SEPTEMBER 2013
What is the future of work in the UK?
What is available for job seekers?
Where to go for Careers Information
University Degrees are they outdated?
Youth Employment UK A youth employment magazine for everyone
Santander Step Up to Youth Unemployment joining YEUK as a corporate sponsor and member
www.yeuk.org.uk
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Contents 3 5 6 8 9 10 10 11 13 14 15 18 20 22 24 25 26 27 28 29
Editor’s Notes Why hiring young people is good for your business The Future of Work in the UK What happened with the summers 2013 GCSE and A level results? PRESS RELEASE - Santander demonstrates their commitment to UK’s young people Enterprise funds at your disposal to become self employed! Is social media forcing you to say everything in abbreviations and short sentences? Digital Bad Hair Days – The Back-Up What is available for job seekers? Who wants to be a Spaceman? LinkedIn for 13+ Where to go for Careers Information YEUK Member Profile Apprentice Supermarket Industry Spotlight - A career in adult social care Hey girls! University Degrees are they outdated? So you have your degree, you’ve graduated... Upcoming Events Youth Entrepreneurship- Starting a business whilst at University! Student Mum and Dad
To contact Youth Employment UK CIC Business & School membership: ljr@yeuk.org.uk Volunteer Youth Ambassadors: info@yeuk.org.uk Editorial, Advertising & Magazine Content: info@yeuk.org.uk Visit: www.yeuk.org.uk or Call: 08444 143101 The information contained in this e-Magazine is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Youth Employment UK CIC and guest editors/blog producers and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the e-Magazine or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the magazine for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. Any views expressed here are not necessarily endorsed by Youth Employment UK CIC, Youth Employment News, Inspire2Exceed, Advertisers, Webmaster or any individuals or organisations. Links outside of Youth Employment UK (external links) are provided for user convenience and do not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by Youth Employment UK. All articles on our site are copyrighted material by the authors to include any graphics that are included with them. Photographs are also copyrighted. If you, the reader, have any grievances with any material that is posted on this site, you are responsible for contacting the author in question. This disclaimer is subject to change without notice.
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Editor’s Notes Hello everyone, my name is Sylvia, and I have recently started volunteering with Youth Employment UK CIC. I’m excited to be on board; I have always had a passion to work with young people, and to make sure their voices are heard, this has driven me into various roles over the years; from my College days to University, leading me here to Youth Employment UK. I’m interested in what is happening in regards to unemployment, employment and education for 16 – 24 year olds and I’d like to know what your experiences are on the road to your future, so please do get in touch with us on the e-mag team and share your stories and experiences. I believe that changes are needed, latest unemployment figures released in September’s statistics brought a rise of 9,000 more 16-24 year olds unemployed resulting in 960,000 overall. Changes can be made one step at a time with the integration of the Youth Friendly Badge enabling employers to be identifiable nationwide as ones who open their doors to our young people. In addition we ask 16-24 year olds to join us, to sign Positive Youth Charter and step up with our campaign to help tackle youth unemployment. We have some exciting changes on the horizon, as autumn arrives our new look website will go live, something that could not be done without our very generous supporter Santander, we cannot wait to share the new features and benefits with you all. Look us up later in the month and see what I mean. I hope you enjoy this issue it’s packed with information from what it’s like to be an Apprentice to information for job seekers. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, Sylvia p.s. I am also going to be working with our volunteer youth ambassadors, the amazing young people that gift some of their time to helping us here. If you are someone with some free time on your hands and skills you would like to put to good use, please get in touch with admin@yeuk.org.uk
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Why hiring young people is good for your business Read our interview with one heck of a Youth Friendly business! Why did NCC decide to employ young people and what has been your experience of this? NCC has for many years employed graduates to support specific business development areas such as marketing, website development, product development etc. Recruiting graduates has been relatively straight forward, but for many they lack business focus and an understanding of the workplace which has meant that we have to also provide support and guidance in relation to workplace ethics and standards.
Would you encourage other businesses to engage with young people? Yes absolutely. Young people bring fresh ideas that may not have been considered previously. Additionally, young people are generally malleable whereas older personnel can have rigid or very specific views. What benefits has your business seen because of its youth workforce? There is a good atmosphere within the business, development ideas are free-flowing and the team gel together extremely well. NCC is an international learning provider with over 14 years’ experience offering learning solutions. Part of the National Consortium of Colleges, NCC has links with Colleges of Further Education across the UK and is committed to excellence in training delivery. To date, NCC has engaged with over 20,000 employers, and delivered quality training to over half a million learners. In September this year NCC became a member of Youth Employment UK CIC and a Youth Friendly badge holder demonstrating their commitment to being part of the solution to youth unemployment.
Do you provide in-house training to support your young person? Yes NCC provides training appropriate to the young person’ specific role. What opportunities do you feel this gives the young person being part of your business? As a small business, the support provided by NCC allows a young person to take responsibility for their work area from an early stage of their employment. Further, the young person will also have opportunity for advancement should alternative roles become available.
