Are you a parent or carer supporting a child to make their senior phase option choices? Skills Development Scotland and National Parent Forum Scotland are hosting a joint webinar to help you learn more about how your child can get a head-start on their career with a Foundation Apprenticeship. This session will be held on Thursday 22 February 2024 between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. It is aimed at parents or carers whose child is making subject choices for S5 and S6. At this session you will:
To support accessibility, this webinar will be recorded and British Sign Language translation available. Find out more and sign up for the webinar here. A course which provides an insight into early childhood development has concluded at Kirkwall Grammar School, enabling pupils to gain knowledge and skills that will support them in their future career. The Solihull Approach for Young People – Understanding Yourself and Parenting was delivered by Lorna Barry and Leonie Scott, both Lead Early Years Practitioners (Community Based) with the OIC’s Early Years Team. The course gives an insight into early child development and looks at how babies and teenagers’ brains develop and how relationships are built between child and adult. This is the second year the course has been offered to KGS pupils following a successful pilot in 2022. Twenty-five pupils took part in the course, all of whom are interested in a career working with babies or young children. The course concluded with an additional session focusing on Early Years careers. Pupils heard from Early Years Managers and Practitioners, including a current Modern Apprentice, to learn about the different routes they could take into this career, as well as the opportunities to progress their career into more senior roles. Senior pupils from Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School who are interested in a career in Midwifery were recently given the opportunity to visit the Maternity Department at The Balfour. While Midwifery is a popular career choice for young people, it is not easy for school pupils to undertake work experience to gain an insight into the career. Following discussions with DYW Orkney, NHS Orkney developed a programme of activity to help pupils gain valuable experience and knowledge which will be a huge help when applying for College, University or future employment. Earlier this week, as part of the employability inputs we are currently delivering at Kirkwall Grammar School, we welcomed Sheetal Revis from the Hospitality Department at UHI Orkney. This session was arranged to give pupils an insight into the range of careers available in the hospitality industry, highlight the transferrable skills that can be developed and some of the opportunities that working in this industry can offer. Sheetal spoke about her own career journey from school in Orkney, to moving away to attend university then working for international hotel chain Hilton and setting up her own business. Working in hospitality has enabled her to travel and work all over the world, developing skills she has been able to take with her on her career journey. Many of the pupils attending the session work in local hotels, restaurants and cafes, so they are already playing an important role in a sector that is important to our local economy. Giving the pupils her top tips for skills to learn while working in hospitality, Sheetal advised them to learn how to: make good coffee; carry a tray of drinks and, talk to people. Pupils took part in the discussion by speaking about the jobs they currently do in hospitality and explaining why they did or did not want to work in the industry when they left school. Those who didn’t want to work in the industry were asked the reasons why, and Sheetal did some myth busting about perceptions of working in hospitality. This was a great session which helped pupils to see the opportunities working in hospitality could offer them. A partnership initiative to support young people gain confidence, skills and knowledge was held in The Hub for Skills, Work and Employability over the summer. Delivered by Orkney Island’s Council’s Community Learning, Development and Employability team (CLDE); Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney, the programme was developed to help young people develop the skills they would need as they move on from mainstream education onto further education, training or work. An event showcasing the variety of careers available in the construction industry was recently held in the Orkney Auction Mart. Organised by Orkney Construction Training Group (OCTG) and supported by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the Construction Careers Event was developed to showcase the different trades available, highlighting the variety of skills that are needed across the industry. A series of employability inputs have started at Kirkwall Grammar School this year to support pupils to identify a positive post-school destination. The sessions have been developed by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney and are supported by local employers and local education and training providers. The sessions will help pupils with their skills development, raise awareness of the variety of jobs available in Orkney and the different pathways into them and support them to develop their employability skills. Young people across Orkney will tomorrow (Tuesday 8 August) receive