, or that taller people earn higher salaries  "We now know it's actually higher confidence levels - which may be a by-product of attractiveness and height - which make all the difference," Hasmath said.
 

Thursday 22 November 2012

'Fashion Fusion' - free two-day courses for 16-18 year olds

The Fashion and Textiles Museum which is located in SE1, London, offers a range of exhibitions and courses related to media, creative design, art and fashion.  This December and January, they are offering free, two-day courses for 16 - 18 year-olds called Fashion Fusion, covering topics such as 'Fashion Sketchbook' and 'Fashion Career'.  Click here for booking details and course dates.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

One-day conferences in Law and Medicine for Year 9 &10 students

The Workshop-Conferences organisation, which runs a highly successful programme of residential careers workshops for Sixth Form students, has now extended its range of courses to include students in Years 9 & 10 and their parents.  They are run under the names MED-Link-X and Law-X and are scheduled to take place on Saturdays in January and February 2013 in London and Nottingham.  For more information, click on the links or get a leaflet from the school Careers Library.

Courses for future professionals

Workshop Conferences  -  the organisation behind MED-LINK courses  -  has announced a range of career-based courses and workshops for Year 12 & 13 students to take place this Winter and Spring.  The courses are residential and are based at the University of Nottingham.  They include the following titles:  Exploring Chemistry, Exploring Physiotherapy, Exploring Psychology, Exploring Journalism and Forensics:CSI.  For more information, see the poster and course brochures in the school Library.  For booking details, click here.

Friday 9 November 2012

Morrisby Careers Profiling

The Vocare company is offering to run the Morrisby Profile test in school for students in Years 10 to 12.  This is a series of tests lasting approximately three hours which the Morrisby organisation uses to generate a profile of an individual’s interests, abilities and aptitudes relevant to the world of work.  You can try some practice profile questions here. 
If there is sufficient interest, Vocare would run the tests in school on the morning of 15th February 2013 which is the INSET day before the Spring Half Term holiday.  If only a few Beaumont students wish to take the test, Vocare may offer them the opportunity to complete the profiling at another local school.  This letter and pamphlet from Vocare provide additional information about the Morrisby Profile.  If you wish your child to undertake the profiling, please return the slip to me at school as an expression of interest.  No payment is required at this time but should the process proceed, cheques should be made payable to ‘Vocare’.
The school has hosted Morrisby Profiling in previous years and students and their parents have valued the outcomes but please note that Vocare is a private company and not part of Beaumont School.  Several organisations offer free, on-line, basic skills profiling tests, some of which can be accessed through this blog …

Thinking about 'A' level courses?

Youth Connexions has compiled a list of careers with the GCSE and 'A' level courses which best suit entry into them.  Click here to view the list.  This can be compared with the Russell Group's guidance on what they call 'facilitating subjects'  -  those which they believe provide the widest access to courses at their universities.  These can be found in their booklet Informed Choices

Wednesday 7 November 2012

'Inspiration for Your Career'

The i-could website offers you the opportunity to 'discover your potential' with a range of interactive features, including questionnaires and videos and a 'careers wizard'.  You can take the 'Buzz Test' to find out which careers suit your personality type and see how well you cope with a virtual working life by playing the 'Me Tycoon' game ...

A Parent's Guide to Careers ...

Confused about how to help your child choose a course or career path?  The Times Educational Supplement operates a careers guidance website  -  Growing Ambitions  -  which provides a very useful overview for students and parents of the wide range of pathways into employment, training and higher education available to young people.

The Apprenticeship Guide 2013

The Apprenticeship Guide provides advice for young people about how to apply for an Apprenticeship, including guidance on creating a CV and how to write a covering letter for your application.  It also contains lots of information, including case studies, about over 150 different types of Apprenticeship, divided into 15 different areas, such as Beauty, Media, Business & IT, Construction and Sport.  The 2013 edition of the guide is available in the Careers Reference section of the school Library.

Guidance on transition to the Sixth Form

There is a 'Post-16 Pathways' Evening for Year 11 students and their parents taking place on Thursday 8th November, 2012.  This will provide further information about the transition process and entry requirements for joining the BeauSandVer Consortium Sixth Form.  Students from 11L, E or A should attend the meeting held at Beaumont at 7.00 p.m.  Students from 11R, N or S should attend the meeting held at Sandringham at 8.00 p.m.

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Which University?

The Which organisation runs a website which can help you to choose a university.  Its 'smart search' tool allows you to investigate up to 30 000 different courses; you can compare courses by criteria such as entry requirements and student satisfaction and there's also additional guidance on university life and the application process. 
To visit the Which university? site, click here.