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The Future of Work in the UK Did you know that a recent study* conducted in the UK compared the career aspirations of 11,000 teenagers (13 to 18 year olds) against the projected distribution of the 13.5 million new and replacement jobs predicted to appear in the UK economy over the next ten years and found that the two have nothing in common? In other words, the jobs that young people dream of doing are totally different to the jobs that are likely to be available to them. This has a number of implications, one being that the competition for a small number of attractive occupations will get even fiercer that it already is. And let’s face it, that’s a dismal thought. Nobody wants to be competing against hundreds of people every time they apply for a job, it’s soul destroying. So what are the solutions? More self-employment and career resilience needed Self-employment is an important career option for the future. Big corporations and government simply will not be able to provide enough jobs for everyone. Getting excited about students’ ‘mad’ ideas would be a good start, as some of those mad ideas could turn out to be highly successful businesses.
taught as part of the school curriculum, but they need to be. Finding and keeping work will happen online According to Elance – an internet platform used by businesses to gain access to independent workers from graphic designers to virtual assistants - 1 in 3 people will be hired online and 1 in 2 businesses will have online teams by 2020. Even if their predictions are overoptimistic, we can still expect radical changes to the way organisations hire, and individuals find work. Most schools wouldn’t dream of allowing pupils to surf the net and use Facebook during school hours, but isn’t that how they’ll find their future work opportunities? How to get training for jobs you can’t even imagine? Even though many of the jobs that exist today will still be needed in the future – doctors, nurses, teachers and lawyers for example – changes in technology will create jobs that we find difficult to even imagine today. Futurist Thomas Frey envisages a whole range of new careers including Nano-Medics (who design health remedies on a microscopic scale), Memory Augmentation Therapists (much needed to help aging populations get more out of life!) and Urban Agriculturists (who develop ways to grow food underground in cities). So clearly, although a university education may teach you fundamentals that will be needed in these new careers, it will be the beginning of a learning journey, not the end of it.
Many young people don’t want to risk starting a business or don’t have the resources to do so, but it’s still important for them to be employ- Nicola Tanner is a careers education trainer and coach from InspireEducation able and more resilient than their parents. The era of ‘jobs for life’ is long gone, and the reality is more temporary contracts, part-time work, and needing to hunt down work opportunities. Job search skills are not normally
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What happened with the summers 2013 GCSE and A level results? The summer has past schools are all back, is anyone else wondering what happened with the summers 2013 GCSE and A level results? With news reports claiming that GCSE’s are falling again for a second year but reporting that those who sat there A level’s had tackled the tougher subjects. We had a poke around the web to see what was what. What was the real impact of the introduction of tighter marking and tougher GCSE exams and influx of early sits? A Department for Education spokesman said: “We want GCSEs to be highquality, demanding qualifications comparable to those in the world’s best-performing education systems.” Did the DfE plan work? GCSEs State schools outperformed comprehensive schools at GCSE’s GCSE results fell for the second year running, causing a record fall in the proportion of pupils getting C grades or higher. 68.1% of entries achieved A* to C, a larger than expected fall of 1.3 percentage points compared with 2012, when 69.4% of entries achieved A*-C. Girls getting 94.72 % outperforming Boys at 92.1% in grades A*-A at GCSE’s There was a dramatic rise in the number of students sitting GCSE languages, with entries to French (+15.5%), German (+9.4%) and Spanish (+25.8%) increasing. Last year many GCSE results were challenged as schools accused examination boards of changing the parameters of their grading. This does not seem to be the case this year and Ofqual has warned that the falls in good grades is fuelled by a surge in the number of schools entering younger pupils into exams. A’Levels State schools outperformed comprehensive schools at GCSE’s GCSE results fell for the second year running, causing a record fall in the proportion of pupils getting C grades or higher. 68.1% of entries achieved A* to C, a larger than expected fall of 1.3 percentage points compared with 2012, when 69.4% of entries achieved A*-C. Girls getting 94.72 % outperforming Boys at 92.1% in grades A*-A at GCSE’s There was a dramatic rise in the number of students sitting GCSE languages, with entries to French (+15.5%), German (+9.4%) and Spanish (+25.8%) increasing. The university admissions body UCAS reported that a record number of students have already been accepted by UK universities.