their SQA results. If your results are not what you expected, don’t panic you still have options – and there will be experts on hand to help you navigate the next part of your journey. From 8am on Tuesday 8 August, a dedicated Results Helpline from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will run with Careers Advisers waiting to answer calls and offer advice, information and support to young people and their parents or carers. A school leavers programme to help young people plan what they want to do when they leave school, was recently held in Stromness and Kirkwall. Planning for the Future, which was developed and is delivered in partnership by Skills Development Scotland and DYW Orkney, is aimed at pupils who will be leaving school at the end of this academic year and need support to take their next step. A successful taster session has been held at Orkney College to help school pupils learn more about some of the subjects they can study at the college as part of their school timetable. In January, over 200 S3 pupils from Kirkwall Grammar School and Stromness Academy attended a Taster Session at Orkney College. The event was timed to support the subject choice period, when these pupils will be choosing which subjects to study in S4. A group of pupils from Kirkwall Grammar School have been given an insight into early childhood development to help them gain knowledge and skills that will support them in their future career. Staff from the OIC’s Early Years team have been visiting the school to deliver the Solihull Approach for Young People - Understanding Yourself and Parenting. The course gives an insight into early child development and looks at how babies and teenagers’ brains develop, how relationships are built between child and adult and the importance of play as a tool for learning. The second Orkney Careers Fair was held earlier this month at the Pickaquoy Centre and was attended by over 900 young people and adults from across the county. As well as being attended by members of the general public, over 700 S3-S6 pupils from Stromness Academy, Kirkwall Grammar School, Stronsay, Sanday and Westray Junior High Schools came along and accessed a wide variety of careers, education and training information, all geared to helping them understand the options available to them locally and further afield. Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) are joining forces to host the second Orkney Careers Fair this September in Kirkwall. This free event will be held in the Arena of the Pickaquoy Centre on Thursday 15 September 2022, from 9.30am-6pm, and will be open to school pupils, parents and guardians, teachers and the general public. Pupils at Kirkwall Grammar School can learn more about the variety of careers available in Orkney and hear from local people undertaking different jobs with DYW Orkney’s Careers in the Spotlight. Leah, the DYW School Co-ordinator based at the KGS, has been busy speaking to local people about their jobs as part of this regular feature. Pupils will learn more about the different pathways people have taken into their job, the best thing about it and the qualifications a young person might need to do a similar role. Pupils can also learn about some of the other skills and experience they should think about developing to help them in their future career. Currently, pupils can read interviews from a Hairdresser, Teacher and Police Officer. Careers in the Spotlight can be found on the SDS Orkney and DYW Orkney ‘Opportunities and Careers Information’ noticeboard which is located on the first floor of the school. Thank you to all the local people who agreed to be interviewed for sharing their career journey with pupils. The next DYW School Co-ordinator in our team is Leah Rendall, who will be based at Kirkwall Grammar School. Leah has always wanted to work with children and young people and has spent over 20 years doing just that in a variety of settings, most recently at Papdale Primary School. Here, Leah tells us a bit about her career journey. A trainee opportunity is being offered to an Orkney-based young person, giving them that chance to collaborate with a local printmaker and co-produce a project of their own design. Soulisquoy Printmaker in Stromness, is offering the traineeship as part of ART Evolution, which is being supported by Creative Scotland and managed by Engage Scotland. As part of the programme, they are looking to recruit a young person aged 16-25 years to take part in a short training programme and be closely involved in the running of the project, its development and delivery. The time commitment will mostly be at weekends and evenings and could suit some still at school, at college or already working. You will have the chance to learn about the arts sector, project management and printmaking, with the successful applicant receiving a £2,000 bursary to participate in the programme. This could be a unique opportunity to add to your CV. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, Soulisquoy Printmakers are hosting a taster session on Saturday 16 and 23 October. You can also get further details by emailing info@soulisquoy.co.uk There is more information about the trainee opportunity at the links below. Young people across Orkney will today (Tuesday 10 August) receive confirmation from SQA of the results they have achieved this year. If your results are not what you expected, don’t panic you still have options – and there are experts on hand to help you navigate the next part of your journey. From 8am on Tuesday 10 August, a dedicated Results Helpline from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will run with Careers Advisers waiting to answer calls and offer advice, information and support to young people and their parents or carers. The helpline has been open since mid-June providing support in relation to provisional results and what they may mean, however young people and parents can now get information in relation to course vacancies, clearing, advice on apprenticeships, jobs, volunteering and staying on at school. You can call the helpline on 0808 100 8000. It will be open from 8am-8pm on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 August. Thereafter, it will be open on weekdays between 9am-5pm between Thursday 12 and Wednesday 18 August 2021. If you would rather speak to someone familiar, you can also contact Careers Advisers from the local SDS team in Kirkwall. You can get in touch with them by calling (01856) 872 460 or emailing kirkwall@sds.co.uk. You can also find them on Facebook @SDS Orkney. You can find further advice on My World of Work. The past year has been a year like no other, and the impact on young people has been significant. Scotland's industry leaders and employers have signed an open letter to Scotland's young people to let them know that they support them, recognise their qualifications and congratulate them on their achievements. You can read the letter below: School pupils across Orkney will have received provisional SQA results for their assessments earlier this week, and if your results are not what you expected, don’t panic you still have options – and there are experts on hand to help you navigate the next part of your journey. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) are extending their results support this year and Careers Advisers are now waiting to answer calls and provide support to young people, their parents and carers. If you, or your child, needs some help with provisional results they can call the SDS Helpline on 0800 917 8000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. This number will be open until Monday 9 August to discuss provisional results and what they mean. Further support will be available from Tuesday 10 August in relation to course vacancies, clearing, advice about apprenticeships, jobs, volunteering and staying on at school. Keep an eye out for more information nearer the time. If you would rather speak to someone familiar, you can also contact Careers Advisers from the local SDS team in Kirkwall. You can get in touch with them by calling (01856) 872 460 or emailing kirkwall@sds.co.uk. You can also find them on Facebook @SDS Orkney. You can find further advice on My World of Work. Young people across Orkney who need help applying for jobs, apprenticeships or college courses can access support from a new programme created by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney and Skills Development Scotland (SDS). The ‘Planning for the Future’ career management programme is free and includes resources that young people can use if they need help writing a CV, applying for a college course, apprenticeship or job or preparing for an interview. Today (Monday 25 January 2021) we launch New Year First Career, our DYW Virtual Careers resources. Developed nationally by Developing the Young Workforce these resources are suitable for S1, S2 and S3 pupils across Scotland. They are sector specific focusing on:
Are you currently considering your next steps into education, employment or training but need some extra help? Developing the Young Workforce Orkney and Skills Development Scotland have developed an online careers event to help you make decisions about your future. The ‘Your Next Steps’ careers event provides information and advice on Work, Support and, Education and Training. You will find a mix of videos, presentations and links to other websites to help you take your next step. Results from this year’s school subjects will be published on Tuesday 4 August 2020, and if your results are not what you expected, don’t panic you still have options – and there are experts on hand to help you navigate the next part of your journey. From 8am on Tuesday 4 August, a dedicated Results Helpline from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will be running with Careers Advisers waiting to answer calls and offer advice, information and support to young people and their parents. You can call the helpline on 0808 100 8000. It will be open from 8am-8pm on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 August. Thereafter, it will be open on weekdays between 9am-5pm between Thursday 6 and Friday 28 August 2020. If you would rather speak to someone familiar, you can also contact Careers Advisers from the local SDS team in Kirkwall. You can get in touch with them by calling (01856) 872 460 or emailing kirkwall@sds.co.uk. You can also find them on Facebook @SDS Orkney. You can find further advice on My World of Work. An online game which has been designed to help close the skills gap in the engineering sector has been launched and is now available to play. Enginuity and the Prince’s Trust have created Skills Miner, an online game that can identify people who have what it takes to power the nation’s economic recovery when the lockdown is lifted. |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|