Monday 22 October 2012

Careers Guide for LGBT Students

Stonewall has produced its latest careers guide for lesbian, gay and bisexual students called Starting Out.  It is the only national guide of its kind and features 425 of the members of Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme.  There are copies available in the school Library but it can be also accessed on-line here.  Stonewall has also produced a Proud Employers website, featuring companies who believe that 'when it comes to attracting the best people, sexual orientation is no barrier'.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

MED-link and VET-link Courses announced

The University of Nottingham is holding MED-link and VET-MED-link four-day courses this December for sixth form students thinking of studying Medicine or Vetinary Science at university.  Further overnight conferences include 'Exploring Chemistry' and there is also 'Exploring Physiotherapy'.  Dates and further details are available from the school Library as well as here.

Thursday 11 October 2012

New Careers Guidance website

There are lots of Careers Guidance websites out there, many of them are free and are posted elsewhere in this blog. [ Look under the 'Careers Guidance' and 'General information' labels. ]  All About Careers claims to be just that.  There's an interactive Careers Test to get you thinking about what path you'd like to follow as well as useful 'Search' tools for jobs and information.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

College Open Evening dates 2012-13

Oaklands College has announced its Open Evening dates for the current academic year.  These will be taking place in November, February and April at the St Albans and Welwyn Garden City campuses.  For full details of dates and locations, click here.  A speaker from Oaklands will also attend the Year 11 'Moving On' evening, 7.00 p.m. Tuesday 23rd October 2012, to explain the courses on offer at the College and also to handle enquiries from individual pupils and parents.

Friday 5 October 2012

Ever thought of going to Uni in Australia or New Zealand?

In the school Library is a new booklet  -  the Guide 2013  -  which claims to contain 'everything you need to know about applying to a university in Australia and New Zealand', including 'Seven good reasons to study overseas' ...

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Visit a Construction site ...

An Open Doors Weekend is taking place on the 9th and 10th November, 2012.  This provides pupils and parents with the opportunity to visit construction sites and new buildings in the local area and beyond.  It's advertised as 'an opportunity to witness first-hand the scale and complexity of major construction developments' as well as 'a chance to see behind the scenes of one of the UK's leading and innovative industries'. 
To get involved and find a site to visit in this area click here

Pathways to a career in Law

The College of Law has set up a free Future Lawyers Network which includes careers advice as well as details of its '10 Steps to being a top lawyer', working as either a solicitor or as a barrister.  There's also a 'Future Lawyers Challenge' interactive quiz where you arere posed a series of law-based problems.  Check out the website here or get details from the posters on display in the Library.

Monday 1 October 2012

New resources from CareersWorld

Open Doors and The Regional Training Prospectus have joined forces to become CareersWorld.  They have produced a detailed magazine with up-to-date advice on training, education and employment as well as a 330 page manual  -  What Apprenticeship 2012/13.  Both of these resources are available from the Careers section of the school library.

Thursday 27 September 2012

Higher Apprenticeships in Law

A new Higher Apprenticeship in Legal Services will soon be available for young people who wish to work in the legal sector.  This will give you the opportunity to develop a career in law without having to attend university.  In other words, you can begin a legal career straight after you have completed your 'A' levels.  For more information about this Apprenticeship choice and the skills required, click here.

New Careers Guidance software


CASCAID has launched a new software package - Kudos Inspire - to help young people identify and map out possible careers pathways. All Beaumont pupils are able to access this software at home from the CASCAID website. Year 10 pupils should already have CASCAID accounts ( although it’s easy to create new ones if they’ve forgotten their details ). To create a new account, users should click on one of the icons at the bottom of the web-page. The Licence Code for Beaumont pupils has been sent to all signed-up parents by ParentMail. Please contact the school if you have not got access to the Licence Code. We have a licence for Kudos Inspire, Kudos and the Careerscape software packages and the same user details should work for all three applications.