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PRESS RELEASE - Santander demonstrates their commitment to UK’s young people Santander one of the world’s largest banks has become a prime sponsor of Youth Employment UK CIC. The bank has already invested heavily in youth recruitment, developing a range of entry points for school levels and graduates. Santander is committed to its youth recruitment programme ensuring that young employees are supported at all levels receiving the assistance they need to progress to have successful careers with the bank. Santander has chosen to support Youth Employment UK CIC (YEUK) the leading independent campaigning and membership body dedicated to tackling youth unemployment. YEUK has a membership of young people, employers, schools, colleges and training providers, bringing together a collaborative and progressive approach to the UK’s youth unemployment problems. With the investment from Santander YEUK will be developing its Youth Members area creating a more interactive and resourceful site for 16-24 year olds who are looking for support. “Our youth membership is key to us, we want to make sure that young people are heard and consulted when government are looking at policies, programmes and investment to reduce youth unemployment. Young people become members of Youth Employment UK CIC (youth membership is free) and are part of the solutions to youth unemployment. Our youth members can access online resources, guides, tips and forums, share their stories and inspire others. The support we have received from Santander will really allow us to develop an exciting online space for our youth members and we cannot wait for its launch.” Laura-Jane Rawlings Founder and CEO of Youth Employment UK CIC The Santander sponsorship deal includes membership to Youth Employment UK CIC allowing Santander to take part in the employer forums, access a range of support services and make sure that as a leading UK employer their voice is also heard at policy levels. Marcus Lee, Head of Resourcing and Early in Career at Santander, said: “We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to become prime sponsor of Youth Employment UK. The great work that YEUK does will complement the appetite Santander UK has in creating a greater number of opportunities to support the youth employability agenda”. The new Youth Employment UK CIC website will be launched in autumn 2013. To keep in touch with news from YEUK, or sign up to membership, please visit www.yeuk.org.uk For information about the Santander recruitment programmes please visit www.santanderearlyincareer.com
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Enterprise funds at your disposal to become self employed! Have you heard of the New Enterprise Allowance? Are you -out of work claiming benefits and have a business idea? The new enterprise allowance scheme (NEA) accessible from Job Centre Plus may be the boost you’re looking for. EMA commenced on 18th of February 2013 and was created to help more people in the UK find their way out of unemployment and into self-employment.
Is social media forcing you to say everything in abbreviations and short sentences?
After spending years at School, College and then University, being dictated that it takes and should take 1,500 – 2000 to reach a valid point, or risk failing. To now being told by a social medial site if I wished to take part, I have to say it all in 140 characters!! What was I going If you’re 18 or over, and are eligible for Employment support allowance (ESA) and in the to do with that? Work Related Activity group receiving supI had become very elaborate in the art of padport from the Job Centre Plus, your business ding out - creating long complex sentences, idea could potentially receive financial and and had little idea of expressing to the point practical support. blurbs. Once your plan is approved the NEA will provide funding (non payback) from sources in your area and in addition loans which are to be paid back from independent companies when needed across the regions, complying of a volunteer mentor for guidance and support to explore your business idea advancing it to a plan, book – keeping workshops and practical advice in marketing and practical, tailored, individual early trading help. Further support will begin once trading commences and benefit ends. Over the first six months financial support consists of weekly payments to the value of £1,274 and further assistance will be provided for those disabled who are enrolled on NEA such as specialist equipment, support workers and travel. Talk to your Job Centre advisor to find out more.
However, there are millions out there that have captured the art of clarity in as little as eight words, rapid expression of trivial matters which, according to the dictionary is what twitter means. There are also ways express ourselves in abbreviations creating a whole new world of words based on acronyms, GR8 4 U if U CN RD IMHO. But is this all going too far in the other direction? If we spend days and nights in our instant world, with it at our finger tips expressing our every thought short as we can quicker than ever are we setting ourselves up for a whole other set of problems? The business community has been in uproar that young people use abbreviations inappropriately on their applications forms or even when they are in work, and now we find these
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clothes. When the woman came up to her and asked Rebecca if she knew where another shop was in town, Rebecca responded obligWhat we perhaps all need to learn is that there ingly. Moments later, she looked down at her is a time and place for shortening our vocabu- bag and instantly realised her mobile was lary and written word. We have to become gone. The CCTV recording a little later conmultilingual in today’s world. Twitter is a firmed the culprit. great platform where it’s most appropriate to say it succinctly but when emailing your CV Like Anna, Rebecca had intended to back up to the HR Director of Santander remember her phone but hadn’t got round to it. Hunmore is well...more. dreds of her contacts all gone. She had another six months of her phone contract to run and couldn’t afford to pay for a replacement. Both these stories are true and my daughters have learned a tough lesson. Backing up your laptop or phone is dead easy these days, particularly with the availability of cloud computing. Even if you don’t trust or like the idea Anna didn’t think it would happen to her. She of your data being held somewhere in cyberhad heard of incidents in other universities, space, you can still back your precious inforbut her halls of residence had a coded enmation on a plug-in hard disk. try door and she could lock her room at any time. Good intentions can be costly if that’s Remember, not backing up can put your back all they remain. When her floor held an end up (and be expensive financially and emotionof term party, she didn’t bother locking her ally)! room door…after all, she was among student friends. Digital Bad Hair Days is provided by David Shindler, Employability Coaching Unfortunately, some gate-crashers turned and Youth Friendly Employer up and when she finally went to bed in the early hours, her laptop was gone. Anna had been meaning to get round to backing up her work. Another thing on her to-do list... except it hadn’t been done. All the research for her course work and the half-written essay due in next week disappeared in an instant.
