 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.  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.  Local employers are invited to book their place at an event that will help them learn more about recruiting apprentices and attracting young people to their workforce.
Hosted by Remarkable, on behalf of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce Orkney, this will be an opportunity for local employers to hear from some of the organisations who can help them recruit young people into their business and learn more about accessing the opportunities available to develop new or existing employees.  Pupils at Kirkwall Grammar School were treated to a culinary treat today (Wednesday 24 April) with a live cookery demonstration during their lunch break.
In partnership with Archive Coffee, staff from the Hospitality Department at Orkney College UHI set up a stand in the school foyer during lunchtime to showcase the skills needed for a career in the hospitality industry.  Parents and young people attended an apprenticeships information event at Orkney College. An Orkney and Apprenticeships: Skills for the Future information event was held at Orkney College UHI on Wednesday 6 March 2019 to help young people, parents and carers learn more about the different apprenticeships available in Orkney and understand the opportunities they offer for progression in a career.
 Information packs with details about Foundation Apprenticeships were handed out to teachers, pupils and parents. We’ve had a busy week spreading the message about Foundation Apprenticeships.
On Monday, we held an information evening for senior teaching staff, guidance teachers and careers advisers from local schools. This event was supported by staff from the Work Based Learning Hub at University of the Highlands and Islands and Curriculum Leads from Orkney College UHI. Those present were given an overview of Foundation Apprenticeships in Scotland and heard some of the success stories from elsewhere in Scotland. The curriculum leads then spoke in more detail about the frameworks being offered in Orkney in 2019, highlighting the academic aspect of the subjects and the benefits the vocational, work placement element offers young people. On Tuesday we attended the Senior Phase Parent's Evening at Stromness Academy to speak to parents about the Foundation Apprenticeships being offered. Thursday saw us, along with Orkney College, delivering an input to all teaching staff at Stromness Academy, as part for their in-service training. All of these inputs have been really beneficial as they have enabled us to inform those who support young people about the options available. We have also been able to answer any questions they may have and help them understand the various options available to learners as part of the Orkney Offer. There will be four Foundation Apprenticeships available in Orkney next year. They are Business Skills, IT: Software Development, Social Services and Healthcare and, Social Services: Children and Young People. If you would like to learn more about what the can offer, speak to your careers advisers, guidance teachers or Orkney College. Thanks to Orkney College, University of the Highlands and Islands and local schools for their support at these inputs.  Local employers were invited to view the Engineering Department at Orkney College UHI. Local businesses were recently invited to visit the Engineering Department at Orkney College UHI to view the facilities, meet teaching staff and learn more about the courses on offer.
 Over the coming weeks, pupils in S3-S5 will be making their subject choices for the next academic year. Parents supporting them through this process may be bewildered by the array of options their children now face, which can be very different from when they were making these choices themselves.
Looking through the ‘Options for Senior Phase’ booklet produced by Orkney College, you may have spotted that your child can study for a Foundation Apprenticeship.  We have recently been running a campaign over on our Facebook page featuring videos and interviews with current and former students of Orkney College UHI to highlight the Higher Education opportunities that exist locally.
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