Current shortage occupations

The list of the 10 occupations where, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and industry data, worker shortages are among the most acute are

• HGV drivers - 100,000+

• Nurses - 79,123

• Programmers and software development professionals - 68,929

• Care workers and home carers - 49,751

• Primary and nursery education teaching professionals - 30,574

• Chefs - 29,996

• Sales and retail assistants - 26,183

• Cleaners & domestics - 24,148

• Metal working production and maintenance fitters - 19,748

• Carpenters and joiners - 6,364

The jobs covered by the government's approved list currently include all health professionals, vets, architects, engineers, scientists and orchestral musicians.

UCAS has announced how T levels, due to be introduced from September 2020, are to be graded. T-levels contain a mixture of classroom learning and "on-the-job" experience, including a placement in the workplace of at least 315 hours. Candidates will be awarded one of four overall grades, ranging from Distinction* to a Pass. They will also get a nationally recognised certificate which will show their overall grade and a breakdown of what they have achieved across the T-level programme.

Apprenticeship opportunities at Ferrari and Amazon

Ferrari has announced that all twelve of the UK’s official Ferrari Dealers will be holding an “Open Day” at their aftersales facilities to showcase Apprenticeships opportunities. Each Dealer will be inviting students from selected local schools to visit the workshop and learn about Ferrari technology and potential job opportunities. Candidates will need at least 5 GCSEs. The following roles are available: 

Service Technician – 3 year Apprenticeship

Service Adviser – 2 year Apprenticeship
Parts Adviser – 2 year Apprenticeship.

Amazon has announced plans to create over 1,000 Apprenticeships over the next two years. Nine different programmes, lasting between 13 months and four years will be on offer, ranging from IT, safety and HR through to software engineering, robotics, leadership and technology. Over 90 new Amazon Bachelors and Masters degree-level Apprentices will also be available, focused on software development engineering, senior leadership and automation.

Degree Apprenticeships at Herts Uni

The University of Hertfordshire is currently advertising Degree Level Apprenticeships in Business Admin and IT at Vauxhall and Software Engineering at Sagoss Ltd. The fifteen Business Administration and I.T. Apprenticeship opportunities will be based at Vauxhall in Luton and will combine degree level academic study at the University of Hertfordshire with job-related learning and experience within the car-manufacturing industry. Find out more here.

Good news for graduate employment

The latest leavers’ survey found that the proportion of graduates in work or further study is at a record high, with more going into professional jobs. Overall, 90% of graduates were in work or further study sixth months after graduation. 71% of those are in work roles which are classed as 'professional employment', a rise of 3 percentage points on the previous year. 

The survey also found that the gender gap in pay was increasing, with men in work having a mean salary of £24k compared to £21k for women, the gender gap in the previous year was £2,000. The highest unemployment rate was in Computer Science, 10%, although this has fallen from 14% in 2011/12. The highest employment rate was Dentistry and Medicine, both of whom had 1% unemployment. This is the penultimate leavers’ survey, as the intent is to use employment information from national data sets in the future, which will be far more accurate. The effect of Brexit on graduate prospects will not be known until next year.  [ source: CES newsletter ]

Need a "Plan B"?

If your GCSE results were not what you expected and you need to re-think your options, DON'T PANIC, help is at hand! There are lots of things you can do. Start by reading this ...

• Talk to someone at school. Senior Staff will be available in school on Results Day (Thursday 25th August, 9.00-11.00am.) and you can book an appointment to speak to someone to get advice about what you can do next, for example, if you need to change your Sixth Form courses.
• Talk to our Youth Connexions Personal Adviser, Claire Blanchard. She will be in school on Results Day and you can also contact her through the St Albans Youth Connexions website. She can work with you on a late application to College or help you with other pathways such as entering employment, training or an Apprenticeship. 
• If you have an offer from College but need to change course or your level of entry visit Oaklands on Results Day and talk to the tutors there  - they are expecting visits from potential students.
• Visit the Youth Connexions "one stop shop" in Catherine Street. You can find out the details here. It will be open on and after Results Day  -  details here.
• Think about an Apprenticeship. You can find all the information you need at Apprenticeships.gov. You simply fill in your details - like a mini CV - and then you can search the opportunities available and applying is easy as your information is stored.
• Think about applying to Oaklands College. They have Open Days this month for late applications. You can find the details here as well as on the Oaklands website. 
• Check out ChannelMogo for general information and advice.
• Use the 'search' tool on this blog to explore further options.