Digital Bad Hair Days – The Back-Up
Anna’s heart sank at other implications. She had saved for safekeeping several hundred photos for a friend of a once in a lifetime’s volunteering trip to the Far East. How was she going to face her friend with the news? Anna’s sister, Rebecca, had her iPhone stolen on a shopping trip to New Look. She thought it was a bit strange the way moments after her the woman seemed to be looking at the same
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What is available for job seekers? Are you a job seeker looking for funding or want to access support? If like us you have had a look into the vast amount of information that is on line and was baffled by it all, you are not alone. Here is a quick and hopefully easy guide to get you started. Struggling to find work because you lack work experience? Ask your Jobcentre plus advisor about the Youth Contract and if you are eligible for their work experience programme. You could gain 2-8 weeks work experience and still receive your benefit income and help with travel costs. The Job Centre has a programme called Work Together which helps job seekers connect with volunteering opportunities, they can arrange for you to connect with some of the local organisations like Princes Trust and Ground Work. Connect with businesses The Job Centre is a fantastic resource and knowledge bank, the advisors are working with local businesses every day, so be smart and tap into your local JCP and find out what is going on. In London they have a really proactive twitter feed, keep an eye on your local centres twitter page.
The new EMA (Enterprise Allowance) is available for job seekers who have a business idea. Read more in our EMA article. The Job Centre run enterprise and job clubs, so make sure you ask what opportunities there are to access support for your start up or job search. Right now there is a range of benefits for job seekers, carers, low income families etc. You need to speak to your adviser to make sure you are getting the right benefit for your situation. Universal credit will become national from October 2013 this year. You apply online via https://www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit or speak to your Job Centre Advisor or you can get help at Citizens Advice. Benefits for employers Did you know that businesses can receive up to ÂŁ2,275 for taking on young person who has been unemployed?
Discounted travel for apprentices and jobseekers Did you know there’s help to get around while you look for work, or start a job or training scheme? The Travel Discount Card offers eligible people 50% off most National Rail journeys. Londoners can also get the discount on Transport for London services such as buses and trams via the Oyster card system.
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Who wants to be a Spaceman? You are never too old! We were lucky enough to be able to be in New York this summer, one of the fantastic things we did was to go to USS Intrepid air and space museum, which is an aircraft carrier moored on the Hudson River right in downtown at the end of 42nd street (if you have seen the film ‘I am legend’ with Will Smith it’s the one he hits golf balls off). Arriving quite early we discovered a big NASA exhibition being hosted there. We made our way into a small tent where my two sons had spotted a model NASCAR whilst we were looking one of the staff approached us to ask us if we would like to meet an Astronaut. Obviously there is only one answer to that question, YES PLEASE! We were then introduced to Charles J. Camarda (one of the only 530 people who have ever left earth!) who was amazingly welcoming, friendly and keen to learn what we wanted to know about space. We were thinking of questions (our boys went for the obvious toilet ones) but Matthew who is eight asked “how did you learn to become an astronaut?” “Well” said Charles “one of the most important lessons I learnt along the way to becoming an astronaut was how important it is to make plenty of mistakes so that I learn the right stuff to help me do the job”. He then went on tell us how he had built loads of things with his grandfather in the family shed when growing up, became really interested in engineering, took a degree in Aerospace Engineering at university before then taking a masters and eventually achieved his goal of working at NASA as an engineer on the Shuttle Project. It was only when he was there that someone suggested to him his skills would be useful on the flight missions, so at
the age of 43 he applied for and was selected onto the Flight Mission program to become the fifth member of the crew on the Shuttle Discovery, the first launch after the Challenger disaster. The experience of meeting Charles was fascinating and for our boys really special and memorable. One of the reasons I enjoy working with people as a career guidance practioner is the opportunity to help individuals in some small way find something they are really good at to enable them to enjoy their work and be successful. When you meet a guy like Charles, he was so passionate about getting young people interested in science and engineering, asking my boys about what they liked to do, Lego, science, computer etc and endorsing these as positive learning experiences. But it was his comment about allowing yourself to make mistakes that really stuck with me. I try to encourage those I work with to also learn from their mistakes, think of the positive things you can take from a not so good situation. His comment made me realise that I need to remember and keep practising this myself. His life has been an amazing metaphor of it doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make, if you work hard and focus on your goals you can still go to the stars, no matter how old.
This piece was written by Simon Bason of Bright Track and Youth Friendly Employer.
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LinkedIn for 13+ LinkedIn, the global networking site for professionals has opened its doors to 13 year olds. On the 12th of September LinkedIn made itself available for 13+ year olds to start using the “professional” networking site. Widening the concept that it’s not what you know it’s who you know. It is driven by the usage of Schools and Universities who are using LinkedIn to advertise what they have to offer to current and prospective students. A student or prospective student can browse the courses, meet other students and access a range of information. Before you even start at X University, with LinkedIn you could already meet your tutors, roommates, alumni and have your off timetable activities planned.