'Go Compare' for universities launched

Students are to be given officially-approved key information about university courses, with details of how much it will cost, teaching hours and how much they are likely to earn.  This online information is aimed at giving consumer-friendly advice for students facing higher tuition fees.  Every one of the 31,000 higher education courses in the UK will carry a link to these "key information sets".  Rather like price comparison websites for financial services, students will be able to draw up their own lists of possible courses and compare them according to a range of preferences - such as tuition fee, the cost of housing or the satisfaction ratings of existing students  [ source BBC.co.uk ].  To visit the 'UniStats' website, click here.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Careers Conferences for aspiring Doctors and Lawyers

Epoc Careers Conferences organises events for students who want to become doctors or lawyers. These events are designed to help you to maximise your chances of being accepted into the university and profession of your choice.  They also aim to help you to decide whether medicine or law is the career for you and 'make the very best UCAS application you can'.  For course details and booking information, click here.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Considering an Apprenticeship?

future-talent.com is a national resource for 15-19 year olds. It's free to use and features apprenticeships, entry level jobs, courses, sponsored degrees and more.  It showcases opportunities from local training providers, small and medium enterprises and multinational companies who are all keen to work with young people and nurture budding talent.
Sign up here.

Monday 17 September 2012

On-line Careers & Course Guidance

'BestCourse4Me' is a free and independent website which offers impartial advice and guidance for students from Year 9 to Year 13 about course and university options.  As well as "How to..." video guides on a range of topics, it has useful information about the actual 'A' level grades that UK universities have accepted for each course as well as independently verified statistics on the outcomes for graduates from different institutions.

Sunday 16 September 2012

'Graduate employment gulf revealed'

An article in The Independent reports that more than one fifth of graduates at some of England's universities failed to find work after graduating last Summer.  New statistics reveal that the institution a student attends does have an impact on their future prospects, with graduates facing differing chances depending on where they studied.  Read the full article here.

Thursday 13 September 2012

Advice for Parents

ParentAdviser is a free website which aims to provide impartial advice to parents about Higher Education, University and other options for their children at 16+ and 18+. Topics include Gap Years, Finances and how to choose the right course.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

So You Want to be a Doctor? (Part 2) ...

Advanced Topics on Medicine (ATOM) are offering Career Development and UCAS Preparation Days as well as a BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) Preparation day aimed at students in Years 11, 12 and 13.  For details of dates, venues and costs, click here.

Friday 7 September 2012

Life Sciences showcase at the University of Herts

The University of Hertfordshire's School of Life and Medical Sciences is hosting an event to showcase its work on Tuesday 18th September, between 4.30 and 7.00 p.m.  It's FREE and open to everyone.  There will be a range of activities associated with areas of Bioscience, Geography, Environmental and Sports Sciences, focusing on the 2012 Science Week theme of 'The World in Motion'.  Further details can be found here.

Choosing a university

New research published in the Guardian reports that students continue to choose universities based on reputation rather than the quality of teaching or cost of courses.  For the full article, click here.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Careers in Sport & Exercise Conferences

Careers in Sport have teamed up with Sports Coach UK, the Football Association, News Associates and BASES accredited members to deliver you career guidance.  The conferences are FREE and suitable for 16-19 yr old school/college students and anyone seeking to expand their knowledge and understanding of career and training options in the industry. 
For dates, venues and further details, click here.

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Careers at TESCO information evening

Tesco's Commercial Division is offering "fast track" career opportunities in Buying and Merchandising.  These are aimed at school leavers with 240+ UCAS points and GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above.  It is hosting an Open Evening on Tuesday 11th September at their Welwyn Garden City Head Office for parents and students who are interested.  For full details, click here or visit the Commercial Development Programme website.

Monday 3 September 2012

Information & Guidance "drop-ins"

Jackie Duffy, our Youth Connexions Personal Adviser, is available for 1:1 chats about your future choices: jobs, courses, university, College, whatever's on your mind!  She'll be in the Careers Library (off the main Library) Tuesday lunchtimes, starting on 11th Sept. 

Monday 27 August 2012

Choosing Your 'A' levels

The three rules for choosing your 'A' level subjects are: Ability, Interest and Utility. 
1) You need to have the ablity to study the subject and achieve in it at the level you require for university or employment;
2) You need to have an interest in what you're studying to sustain your effort over two years;
3) If you have a particular course or career in mind, you'll need the necessary 'A' level subjects to meet the entry criteria.  If you're not sure what these are, you can get additional guidance from The Russell Group's Informed Choices booklet and from the UCAS Course Finder website.

Thursday 16 August 2012

The "do"s and "don't"s of UCAS Clearing

The Guardian has published a useful list of advice of what to say and what not so say when you are calling the UCAS Clearing help-line.  You can find it here.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Need a 'Plan C'?