Keep calm and talk to someone to get the impartial advice and guidance you need ... Good luck!

Opportunities at AECOM

AECOM, worldwide provider of professional technical and management support services, is recruiting for Trainees and Apprenticeship positions from 16+ in their St. Albans office. There are lots of vacancies available, with incorporated on-the-job training as well as being assigned to a suitable College course. If you are interested an Open Evening is being held on Thursday 3rd December 2015, starting from 5.00pm. Email openevening2015.uki@aecom.com if you would like to attend.

British Intelligence Apprenticeship

British Intelligence Higher Apprenticeship - IT, Software, Internet and Telecomms

£17,539 pa - Cheltenham

This is a Technical Apprenticeship like no other. On top of developing unique technical skills, you'll be at the heart of British Intelligence. Working on some of the world's most sophisticated technical systems and equipment, you'll help to protect the UK against cyber threats, terrorism, espionage and organised crime. 

This exciting programme starts in September 2016 and offers a mix of classroom learning and practical experience, including a variety of research, development and project work. You'll be taking on real business challenges that will stretch and develop your expertise in areas such as cyber security, engineering, signal processing and telecoms. In the second year, you could have the chance to work in London at MI5 or MI6.

On completion, you'll have a Foundation Degree in Communications, Security and Computing (with the option to convert to a BSc at a later stage) and a Level 4 Diploma in IT Professional Competence.

To join us you'll need a strong interest in programming and technology and will either have, or will be expecting to gain three A-levels at grade C or above, or equivalent, including at least two in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths related subjects. 

To find out more and apply, visit www.mi5.gov.uk/careers

Apprenticeships latest

Youth Connexions has published the latest data on Apprenticeships in Hertfordshire:

Vacancies:

• 330 employers offering 427 Apprenticeship opportunities
• 3% are Traineeships
• 77% are Intermediate Apprenticeships
• 20% are Advanced Apprenticeships

Wages:

• Average wage, £147 per week
• Approximately 90% of Apprenticeships are paying above the National Minimum Wage
• Highest paying Apprenticeship, £327 per week  -  AA Catering Equipment Engineer

Most popular sectors:

• Business Administration and Law (33% of vacancies)
• Retail and Commercial Enterprise (24% of vacancies)

Further news:

• The new government's commitment to create 3 million more Apprenticeships by 2020 is to be enshrined in law
• Public sector bodies are to be set targets to create more Apprenticships
• For more details, click here
• The first “Articled Apprenticeship” programme, which includes a degree, postgraduate qualification and recognised training leading to qualification as a solicitor has been created. Details here

Many young people are put off the idea of an apprenticeship due to concerns about managing the workload. Check out these top pieces of advice from the apprentices from the Get In Go Far apprenticeship campaign here,

Opportunities in the film industry

In 2012, UK films earned a worldwide gross of $5.3bn, which amounted to 15% of global box office. Inward investment in UK film has grown 40% from 2013 to 2014, with £1.4bn spent on UK film in 2014 85% (£1.2bn from inward investment). The highest-grossing UK film of 2012, Skyfall, earned over $1.1bn worldwide.

Employment has grown by 10% over the last six years to over 30,000 people. The average salary is £19,530 and 34% of staff are freelancers. The industry combines creative skills with many jobs in technical and managerial roles. See the Creative Skillset website and Film Job Roles for more details. Overall, 18% of production companies report hard to fill vacancies and 33% of companies report skills shortages in areas including Creative Development, Business Management and Audio, Sound & Music..  

Help for Job-seekers

The Government has launched a new resource on Tumblr for job-seekers called The Daily Job-Seeker. It combines videos and articles offering guidance on applications, CV writing and interview technique. There are contributions from a range of top business and employers so you know the advice provided is accurate and relevant.

Finding your Apprenticeship

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has launched two new websites which aim to be "one stop shops" for young people interested in an Apprenticeship or a Traineeship:

They are: Find an Apprenticeship and Find a Traineeship. The sites explain what the courses are and guide you through the application process.

As well as these national sites, you can also visit the Hertfordshire Youth Connexions site for Apprenticeships here which collects together a range of guidance information as well as posting current Apprenticeship opportunities available locally.

Find Apprenticeships locally

There are plenty of websites offering a fast route to finding an Apprenticeship and here's one more to add to the growing list: CareerMap is quick and simple to use. You enter your postcode and it generates a map showing the locations of the nearest Apprenticeship opportunities, colour-coded by type. By clicking on each icon, you can get more details of the Apprenticeship with a quick link to making an application. You'll need an up to date CV which you can attach electronically.