LinkedIn have created a new way for marketers to access a cohort of prospective customers? Watch out for the promotions and surveys. So is LinkedIn helping advance those who are just beginning to take an interest in the wider world or those who make money through teens online? What we can say is that the privacy seems to be pretty robust; our concerns over safeguarding are addressed in the LinkedIn guidelines which we hope will stand up as time goes on. Youth Employment UK CIC has teamed up with Apprenticeships 4 England to create a LinkedIn Apprenticeships Group for 13+.
We hope that this group will be a place where training providers and employers can talk to young people to help them engage with the world of apprenticeships and start their employment conversations. As part of our We know networking is good for us, we know own quality control we are asking all employthat by using LinkedIn an Twitter we can exers and training providers who want to use pand our networks, we can meet people workthe group to be Youth Friendly before they’re ing in the industries we want to get to and the given access. value of those connections. When used right LinkedIn and Twitter lead to opportunities we Take a look at the 13 -18 may never have come across elsewhere. Apprenticeships Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/13-18-ApSo is there a benefit to a 13 year old? prenticeship-Group-managed-5147024 Long term benefits for ambitious teens will be the opportunity of course to meet a vast audience of professional people in every possible industry. By joining some of the groups, company pages and school/college pages teenagers will get access to lots of information putting them ahead of the game. But is LinkedIn opening its door for those who just want to sign up and expand their portfolio of social media sites? Where they can organise their party life and comment on others? How do the “professional” users feel about the impeding onslaught of youth? Or maybe it is more basic than that and
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What’s the best way to have an immediate impact on literacy standards? ‘The Core Essentials of Writing’ A Thinking Child training module focusing on writing skills: particularly grammar and punctuation. Who is it for?
School staff involved in teaching and learning; literacy across the curriculum. Training Providers who support young people with CVs, personal statements and applications. Employers who want to provide staff training for those who need to ‘brush up’ the quality of their daily communications: emails, letters reports etc. Any other organisation who wants to give their staff more confidence in written communications. Sue Dixon, founder of Thinking Child, has designed this course from years of experience as a literacy consultant and trainer. She understands what is required of an ‘essential’ core learning module and what is practicable with limited time and budgets.
Delivered in your own setting with groups of staff (up to a maximum of 20.) All materials are included in the package cost of £750 (+VAT) - for a full day (plus travel & accommodation where required) To book your course or find out more: Telephone 01604 491511 Email info@thinkingchild.org.uk
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Where to go for Careers Information Apprenticeships, Employment, University, College, what is next for you, and if you do not know where can you go for help? Here is our guide to some of the best careers advice & next step resources for you Our list is not exhaustive and there are a lot of resources, guides and services for young people. If you have been helped by an organisation not listed let us know and we will signpost to them too! emag@yeuk.org.uk
Careers Information & Support
The National Careers Service is the government’s portal for all things Careers and Advice; you can connect with them online or talk to an advisor over the phone. You can browse over 750 different career profiles, check your skills, build a CV and much more - 0800 100 900 Youth Employment UK – Of course you can join our social media pages Facebook Twitter and Pinterest where we promote latest news, views, advice and opportunities. Be sure to also register to be a Youth Member as you will then get access to a load more resources and info. YEUK Members Employability Hub Colour Your Success Your Career Mentor Bright Track Revolution Hive Shaw Trust
Employment There are a number of Job Search websites that also advertise vacancies from apprenticeships to internships and graduate employment, take a look at: Universal Jobmatch YEUK Members Future Talent
University or College You can search for thousands of College or Universities through the UCAS website and Unistats YEUK Members
Petroc College ACCROSS COLLEGE
Apprenticeships The obvious starting point is the National Apprenticeship Service you can find out more about apprenticeships, funding and search for vacancies and training providers near you. YEUK Members
Apprenticeship4England Baltic Training ApprenticeSupermarket Enterprise Take a look at Princes Trust YEUK Members Rock Star Youth
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YEUK Member Profile Apprentice Supermarket When we asked one of our brilliant members - The Apprenticeship Supermarket to give us an insight into apprenticeships - Andrew Kunman & his team were only too glad to help us out. Liam, Matt and Chanell have completed their NVQ. Michael, Josh and Katie are currently still working on theirs. Here’s what they had to say in response to our questions...
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Industry Spotlight
High job security is just one of the reasons people enjoy working in adult social care, here are some others.
If you want a career where you can progress, feel secure, and get an enormous sense of personal achievement from knowing you are helping other people? Then adult social care is for you. With a huge demand for workers, plenty of opportunities for progression and a job in which 96% of workers said they feel their work makes a difference, adult social care has lots to offer.