If your GCSE or 'A' level results are not what you expected, here are some options to consider:
  • Talk to staff on Results Day:  Mr DeKort and Miss McCrorie are experts in everything to do with the Sixth Form and the UCAS process.  Mr DeKort will also be in school between 10.00am and 1.00pm on Friday 17th  to give advice and help with problems.
  • Jackie Duffy, our Youth Connexions PA, will also be available in school on Results Days.  Either speak to her there or contact her directly  ( details posted elsewhere in this blog )
  • Talk to Mrs Colls ( the Exams Officer ) if you want to request a re-mark or a paper to be returned.  There is a form to fill in for this, available in school on Results Days.
  • Phone the university or college you have applied to.  Try to speak to Admissions but remember, they will  be very busy!
  • Go on-line to ChannelMogo for advice and information.  There's a special 1:1 web-chat service from 10.00am to midday on Friday 17th for 'A' levels and Friday 24th for GCSE related queries.
  • Look through the posts on this blog for a full range of sources of advice and information about your next steps in education, training or employment.
Most of all, don't panic!  Take advice, think through your options and act decisively.

Friday 3 August 2012

Top marks for Year 10 Work Experience!

After their week’s Work Experience last term, Year 10 students were asked to complete a self-review evaluation sheet where they rated eleven statements on a 1 – 5 scale between ‘Completely agree’ and ‘Completely disagree’.  Looking at their responses, 86% of students either strongly or completely agreed that they had enjoyed their placements.  In reviewing how their work-related skills had developed as a result of their Work Experience, students rated even more highly how they had learned to work with adults they did not previously know and their ability to cope with new situations.  Furthermore, 80% of students either strongly or completely agreed that they had learned about what it is like to be employed and that they had increased in confidence, become more independent and learned new skills.

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Employment & Training Opportunities for School Leavers

The ChannelMogo website, part of Youth Connexions, has a special section which lists dozens of local employers who offer employment and training opportunities, including Apprenticeships.  Click here for more information.  You can search sections such as the Armed Forces, Business & Management, Construction, Engineering, Finance & Accountancy, I.T., Retail and Travel & Leisure.  Remember, our Connexions PA, Jackie Duffy, is available in school and on exams results days and she continues to work with our school leavers after they have left Beaumont.  You can get in touch with her via the school or via her direct e-mail:  Jackie.Duffy@hertscc.gov.uk

Thursday 26 July 2012

Free courses in Dance and Sports Leadership

Pro-Action Herts is offering a range of free courses in areas such as Dance and Sports Leadership to young people aged 13+ at local venues.  The courses are at Levels 1 and 2 and do not require entry qualifications.  Some courses involve students doing voluntary work, for example, in school or local clubs.  Pro-Action Herts runs several courses through the year, all during the school holidays.

"Yes" to 'A' levels but "No" to Uni?

Large employers such as TESCO offer commercial training programmes in areas such as Merchandising and Buying for post-'A' level students.  Click here for more information.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Need a "Plan B"?

It's not too late to consider an application to College.  Oaklands is holding Open Days at the end of August so if your results aren't what you'd hoped for, you can make alternative plans.  Jackie Duffy, from Youth Connexions will be available to talk to on GCSE results day and she can explain the types of courses available and guide you through the application process.

Wednesday 11 July 2012

What is a Russell Group university?

The Russell Group, in their own words, 'represents 20 [soon to be 24] leading UK universities which are committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and unrivalled links with business and the public sector'.  They have published an influential guide to choosing post-16 courses called Informed Choices which includes advice about which 'A' levels are most preferred or required for particular degree courses as well as information about the 'facilitating subjects' they feel provide the greatest access to university study.

Looking for a course to study?

You can search the UCAS Progress website for a wide range of 16+, Further and Higher Education (university) courses.  You can select by location or course type.  You can download a quick guide to using the site here.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

GCSE Results Day Support

Jackie Duffy, our Connexions Personal Adviser, will be available in the Assembly Hall from 10.00 a.m. on GCSE Results Day  -  Thursday 23rd August to offer you help after you've received your GCSE results.  Talk to her if you need advice about a College application or if you are reconsidering your 'A' level options and want to know how this might affect your future university or job choices.

Work Experience in Cancer Research

Clare Hall Laboratories, part of Cancer Research UK, are offering a week's Work Experience over Autumn Half Term.  This opportunity is open to students in Years 11 - 13.  Details of the project are available here and you can download a copy of the application form here
Alternatively, click here to go to the Cancer Research Outreach website.

Friday 29 June 2012

Herts Jobs 16-19 on Twitter

You can receive Tweets from Youth Connexions about job vacancies available locally.  Sign up here  Alternatively, you can search the Herts 16-19 Job-Search Database.