Are you Born to Build?

Born to build is an industry sponsored resource promoting careers in the construction sector with links through to the job profiles on the National Careers Service website.You can answer their 'Quirky Questions', read about the top 10 'Construction Myths' and also investigate training and employment opportunities by region. They are also organising an Open Doors Weekend, on 6 & 7 March 2015, where there are opportunities to visit a working construction site.

The cost of an Internship

An analysis of the cost of living in London and Manchester for interns on six month work placements, by the Sutton Trust, concluded that taking an unpaid internship can cost £926 a month in London or £804 in Manchester and that this means that only people with wealthy parents can afford to do unpaid internships. The figures are based on average rental for a room in a shared property, household bills, council tax, food and miscellaneous spending, but excluded transport costs as these are often paid by interns' employers. They say that 31% of graduate interns are unpaid and that, "Internships commonly represent a first step in the ladder towards a professional career in the most competitive sectors, including fashion, journalism, politics, law, finance and the charity sector, and because these areas are so competitive, employers are often able to offer internships as completely unpaid positions." It says that, "These issues make unpaid internships a serious and pressing problem for social mobility."  [ source: GTA ]

Think you may need a 'Plan B'?

If your GCSE or AS results were not what you expected and you need to re-think your options, DON'T PANIC, help is at hand! Here are things you can do ...

• Talk to Mrs Duffy, our Youth Connexions Personal Adviser. She will be in school from the start of term and you can also contact her through the St Albans Youth Connexions website or directly at Jackie.Duffy@hertscc.gov.uk  She can work with you on a late application to College or help you with other pathways such as entering employment or an Apprenticeship. 
• Visit the Youth Connexions "one stop shop" in Catherine Street.  You can find out the details here.
• Think about an Apprenticeship.  You can fin all the information you need at Apprenticeships.org.  You simply fill in your details  -  like a mini CV  -  and then you can search the opportunities available and applying is easy as your information is stored.
• Think about applying to Oaklands College. They have Open Days this month for late applications. You can find the details here as well as on the Oaklands website. 

Check out ChannelMogo for general information and advice.
Use the 'search' tool on this blog to explore further options.

Keep calm and talk to someone to get the impartial advice and guidance you need ... Good luck!

Climb the 'Student Ladder'

Student Ladder is an excellent, free website.  As well as the typical advice about course choices and university applications you can get from sites of this type, it also has details of a range of Work Placements, Internships and Graduate Schemes available across the UK.  There are opportunities listed for anyone between the ages of 16 and 24, including first and second degree students.  This site doesn't just tell you how to write a CV or UCAS Personal Statement, it provides you with the opportunities and experiences to make yours stand out!

"Making it into Medicine" course hosted at University of Herts.

'Making it into Medicine' is an evening course which will be hosted at the University of Hertfordshire on the 18th July from 6.00-8.30 pm. The course has been designed to encourage students who are contemplating a career in medicine, to provide advice on applications to medical school and will cover useful topics such as personal statements, interviews and CV building.

Students from Years 7 - 12 and their parents are invited to attend.

The course will be delivered by Dr Sivayoganathan, who is a motivational speaker with a wide-ranging CV and experience sitting on interview panels. 

For more details about the course and to book please visit www.how2courses.com  Registration is £15.00 and will include a course workbook for students to take home.

School leaver opportunities at Deloitte St Albans

Deloitte are offering training and employment opportunities based in St Albans and London (as well as other locations nationwide) for school leavers.  The BrightStart programme is aimed at students who do not wish to attend university but wish to obtain a professional qualification such as the ACA, whilst working. This is a permanent full time role for students looking to enter the work force.  For information about this and other career pathways at Deloitte, click here.  For information about the entry requirements for the Brightstart programme, click here.

New developments in Traineeships

New guidance has been published this week by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to expand Traineeships and make them more accessible to young people.  The changes will introduce greater flexibility to help learning providers and employers develop quality programmes.

Launched in August 2013, Traineeships are an education and training programme offered to young people, including those who are unemployed. Trainees benefit from work experience, support with Maths and English and work preparation training to improve their chances of gaining an Apprenticeship or other job.

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock believes that the guidance "will enable the programme to be expanded and allow more young people to benefit from traineeships, whilst maintaining a strong focus on quality."  To read the full article, click here.