• Flexible work options to fit in around family and other commitments • Huge range of career options from frontline care workers to specialists, technicians and non-direct care roles such as chefs, maintenance and administration positions • Massive job satisfaction – it feels good to know you’re helping others
A career in adult social care
Adult social care is about providing personal and practical support to help people live their lives. It’s also about supporting them to maintain their independence, dignity and control. Because of the increasing number of disabled younger adults living longer and the growing number of older people needing care, adult social care is growing and the sector needs at least another 1 million workers by 2025.
An Apprenticeship in adult social care is a great way to get into the sector. Available to anyone over the age of 16, An Apprenticeship will allow you to start earning straight away, gain nationally recognised qualifications and learn the skills and knowledge needed to become a confident and skilled worker, and if you wish, it will help you quickly move up the career ladder. There are currently lots of Apprenticeship opportunities in adult social care, to find one near you visit the National Apprenticeship Service website: http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/BeAn-Apprentice.aspx If you’re still not sure if working in adult social care is for you, then visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/icare where you will find information on qualifications, case studies and tools to help you figure out if you want to be part of the future adult social care workforce. Good luck!
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Hey girls! Currently within the engineering sector there are only 21% of you... Have you ever wondered what an apprenticeship is like within this sector for girls?
brilliant, I have a mentor within the Design department who meets with me on a regular basis to discuss future plans and how I am getting on in each department, and I have done a multitude of training courses including HAV, Manual Handling and Electrical Competence. I really love the experience I’m gaining!
We asked Charlotte Bidwell what it’s like for her, how she got there and now she’s there what it’s like... Charlotte is at Marshall Aerospace and Defence as a Design Apprentice. During sixth form I took a broad range of subjects to keep my options open, but found the workload at sixth form quite intense and was disappointed with my AS grades. I had to re-think applying for University. With the help When my apprenticeship is complete I hope to be either mid way through a degree or have of a careers advisor I found my Apprenticecompleted one. Then plan to study a master’s ship. degree. I would also like to spend some further time in engineering where I could gain To start the application process I sent in my more experience to help me become a better CV and took aptitude tests then a practical designer and become fully qualified and comtest which measured basic hand ability and dexterity. Then an interview at Marshall which petent at using the software. was really friendly – just a laid-back general I think being here at Marshall will give me a chat which was nice after the aptitude tests! great start in my career and a way of working After gaining the Apprenticeship with Marmy way up through the company. shall, I worked really hard to improve on my AS grades. The Apprenticeship is more than I expected and I really enjoy it. My dad, who works in engineering, was really supportive of the idea and it attracted me because I was keen to earn and learn. The supervisors here really encourage you to do as many courses as possible. I completed the initial 6 months training in the workshop developing basic hand skills, whilst on day release at Bedford College doing a HNC in Mechanical Engineering. Overall the qualification side of the work is
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University Degrees are they outdated?
have lasted the three years as my friends and long term girlfriend were living in Leeds.
How did you find your university, what was What is your background, how did you get on the process like, did you have to have certain at school, what made you decide to go to uni- qualifications or experience, was there an versity, what were/are your career ambitions? interview? I followed the normal route, through primary The process was in all honesty very easy, once the application was submitted and I received school then onto an all-boys high school. I the desired grades. I went to view the city and came away with 9 GCSE’s grade A*-C which uni about 2 months before applying and was gave me the opportunity to go to KGV College and Study Business, Media, Sociology and suitably impressed with the quality of facilities. There was no interview involved. Film Studies. My decision at the age of 16 to proceed onto A-Levels was determined by my overall goal to go to university and study for a What was your university like? degree (even though I wasn’t sure exactly what Leeds Met is a large uni and the facilities are excellent, I studied for most of my degree in I wanted to do). I completed my First year at the brand new, multi-million pound develcollege, deciding on a subject to study at uni opment that had everything a student could was difficult. I settled on marketing and Adpossibly need. My only issues were with vertising Management as it seemed to have a large amount of modules that sounded attrac- the course, looking back it seems outdated. The course was marketing and advertising, tive to me, as well as discussing with my Ayet there was no training in aspects such as Level Business tutor the career opportunities graphic design, which I have had to be trained available in marketing. At that time I had an ideal in my head of becoming “a businessman” in since leaving university. The digital marketing aspect of the course was probably most and wearing a suit to work, and that is what useful in current employment, but there was pushed me to look at advertising. My main influences at that time were close friends, and not enough focus on this. we all aimed to go to the same Uni together. How hard was it to get a job in your chosen Between the ages of 17-18 I was working as a field? How many did you apply for before Civil Servant for the Office for National Stafinding the right one? tistics, my parents actually encouraged me to stay with the Civil Service and pursue a career. I applied for a large number of jobs when leavI went against this advice and left the job to go ing university. I ended up falling into a bar manager role through my marketing knowlto Leeds. edge. I wrote a marketing plan on a consultancy basis for a new bar opening in Liverpool, Why did you choose that university? when I met with the owner he was impressed My main reason for choosing Leeds Met was with my plans for the bar and asked me if I the city and friends, which may sound frivomay consider helping him run the bar. I saw lous to some. The reality is I have never been fully dedicated to learning and focused solely this as an opportunity to test my skills and on obtaining the highest grade. My UCAS tal- also forge some sort of practical experience of ly of just under 400 points would have gained how a business works as well as getting some hands on marketing experience. I left the bar me access to a higher ranked university such as Lancaster or Nottingham Trent but I believe as ownership changed hands and continued if I had moved to a city on my own I may not to pursue a full time marketing role. Many
PAGE 26 applications later I was offered the Marketing Assistant role with NCC. What’s a typical day, do you find that you use your everyday teachings in your current employment? I have no doubt that the theoretical knowledge I gained from my degree has aided me in pursuit of this career. The day to day tasks I undertake are varied and I would say only around 50% of said tasks I was prepared for through my uni course. There have been many aspects I have had to learn on the job such as, graphic design, e-mail marketing and website maintenance. What tips or advice would you give to anybody thinking of going down that path? I think it is assumed by many students that your course will cover everything you need to a) get a job and b) be competent within that job. In my experience so far this is not the case and I would advise people to gain an in depth understanding of the industry they want to work within. This keeps you up to date with the latest developments and will pay dividends in interview situations. Continued learning is also essential, business constantly evolves and you have to move with it to ensure you are fulfilling your potential.
