We are looking for employers to take part in a fun and informal employer engagement activity at one of our secondary schools.

Lunch with and Employer sessions are held regularly throughout the academic year at Stromness Academy.  They let pupils meet employers in a relaxed environment, helping them to explore the different careers in local businesses and learn more about some of the skills they may need in the world of work.

Stromness Academy’s annual Careers Week was held at the end of November, giving pupils an insight into the variety of careers they can undertake when they leave school.

Now in its sixth year, Careers Week was developed to support S3 pupils as they make their subject choices for their fourth year.  Throughout the week, they learn about some of the careers available to them in Orkney and further afield and hear about the different pathways they can take into their future job.

Pupils at Kirkwall Grammar School have recently completed a course which gives them an insight into early childhood development, helping them to gain the skills and knowledge they will need in their future career.

This is the third year the Solihull Approach for Young People – Understanding Yourself and Parenting has been delivered in the school by staff from the OIC’s Early Years Team.  The course is offered by pupils interested in working with babies and young children.  It 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.

Twelve pupils from Kirkwall Grammar School took part in this year’s programme.

The Solihull Approach is also being delivered to pupils at Stromness Academy as part of their Friday afternoon activities, with 12 pupils from there also taking part.  This is the second time the programme has run at Stromness.

As part of the course, pupils got to meet a mum and their baby, giving them a chance to put into practice some of the skills they have learnt.  The course concluded with an additional session focusing on Early Years careers. Pupils heard from Early Years Managers and Practitioners, 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.

A huge thank you to Lorna Barry and Nicola Moar who ran the sessions at both school this year.

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.

During June we have been working with our partners at Skills Development Scotland to speak to the new senior pupils at Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School as part of their school inductions.

Throughout the academic year the DYW School Co-ordinator at Stromness Academy has been organising Lunch with an Employer sessions, inviting local employers into the school to meet with pupils in an informal setting to learn more about the variety of careers available in Orkney.

For the last Lunch with an Employer for this year, the Pickaquoy Centre visited the school to offer a Bubble Football session.

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.

Stromness Academy’s annual Careers Week was held at the start of February, giving pupils an insight into the variety of careers they can undertake when they leave school.​

A part of the school calendar since 2019, Careers Week was developed to support pupils in S3 ahead of the subject choices period for their fourth year.  The purpose of the week is to inspire and inform pupils about the variety of careers available to help them imagine what they could do in the future.  Throughout the week, pupils learn about some of the careers available to them in Orkney and hear about the different pathways they can take into their future job.

​A partnership initiative between NHS Orkney and Developing the Young Workforce Orkney has enabled local school pupils to gain an insight into the career of a Midwife.
 
Throughout the year, senior pupils from Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School have been given the opportunity to participate in a Midwifery Insight Programme which has given them the chance to learn more about the role of a Midwife and gain insight into early childhood development.

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.

​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.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney recently welcomed a new member to the team, with Charlene Nicolson joining us as a DYW School Co-ordinator based at Stromness Academy.

Charlene joins our existing team of Leah Rendall and Charlotte Hoque, who are DYW School Co-ordinators at Kirkwall Grammar School and the Junior High Schools.

Our School Co-ordinators 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 help develop the link between education and the world of work, increasing young people’s career awareness and skills development.

​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.

​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.

Pupils at Stromness Academy have been given an insight into a range of careers available to them as part of the school’s annual careers week.
 
Careers Week was developed to support pupils in S3 who will shortly be making their subject choices for their fourth year, which can influence where they will end up after school.
 
The purpose of the week is to inspire and inform pupils about the variety of careers available to help them imagine what they could do in the future.  Throughout the week, pupils learn about some of the careers available to them in Orkney and hear about the different pathways they can take into their future job.

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 series of lunchtime speakers has been running at Stromness Academy since the start of this term, giving pupils the chance to access careers information directly from employers.

Held every two weeks and organised by the school’s DYW School Co-ordinator, Lunch with an Employer lets pupils hear from local employers about the job opportunities available with their businesses, discover some of the pathways available into careers and also learn about the subjects they should study at school or skills they might need to work in the business.

This term has included speakers from NOV on Flotta and Casey Construction.

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.

Third year pupils at Stromness Academy have recently enjoyed a week of activities during the school’s annual Careers Week.

A part of the school calendar since 2019, Careers Week was developed to support pupils in S3, who will shortly be making their subject choices for their fourth year, which can influence where they will end up after school.