ARCHIVE NEWS
Always good to share our news and keep what has been going on in the past.
THE HEATHROW SECONDARY SCHOOL CHALLENGE MARCH - MAY 2016
Learning to Work were delighted to deliver this year’s Heathrow Secondary School Challenge to Year 8 students in schools across the 5 boroughs adjoining the airport, Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Slough and Spelthorne. These fun and interactive LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ workshops encouraged and promoted Science Technology Engineering & Maths study and careers, developed skills for the world of working including communication, team work and problem solving and introduce students to Heathrow Limited and the many opportunities that exist within.
BERKSHIRE APPRENTICESHIP ADVENTURE MARCH 2016 - Event now finished
You will have the opportunity to discuss with businesses the vacancies they have and the skills they need to fill them. For more information and to sign up for this free event and workshops register via our Homepage or Eventbrite
This event is open during the day for schools, please contact Linda Moody (l.moody@learningtowork.org.uk) if you would like you school to attend.
If you are a business and would like to exhibit please contact Central Berkshire EBP or register via Eventbrite.
SLOUGH ASPIRE CAREERS EVENT FEBRUARY 2016
Students then had the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of experts about job and career options, ways into work and the expectations from business. Volunteers from Mars, Aston Bond, O2 Telefonica, Unilever, Leaseplan, Age Concern, GSK, Norsk Global, District Judge Tan Ikram were amongst the 80 panellists who kindly got involved and supported the Q & A sessions.
After the Q & A sessions students made their way into the Market Place where they interacted with over 65 exhibitors to hear first hand about ways into work and what career paths their chosen GCSE's could potentially lead to. The event was open to the general public from 3.45pm to 7pm and during this time students, parents, and Slough residents attended the event to find out more about job and training opportunities.
"Businesses that participated in this event had the opportunity to enthuse and motivate young people about their industry and potentially meet future employees, whilst universities and training organisations were able to promote their courses or apprenticeships and explain first-hand the entry level requirements. Slough Aspire Careers Event 2016 was very much about bringing careers advice alive for young people and inspiring them about their futures," says Rachael Burt, Managing Director of Learning to Work, the charity organising the annual event.
She adds: "Slough has a vibrant business community. Many local employers fully supported this event. They were keen to be part of both the Slough Aspire Careers Event 2016 and nurture the future workforce. It is vital that young people understand the various career pathways open to them, the skills that employers are looking for and the type of jobs that are available locally. This was also a great opportunity for Slough residents to engage with the business community."
SLOUGH ASPIRE CAREERS EVENT FEBRUARY 2016- Event now finished
The Slough Aspire Careers Event will provide an opportunity for students and parents from across the whole of the Slough and surrounding areas to engage with local businesses and find out about career opportunities, apprenticeships and training within the local area now or for the future. This has been organised in partnership with Slough Aspire and Learning to Work.
On Wednesday 3rd February from 3.45pm to 7.00pm the session will be open to students, parents and carers and to young people who may have left education and need help getting into work or Training.
There is also the opportunity to sign up for a session with a Business Volunteer to get expert advice on CV Preparation or Interview Techniques. If you are interested in either of these sessions please visit Learning to Work at the event.
Bookable presentations are also available "Introduction to Apprenticeships" and "CV & Interview Techniques"
REGISTER NOW VIA OUR HomePage or Eventbrite.
INTERVIEW DAY - HERSCHEL GRAMMAR SCHOOL JANUARY 2016
Having previously applied by letter and submitting their CVs for authentic positions in the current jobs market, Herschel Grammar students were then all invited for individually timed face to face interviews on 13th January 2016.
To ensure that the experience was realistic, the candidates had been advised to fully prepare for their interviews by researching the role and companies they had opted for. They were required to sign in then wait in a reception area until their professional interviewer was available. The pacey one to one sessions comprised twenty minutes questions and answers, followed by oral and written feedback submitted by the business interviewers.
The collated evaluation forms demonstrated the value and impact the students' felt at the end of the session:
92% feeling more aware of their own strengths in what they could give a future employer
86% now had an up to date CV
93% improved their interview skills and the ability to present them in a positive manner
82% increase in self confidence
88% showed an improvement in communication and literacy skills
97% said it was a valuable use of school time and 100% of students said that the business people they worked with provided a positive contribution to this event.