So you have your degree, you’ve graduated... If you are looking at starting a career in education like 25.5% of 2008 -2009 University leavers headed, will it be your future or a slot in your career portfolio. Current job markets have dictated that youth of today will have up to seven careers unlike our parents who had one or perhaps two. Will your degree subject restrict you on the job market? Not necessarily, today’s recruiters are looking for a range of skills and a degree can demonstrate that you have key transferrable skills (independent working researching, time management). However a degree can restrict the amount you earn. Although UK employers pay slightly higher for graduates those coming from an arts degree are among the lowest paid with 50% earning lower than £21,000 three years after graduating. The highest earners are those in medicine and dentistry £30,000 after six months rising to £40,000 after three years. The top end earnings are those who land jobs in investment banking earning a starting average of £45,000 which is least likely due to banks still not hiring as many since the recession. Does the job market dictate earnings - or the degree grade? There is no direct breakdown to evaluate degree grade and pay, but when employers are king and have an abundance of applicants your grade needs to stand up along with all of the extra-curricular activities (volunteering, work experience, sporting achievements etc) that the other interviewees can shout about otherwise you may be one of the 7.7% unemployed that have lower grades.
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Upcoming Events Running an event that aims to support youth unemployment? Let us know and we will share it. What Careers fair register online to take part Amy Winehouse Exhibition Event celebrating her 30th Student take over event in Queens Gate shopping centre Fashion festival at the V&A Museum Opening Doors Careers Event
Where online
When 1st – 14th Oct
Who 16+
Proud in Camden
Daily 11am – Everyone 5pm Until 6th Oct
Queens gate shopping centre Peterborough Victoria & Albert Museum London Tottenham Hotspur
10th Oct 4pm – 8pm
How http://www.onlinecareersfair. co.uk/web/prefair/index http://proudonline.co.uk/exhibitions
18+ Need http://www.queensgate-shopto register ping.co.uk/events/the-studentto attend takeover-is-back
19th Oct 16-24 11 am – 5pm
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/2766/fashion-festival-4123/
27th Novem- 16-24 ber
http://www.opening-doors. org/#!london-2013/cr42
To have your event listed for free in the emagazine it needs to be free for 16 – 24 year olds to attend and aimed at helping them to gain new skills for work or to find work opportunities themselves. If you want to advertise your Open Days, have a larger event listing or advertise your organisation in general please see our advertising rate card. Please send your event details (including date, a brief description, location, target audience and how you may be contacted for further information) to emag@yeuk.org.uk Please note we accept no responsibility for the reliability or quality of the events listed and cannot publish any notices of cancellations or change of details.
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Youth EntrepreneurshipStarting a business whilst at University!
ground is a difficult task, particularly in the current economic climate. It is unsurprising; therefore, that many young entrepreneurs are tempted to use their student loan as a source of finance.
The graduate jobs market is tougher than ever. Many students are wondering whether or not their degree will help them find employment at all. It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that there is a growing sense amongst those in their early- and mid-20s that, in order to secure the best future for themselves, they need to take matters into their own hands.
There is a lot to be said for this course of action. Your student loan is about as cheap a loan as you are likely to get. Even better, you don’t have to start paying it back until you are out of education and earning money.
