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:

Next week, pupils across Scotland will receive confirmation of the provisional results they received from their teachers in June.  For some, these results will enable them to move on to their preferred destination, while other may have to consider alternative options if their results were not what they expected.

Anyone who is having to reconsider their future plans because their results are not as they had hoped may be feeling particularly disappointed at the moment.  However, there are lots of people who have had to change their plans when they didn’t work out quite as they had hoped.

The 'No Wrong Path' campaign will be returning to our social media feeds this August as we aim to educate and inspire young people about their options regardless of the results they have received.
 
Now in it’s fifth year, the campaign runs on the day the Scottish exam results are released and aims to highlight that many people in interesting jobs didn't necessarily take a straight, obvious or traditional path to get there.

​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.

This week’s Sector Spotlight is focusing on the Construction Industry.  Today, we hear from Jacqueline Argo, who is the Apprenticeships Officer for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Jacqueline started her career as an Office Junior before becoming an Accounts Assistant.  She then became Office Manager for a construction company, and moved into her current role 12 years ago.

This week’s Sector Spotlight is on the Construction Industry.  Today we hear from Andrew Harvey, who is an Apprentice Wood Machinist with R Clouston Ltd.

​Andrew began his apprenticeship straight from school and is currently in his second year.

This week’s Sector Spotlight is focusing on the Construction Industry.  Today, we hear from Scott Barnett who is a Site Manager at Casey Construction Ltd.
 
Scott has worked at Casey Construction since 2004, prior to that he was the Assistant Manager at Jewson’s having started his career there as an Estimator.

​In our last Sector Spotlight focusing on careers in Financial Services we hear from Ryan Allan, who is an Associate Director with Scholes Chartered Accountants.
 
Ryan has always had an aptitude for numbers and started studying accountancy with finance at University.  However, when a trainee position came up at Scholes at the end of his second year, he decided to apply and left University to take on the role.  He has since completed his professional qualifications alongside working with the company.

Our second Sector Spotlight on the Financial Services features Kevin Hancock, who is the Senior Vice President of Marsh Commercial, an Insurance Brokers based in Kirkwall.
 
After school, Kevin went to University in Glasgow and after graduating began working for Royal Insurance.  He then returned to Orkney to work for a local insurance broker which was bought over by Clark Thomson Insurance, at which point Kevin was made Branch Manager.  He was promoted to his current role and given responsibility for all the offices in the Highlands and Islands.  Marsh Commercial bought Clark Thomson Insurance in May 2018.

​In our second week of Sector Spotlight features, we are focusing on careers in Financial Services.  Today we hear from Lois Canning, who is a Personal Banker with the Royal Bank of Scotland.  As part of her role, Lois travels to the outer isles to provide banking services to those communities and is known as the 'Flying Banker'.

​Lois has worked in financial services since she left school, working in a variety of roles and undertaking on-the-job training to develop her skills and progress in her career.

​The 'No Wrong Path' campaign was started by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Glasgow in 2017.  The campaign runs on the day the Scottish exam results are released and aims to highlight that many people in interesting jobs didn't necessarily take a straight, obvious or traditional path to get there.

In the last of this week’s Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry we hear from Stewart Esslemont, who is a Project Engineer with National Oilwell Varco (NOV) Wellstream Processing on Flotta.
 
After leaving school, Stewart originally started on the Clyde Marine Apprenticeship scheme to become a Mechanical Engineer.  He ultimately decided that was not the career choice for him, so returned to Orkney where he undertook various roles before becoming a Project Technician for Opus Plus Ltd (now NOV Wellstream Processing) eight years ago.  He was promoted into his current role four years ago.

In our next Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry we hear from Craig Smith, who is a Senior Health and Safety and Environmental Advisor with Repsol Sinopec Resources UK.
 
Following university, Craig returned to Orkney to start his working life with an environmental consultancy in Stromness before moving to SEPA where he worked for over 15 years.  Alongside his role with SEPA he also volunteered as a retained firefighter with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.  Craig then took up a post as an environmental consultant on a cruise liner which sailed in Australia, New Zealand and Alaska.  He moved into his current role a year ago and is based on Flotta.

