Apprenticeship Guide 2014

The 2014 Apprenticeship Guide has just been published and is available in the Reference section of the school's Careers Library.  The guide contains lots of advice about how to apply to an Apprenticeship as well as information about the range of training courses available.  Anyone considering alternatives to Further and Higher Education would be well advised to look through this guide ...

Higher Education: Face the Stats!

Going to university is a typical aim for 16-18 year olds:  49.3% of young people entered Higher Education last year (BIS, 2012) and with good reason.  More than a quarter of UK jobs are 'graduate only', up from around one in ten in the mid 1980s [ The Institute of Education Skills & Employment survey, 2012 ].  But university is expensive. According to a survey by the National Union of Students this year, the average cost of a student room has gone up by 25% over the past three years.

 

What about after university?  Currently, 22% of male graduates and 15% of female graduates move back home after completing university.  According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), there were 3.2 million 20-34 year-olds living with their parents in 2011.  This is a 20% increase on the number in 1997.  Returning "home" is often the choice of graduates entering internships.  Becoming an intern is now seen as a shortcut to employment and 60% of paid internships lead to at least one job offer ( compared to 37% of unpaid internships ).

 

According to an ONS survey, having a degree can add £12 000 to your potential salary.  However, the same organisation has recently published data showing that half of graduates are in non-graduate jobs.

 

Suffice it to say, staying in education and training is essential to maximise your choices and flexibility in employment.  Just make sure you weigh up the facts and seek out informed and impartial advice in making your choices.  The quick links top left might be a useful start ...

Interested in a career in Arts management?

The Inspire to Aspire Academy (ITA) is running an ambassador programme for 16-19 year olds for the Heart of Flame Festival 2014.  The application process has just opened and will close on the 10th December 2013. The programme will start in January/February and will run through until July. The ITA describes the benefits of being part of the ambassador team for 2014 as 'enormous'; all ambassadors will receive an emergency first aid at work qualification along with either a Bronze, Silver or Gold Arts Award (Gold Awards are worth 35 UCAS Points).  In addition ambassadors, get 'an amazing work experience opportunity of running their own event, making their own promotion video/documentary and work on professional events'.

Ambassador opportunities are as follows:   

· Producing - Film and/or Events

· Event Management

· Stage Management

· Marketing

· Film Production

Ambassadors will meet on a weekly basis either on a Saturday or Monday Evening at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, to complete the Arts Award along with other courses, in addition to workshops on their chosen job area.  All skills developed look great on UCAS applications as well as CVs. 'The best way to learn is to do in the arts industry, ITA try to make this possible wherever we can'.

Click here for further information.

'Moving On' Careers Day: 12.11.13

All Year 11 students will be attending the Moving On Curriculum Enrichment Day on Tuesday 12th November which includes a "Careers Fair" in the Assembly Hall.  This will last from 8.30 - 11.00 a.m.  Sixth Form students who are available are also welcome to attend as the organisations involved include representatives from universities, employers in areas such as engineering, broadcasting and marketing and professions such as medicine, accountancy and law.  For a full list, click here.

New funding announced for Traineeships

An extra £20m is being made available to the Government’s new Traineeships programme to support even more young people into Apprenticeships and other jobs.  Traineeships, which began in August, provide 16 to 23-year-olds with the skills, experience and confidence to compete in the labour market  –  helping them secure Apprenticeships or other jobs.  More than 500 providers have pledged to take on trainees this year and so far 150 companies, both large and small, have all expressed an interest in offering placements to young people. They include household names such as BAE Systems, Siemens and Virgin Media. 

 

Traineeships last a maximum of 6 months and provide:

• work preparation training such as interview preparation and CV writing
• support to improve English and maths skills
• a high-quality work experience placement (between 6 weeks and 5 months)
• training from providers who are rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by Ofsted

Apprenticeships are on the increase

More people than ever before are taking part in an Apprenticeship, according to figures released by the Government last month.  Nearly 860,000 people were on an Apprenticeship in 2012-13 with the "gold standard" of Higher and Advanced levels attracting record levels of apprentices.  The data also shows that there were over 1.5 million apprenticeship starts since 2010.

Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said:

'These figures show that a record 858,900 people participated in apprenticeships last year, which is almost 370,000 more than in 2009-10.  This is good news for the economy and good news for those getting the skills they need to prosper.  There are now more options than ever before with a focus on the quality and rigour that people and employers want from apprenticeships.'

Higher Apprenticeships  are now at the highest level they have ever been, while the participation in Advanced Level apprenticeships has increased by more than 50,000.

 

[ Source: gov.co.uk ]

Oaklands College Open Evenings

Oaklands College has two Open Evenings next month to which students and their parents are invited to talk to Tutors and view what courses are on offer.  Both evenings run from 5.00 - 8.00 p.m.  St Albans Campus is open on Tuesday 12th November and the Welwyn Garden City Campus is open on Wednesday 13th November.  For information about what courses are on offer and the campus where they are based, click here.