Newsletters

Careers Bulletin October 2023

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MESSAGE FROM OUR SIXTH FORM CAREERS TEAM

Welcome to our Careers Bulletin - your monthly round up of all careers related information with opportunities which we will collate for you to easily access as you focus on your future planning. 

Miss Giacomet (Careers and Pastoral support) will be on hand to organise careers events and keep you updated with the latest apprenticeships, workshops and work experience opportunities.

Feel free to request an appointment if you would like any help as you search universities, apprenticeships, CV writing, future career pathways or anything careers related. 

October Round Up!

October saw the whole school take place in Actvities Day, which we hope you found fun and provided you with some great careers information! 

Some students were off site on trips, with one year group being fortunate enough to go to London to watch the theatre show 'Wicked' and going behind the scenes to meet the production team.

Speakers attended in school from Deloitte, CBRE Real Estate, tech giant FSP, South Central Ambulance Service, and The Henley College. They provided information and presentations, with some students also attending workshops on Unifrog and CVs and interview skills. 

Year 12 were given a wealth of information from the University Of Hertfordshire, information on apprenticeships from Overbury and a presentation on career changes. Year 13 dedicated time to completing UCAS personal statements. 

If you would like any further information from any of the workshops, presentations or activities you attended, please contact Miss Giacomet.

*Parents/carers - Throughout the school year we host a variety of careers events and activities. We are always grateful for any parental support for our careers programme, such as those parents who could offer to support our students through work experience placements, presentations or mock interviews.

If you would like to be involved in our Careers Guidance Programme, or if you have any questions regarding careers and post-16 choices, please feel free to get in touch with Miss Giacomet at Giacometa@piggottschool.org 

LINKEDIN AND THE PIGGOTT ALUMNI

LinkedIn is usually the first place a potential employer will check prior to any offer of interview.

WHY DO YOU NEED A LINKEDIN PROFILE?

“It is no longer enough to simply have a solid resume …students now need a professional online presence.” 

For some great advice and tips on how to showcase your LinkedIn profile visit:

Why it’s important for Students to be active on LinkedIn.

Once your page is set up, you can Join us on LinkedIn to follow the careers of former Piggott students and to network and stay in touch with our Alumni now and in the future. 

School of Animation and VFX 

Escape Studios are holding open days on 18th November for students to find out about their degrees in animation, games and visual effects (VFX), which are designed with industry partners and explore their new campus. 

Highlights of the day include:

  • Explore their BRAND-NEW studios and take a tour round the Greenwich Peninsula

  • Discover the world of animation, games and VFX

  • Learn more about their Creative Technology courses in Character Creation, Games Design and Technical Ar

In person and Livestream options available! To book your place visit: Undergraduate open days | Events | Escape Studios

Open Day - Saturday 25th November 2023

Open days are the perfect opportunity for you to explore the campuses of your University of interest, get a taste of your course(s) and hear first hand from staff and current students about life as a student.

Herts' next autumn open day is on Saturday 25 November 2023 from 09.30 to 14.00 

To book your free place please visit:

Undergraduate open days | Study | Uni of Herts

Student Masterclass

From 27th-29th November, Unifrog are hosting a series of virtual masterclasses  to give you expert advice on finding and applying for apprenticeships. From tips on writing the perfect CV to balancing multiple applications, you will have the chance to interact with top employers including Experian, Unilever, and HSBC

You will need to sign in to your Unifrog account to access these classes 

Register at: Series Applications Masterclasses - Webinars - Unifrog

STEM Apprenticeships with AWE

AWE's aim is to keep the nation safe. Their main focus is to support the defence and security of the UK, as well as use their unique skills and expertise to support nuclear threat reduction.

Based in Berkshire, AWE have launched at least 25 fantastic apprenticeship roles to start in September 2024.

Applications are open now, and the roles vary from Level 2, 3, 4 , 5 and Degree level, so there is something for age 16+ or 18+.

Most of the roles would be of interest for students with a passion for the STEM subjects but there are also some Business Admin, Project Management and HR Roles.

For more information and to apply, please scan the QR code, or click the link below.

Opportunities with AWE (getmyfirstjob.co.uk)

eCLIPS Careers resource 

eCLIPS makes careers exploration simple. It offers accurate, impartial information on over 1400 careers plus a wealth of advice and information on education and employment choices.

Search for careers by job group, A-Z, school subject or use the Careers Wizard tool. Find information on all the different education pathways and advice to help you prepare for and find work, including the grades you would need to aim for, the average salary for certain roles, and detailed career path information.

Visit eCLIPS and click the 'Log In' tab to access the site. The password (case sensitive) is CGFY923

Careers podcast 

Set up by Amazing Apprenticeships “The Parent Perspective” is an exciting podcast series for parents and carers, helping them to support their children with careers advice and guidance. 