Thank you to all the businesses that supported this event:
Fujitsu, John French, Adobe, BT, VMware, KeepMoat
INTERVIEW DAY - ST BERNARD'S CATHOLIC GRAMMAR SCHOOL DECEMBER 2015
St Bernard's Grammar school was a hive of activity when business volunteers and students participated in an interview day facilitated by Learning to Work. Prior to the event, students had applied for a post and submitted their CV and a covering letter. On the day, students engaged in a 20 minute one to one interview with volunteers from Adobe, John French Estates, LeasePlan and O2. This was followed by an individual debrief session where students were given feedback on their CV, covering letter, body language, responses and how they could improve their performance.
INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF WORK NOVEMBER 2015
The first of 6 workshops for Ditton Park Academy's year 7 and 8 students was held on 25th November 2015. This event focused on the skills and qualities that may be needed for the work place and ways we can begin to develop these skills. The students got involved in active discussions with business volunteer, Atif Baig from Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, as well as working excellently in teams developing their communication and creative skills and their knowledge of jobs and employability. Learning to Work hope to offer continuous support to Ditton Park Academy with their careers education.
KIER BOOTS DONATION NOVEMBER 2015
Leading property, residential, construction and services group Kier, which employs 75 people from its regional offices on Old Bath Road in Newbury, has donated 30 pairs of safety boots to Learning to Work. We would like to thank Kier for their kind donation/contribution to help our students in their work related learning.
Kier Boots Donation
Nancy Lalor, Operations Manager, Learning to Work/ Simon Cook, Site Manager, Kier Construction/ Sorrell James, Lead Project Executive, Learning to Work/ Georgina Wilmott, Proposals Manager, Kier Construction.
To read more see the official press release >
NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIPS AWARDS OCTOBER 2015
We were once again pleased and honoured to be asked to participate in the National Apprenticeship Awards for 2015. Nancy Lalor our Operations Manager chaired the South West, Thames Valley & Solent Business Awards panel earlier this year and attended the finals on 22nd October at Wokefield Park, Reading.
"The evening was a great success and showcased some of the many great business and apprentice ambassadors we have in our region. During the evening we heard from some exceptional employers and young people and celebrated the positive impact the apprenticeship programme has on both business and individuals. The evening had a great buzz and I am sure further inspired and motivated everyone present to carry on promoting and talking about the win win benefits to both employers and employees of the Apprenticeship programme" Nancy Lalor
INSIGHT DAY OCTOBER 2015
Learners received an overview of the company and absorbed just how quickly Equinix has evolved. The company was founded in 1998, by Al Avery and Jay Adelson; who recognised that existing data centres would not be sufficient to support the internet's rapid growth. This vision gave birth to a business now worth $2.44 billion. Early in 2015, Equinix opened five new data centres on four continents, which increased the company's global data centre footprint to more than 10 million square feet and were billed by the company as a significant expansion of its interconnection capacity.
Learners appreciated the importance of Equinix adopting a project management framework (PRINCE 2), providing a resilient, reliable and secure service and the how critical metric and reporting are, as Peter Drucker said; "What gets measured, gets managed."
One of the highlights for the students was a coveted tour of the latest data centre, a state of the art building with a massive capacity and still undergoing fitment was a very visual demonstration of how fast moving the industry is.
After speed networking and learning about graduate and apprenticeship entry students reflected their learning in the form of presentations to the Equinix volunteers. The evaluation data evidences the impact of the day.
100% of learners felt the business ambassadors they worked with provided a positive contribution to the activity.
71% Felt more aware about employment and job options after leaving education
76% Had a better understanding about the business visited and what they do
Students' Comments:
Speaking in front of the business gave me a chance to sell myself
Great advice & inspirational
Motivating
Great insight into what happens at the data centre
More details about apprenticeships would have been good
The tour was interesting
It was helpful to speak to the people at Equinix
Lecturers' Comments:
Tour really interesting - good mix of business & IT - well suited to attending leavers
Tracey Jacques
It was good to see apprenticeships represented in addition to graduate routes. Good level of details. Very interesting talks and tour.
Carol Webster
STEP INTO STEM OCTOBER 2015
Working with CA Technologies to deliver their Create Tomorrow programme, British Airways and O2 to support delivery of the Think Big programme we engaged with business volunteers to bring the links between education and STEM careers even closer. Events like this help schools link STEM subjects with the world of work, helping them relate to career paths and interact with business ambassadors. These extra-curricular activities support learning and give young people the opportunity to hear first hand about some of the the exciting opportunities that studying science, technology, engineering and maths can open up.
For full details, feedback and comments from Students, Teachers and Business Volunteers take a look at our Evaluation Flyer!
Slough Express Business News
KEEP UP WITH OUR LATEST NEWS
News 1
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
News 2
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
News 3
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
News 4
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