Continuing our Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry, today we hear from Erica Mathers, who is the Marketing Officer for EMEC (European Marine Energy Centre).
 
After leaving school, Erica undertook a degree in Rural Business Management with Agriculture at SRUC in Aberdeen.  Following that, she worked as an Agricultural Consultant in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire before returning to Orkney three years ago to undertake her current role.

​This week’s Sector Spotlight is focusing on the Energy Industry.  Today, we hear from Siobhan Peace, who is a Study Director with National Oilwell Varco Wellstream Processing (NOV) on Flotta.
 
After starting a degree in Architecture, Siobhan realised that wasn’t the correct career path for her so switched to a degree in Zoology.  She started with NOV as a Laboratory Technician and worked her way up to her current role as Study Director.

Our Sector Spotlight campaign returns for the summer and we begin by focusing on the Energy Industry.  Today, we hear from John Corsie, who is a Production Technician with Repsol Sinopec Resources UK.
 
After leaving school, John undertook and completed a Modern Apprenticeship in Refrigeration, Air Conditions and Heat Pump systems with local business Steven R Paterson.  He then felt ready for a career change and was successful in applying for the OPITO Modern Apprenticeship Scheme, securing one of four spaces available on Flotta.  Following the completion of his apprenticeship, he was offered a full-time position with Respol Sinopec Resources UK on Flotta.

A careers event was held at Stronsay Junior High earlier this week to help pupils think about their career options and understand the range of opportunities that are available to them on Stronsay, elsewhere in Orkney and further afield.

Titled Stronsay Destinations and using the theme of No Wrong Path, the event was organised by school teachers Mrs Groat and Mrs Barber, Developing the Young Workforce Orkney and Skills Development Scotland.  We were joined at the event by Cooke Aquaculture and Papdale Halls of Residence.

This week’s Sector Spotlight is on the Leisure and Sports industry. Today we hear from John Cairns who is the Rugby Development Officer with Orkney Rugby Football Club (ORFC).
 
John worked in a range of facilities and sport roles which led him to be offered the job as Rugby Development Officer.

​This week’s Sector Spotlight is on the Leisure and Sport Industry. Today we hear from Karen Walker who is the Principal Librarian for Orkney Library and Archive.
 
Karen didn’t know what she wanted to do when she left school. She joined a Youth Opportunities Programme and was offered work in the Laing Street Library. She loved this work and continued training in her role and worked her way up the ladder.

​This week’s Sector Spotlight is on the Leisure and Sport Industry. Today we hear from Mark Jenkins who is the Chair and Programmer for West Side Cinema.
 
Mark’s career has come full circle. He has worked in cinemas, gone to university, won a Scottish BAFTA and finally he helped set up the voluntary community cinema in Stromness – West Side Cinema.

​This week’s Sector Spotlight is on the Leisure and Sport Industry. Today we hear from Joanne Bamford who is a Community Sports Officer with Orkney Islands Council.
 
Joanne has worked in Scotland and America in various sports roles before she moved to Orkney to continue her journey in the sector.

​In the last of our Sector Spotlight on Land-based industries, we hear from Ann Scott, who is the Secretary of the Orkney Agricultural Society (OAS).  The OAS Committee are responsible for the organising and running of the County Show, as well as the County Ploughing Match and Harvest Home.
 
Ann works part-time for the Orkney Business Ring as a Training Co-ordinator, alongside her voluntary position as Secretary.

​This week’s Sector Spotlight is on Land-based industries, which includes farming and the various businesses that support it.  Today we here from Madeleine Brady who is a Vet with Northvet.
 
Madeleine trained to be a vet straight out of school in her native Australia.  After she qualified, she worked for a couple of years in Australia before heading off on her travels which saw her spending two years working around the UK.  After being in Orkney in 2016, she decided to move back earlier this year.

This week’s Sector Spotlight is on Land-based industries, which includes farming and the various businesses that support it.  Today we hear from Kerry Omand who is a Regional Policy Advisor for NFU Scotland and a Farmer.
 
Kerry began her career working the care sector before going back to farming and taking on her role with NFU Scotland.  Last year, Kerry was awarded the Young Livestock Ambassador Award at the Royal Highland Show and she writes a monthly column, ‘Kerry on Farming’ in The Orcadian.