The podcasts offer a fun and informative space for listeners to:

  • Explore which careers are available today
  • Showcase the experiences of interesting and diverse role models
  • Provide real-time insights into how the world of work is changing

To listen to the latest and previous episodes visit: The Parent Perspective Podcast - Amazing Apprenticeships

Study in Australia student fair

With 11 top Australian Universities hosting, this event is a unique opportunity to meet representatives face to face and ask questions, as well as gain an insight into what it takes to study on the other side of the world.

The event takes place at The Rembrant Hotel in London on 11th November 2023, with time slots available between 1pm - 5pm.

Tickets are free and available through Eventbright:

Eventbright - Study in Australia student fair - 11th November 2023

  

Speakers for Schools in partnership with Penguin, host a virtual book club on Wednesdays 3.30-4.40pm. Young people across the UK read the same book for 4 weeks and are joined by the author on the 4th session!

For more information please visit: Join the National Teen Book Club | Speakers for Schools

If you would like to sign up, please contact me directly at Giacometa@piggottschool.org as you will require parental consent. 

NHS Virtual Work Experience 

Starting on Sunday 5th November, NHS Allied Healthcare are offering virtual work experience for students interested in a career in healthcare, from nursing, midwifery, speech and language therapy, paramedicine and much more! 

During each work experience day, you will follow 2 patients from their initial presentation to recovery. You will gain a unique insight into how you and the patients interact with a variety of healthcare professionals, and what it’s like to work in an NHS multidisciplinary team.

This will empower you to make informed career decisions and demonstrate your commitment to healthcare in your UCAS applications.

Delivered by healthcare professionals, you can select from one day or a full 6 month work experience programme.

Each programme costs £10 to attend, and you will be awarded certificates for the courses attended.  

For more information and to secure your place visit: Live Virtual NHS Healthcare Careers Work Experience Programme

Discover BP Apprenticeships

This virtual event for Year 10-13 students on 28th November from 18:30-19:30 who are interested in exploring opportunities to start their career through apprenticeships with bp within Digital, Business, Engineering and Science. The session will include advice from industry experts and current apprentices from BP who will be able to provide advice and answer questions. Attendees will also gain an understanding of the apprenticeship opportunities and life at BP.

BP are currently recruiting for September 2024, including Laboratory technician – foundation apprenticeship in Pangbourne.

Sign up at Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Apprenticeships | Careers | Home (bp.com)

Apprenticeship opportunities 

Apprenticeships are an increasingly popular pathway with hundreds of apprenticeships across a broad range of industries that you can apply for depending on your qualifications. 

 Top companies hiring now!

This is a useful website for all thing's apprenticeship, including reviews, industry guides and blogs.

You can also search for live opportunities  With the likes of companies such as Balfour Beatty, PwC, experian and many more! 

RateMyApprenticeship

Check out Success at School for the latest apprenticeship and job opportunities from Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen and more. 

Success at School

Speakers for Schools is a charity which puts you in touch with some of the biggest companies on the market, across a range of industries, to provide work experience opportunities. 

Their new app 'Youth Card' gives access to developmental opportunities, work experience placements, as well as discounts from your favourite high-street brands. It’s completely free.

Visit Youth Card – Speakers for Schools for more information and to download the app! 

Ongoing Work Experience

Work experience is an invaluable opportunity which not only could lead to a full time job within your chosen career path, but you'll learn transferable skills, day to day etiquette of the working world and just being in a working environment.

Work experience is also valuable content for a UCAS application. It'll help you check out career areas and show evidence of useful skills for coping with university study and life.

Top tips for finding work experience

  • Get online. Search local authority websites, local businesses and LinkedIn
  • Ask parents or friends for useful contacts and opportunities 
  • For speculative enquiries to employers, write to them and send a brief CV and covering letter stating clearly when you're available and what you are looking for i.e. work experience, volunteering, shadowing etc. This can be done online or even by visiting the organisation itself and talking to the manager. 
  • And remember if you don't ask, you don't get! 

Check out and sign up to Speakers for Schools for some of the latest work placements:

Work Experience – Speakers for Schools

Check out Create Your Future for exciting projects to get involved in: 

Create Your Future Opportunities - Youth Employment UK

Future Learn

Future Learn offers a variety of free online courses that could be done over the summer.

Browse Free Online Courses - FutureLearn

Springpod

Check out Springpod for summer work experience programmes. 

Take control of your future | Meet Springpod

Berkshire Opportunities

Berkshire Opportunities has been compiled specifically to inform you about jobs, courses, apprenticeships and labour marketing information in the county.  

 

This is a really useful resource for students and parents so do take a look. 

Berkshire Opportunities Homepage

Whilst The Piggott School believes the content of any recommended online resource to be appropriate for use by its pupils, they have not been compiled by the school. As such – if you have any concerns over accessing the links outlined in this newsletter please do not do so. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email Miss Giacomet.