The third 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 550 S4-S6 pupils from Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School, and S3-S4 pupils from 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.

Along with local school pupils, 13 senior pupils from Farr High School in Bettyhill, made the trip over the Firth to attend the event.

Earlier this week, we offered an information session to parents and carers, to help them support their young person or adult ahead of the Orkney Careers Fair.
 
This session provided an overview of the event, the support that will be in place on the day and the information that is in place to help those visiting the event to plan who they want to speak to, and to prepare to get the most out of the event.
 
If you were unable to attend the event, a recorded version is available to view below:

Earlier this week, we held a Farm to Fork event in partnership with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET).

Farm to Fork was an early career event for S1 pupils that had been developed to help them explore the wider careers associated with the agricultural sector.  Pupils were able to speak to exhibitors to learn more about how food is produced by farmers then used by local food and drink producers in the final product.

Young people across Orkney will tomorrow (Tuesday 6 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 6 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.

School pupils undertaking a Skills for Work Construction course were recently visited by two local employers who spoke to them about their businesses and the opportunities that exist locally in the construction industry.

Stephen Kemp from Orkney Builders (Contractors) Ltd. and Martin Flett from Alfred Flett Ltd. both came to UHI Orkney to speak to pupils from local secondary schools.  Pupils were given an overview of the businesses, the variety of work they undertake, some of the different roles within the business and the opportunities to undertake work experience to get a taste of working in the construction industry.  They also spoke about apprenticeship opportunities and explained how young people would be supported to become fully qualified tradespeople.

Alfred Flett Ltd. are currently recruiting for apprenticeship vacancies in their business, including for an Apprentice Joiner.  If anyone is interested in this opportunity they can contact Colin or Magnus on (01856) 781 209, or by emailing [email protected] or [email protected]. 

​An event to help school pupils explore the range of careers available in the agricultural sector was recently held at Orkney Auction Mart, delivered in partnership by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney and the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET).
 
Developed as an early careers input, the Agricultural Careers Event was targeted to all pupils in first year at local secondary and junior high schools.

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:

• Find out how Foundation Apprenticeships work and where they can lead to – from a Modern or Graduate Apprenticeship to college, university, or employment.
• Hear parent and teacher perspectives of the benefits of Foundation Apprenticeships as they share their own experiences and advice.
• Get information on support available and how to apply for a Foundation Apprenticeship.

To support accessibility, this webinar will be recorded and British Sign Language translation available.

Find out more and sign up for the webinar here.

​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.

​Pupils from Sanday, Stronsay and Westray Junior High Schools have recently experienced a day at Orkney College UHI, taking part in activities and familiarising themselves with the building and some of the courses available there.
 
The pupils are all currently in S3, but when they move into S4 many of them will be taking subjects as part of their school timetable which can be studied at the college.  They will also be exploring their post-school options, with many of them considering Modern Apprenticeships, Further or Higher Education courses which can be studied at Orkney College.

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.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney recently welcomed three new members to the team, as DYW School Co-ordinators.

They will be based in our local Secondary and Junior High Schools and will work alongside Skills Development Scotland Careers Advisers, their respective school’s Senior Management Teams and Guidance staff, as well as other partners to support young people into a positive destination.  They will help develop the link between education and the world of work, increasing young people’s career awareness and skills development.

Over the next few days we will be introducing you to the team, and today we start with Charlotte Hoque.

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 [email protected]
 
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 [email protected].  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 [email protected].  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.

​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.

​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.