I started my first business at the age of 16 I handed in more than 40 CV’s to local business for a part time job but no one got back to me. I had finished my last GCSE exam and was getting worried thinking this is the end of my future. However this is when I decided if I can’t find a job I am going to create one myself. I then went on to set up a contract cleaning company which was a success after a year and sold the business. New research from Simply Business suggests that the proportion of small business owned by individuals aged between 18 and 25 has increase by some 4 per cent in the past three years. We may well be witnessing the birth of a new generation of young entrepreneurs who, put off by the state of the jobs market, are instead choosing to start their own ventures. Many of these individuals are starting businesses while at university – often using their student loan as a source of finance. If you are considering this course of action, you need to think carefully about the potential implications, not just for your career but also for your degree. Starting up: Starting a business is an expensive prospect. Securing funding to get your venture off the
There are, however, a few important considerations that you should bear in mind before spending your loan starting a business. To begin with, you should remember that the purpose of your student loan is to help get you through university. How will you afford to finish your course? Many people simply bank on profits from their business paying their way through the next three years – but, bearing in mind that the average business takes some two years to break even; this might not be the most sensible financial plan. You should also remember that your student loan is just that – a loan. It is not ‘free money’, no matter how much it might seem like it when it arrives. You will eventually have to pay it back, with interest, so it is important that you do something worthwhile with it. Time constraints As well as the obvious financial constraints with which you will contend, you will also rapidly realise that your time is at a premium. Running a business is a full-time occupation, and you will need to think carefully about how you juggle this with your university commitments. Many courses only require eight or ten ‘contact hours’ a week. But this is not necessarily an accurate measure of the amount of work you will be required to put in. When you are not in lectures or seminars, you will almost
PAGE 29 certainly be expected to do your own reading and research. It will take excellent organisational skills to juggle your university work and your business obligations. Tax concerns There is a common misconception that students are not required to pay tax. This is not the case. Students pay tax just like everyone else; if your earnings exceed the personal allowance, you will have to pay. As a business owner you will almost certainly have to complete and return an annual Self-Assessment tax return. You will then probably have to pay any tax you owe directly to HM Revenue and Customs. Click here for more information on completing your Self-Assessment or visit Taxguide.co.uk Remember the basics Throughout the process, you should remember that setting up a business while at university is, fundamentally, no different to setting up a business at any other stage of your life.
Student Mum and Dad Ever wonder your options as a teen mum or dad? Wondered what’s out there for you now? Eve our student mother shared what it’s like for her. If you’re a young or teenage parent a lot of people will tell you that you’re going to amount to nothing or that your dreams will no longer be able to happen as you’ve got another person to consider. However, this is only true if you let it be. Before I fell pregnant we were both expected to exceed in Academia. We’re probably not your typical teenage parents but instead of settling for a life society expects us to - working a dead end, minimum wage job or more stereotypically - living off of benefits. We’re continuing to aim for our goals.
I took a year out of sixth form to have my baby while my boyfriend continued doing maths and the three sciences for his AS levels, and we are now settling into a routine; A levels and being parents to our four month old little girl. As a new mum I was often told it’d be incredibly hard to keep up with sixth form workload and a baby, and discouraged full time study. I’m not going to deny it is hard; it’s hard to pull myself away from her for long It is therefore vital that you think carefully enough to complete a piece of work in one sitabout whether or not you have the time, ting and it’s the next day at college when she’s money, and expertise that you need before you had a bad night or one, or both of us has been begin the process. ill. You will assume a range of important and often onerous responsibilities, and these cannot be avoided. Taking on work that you do not have the time or resources to complete is absolutely the worst possible course of action; it will leave you with dissatisfied customers, it will cause you untold stress, and it will damage your degree.
Thanks to Blessing Maregere a YEUK Youth Ambassador and brilliant entrepreneur
However, we’re extremely lucky to have a very understanding College and many understanding teachers, who are there to support us if we ever have a problem meeting a deadline or if we ever need to be away from a lesson. On an average college day is a 6 am start and we take turns getting ready. We then have to leave the
PAGE 30 house by 7:20 to get the bus to college, and most days return at 5 o’clock. We then spend a couple of hours playing with , feeding, bathing and putting our daughter to bed before we can start any homework or revision. It feels like a very short amount of time with her, and it’s wonderful to come home to her in the evenings. Sometimes I do wonder if it’s worth all this time apart, but an Education, whether it be A’ level’s or a BTEC, it makes you more appealing to an employer and opens University doors. Plus knowing we can have a future makes the hard times now feel like they’ll pay off. Although it’s going to be hard, getting a good education with a child it is possible and we intend on showing just that. And Jordan our student dad... My name is Jordan I’m a full time student, I’m currently studying math’s physics and chemistry at A level, I aim to go to University to study a Science based subject at degree level. Just over a year ago my girlfriend and I found out we were going to be parents. It was a shock to say the least, at first I couldn’t help but think the worst and my aspirations were now unachievable. This is what we had been lead to believe; we are trying to prove the stereotypical idea of a teen parent as wrong, and I continued with my AS year. Although it wasn’t easy as baby was born two hours before my last AS exam, after being with my girlfriend through her labour the exam was easier! During the summer I spent a few weeks as a manual labourer and a ran personal training session, but I always knew I was going to go back to College, now a year later and baby is four months old and I’m back at College and things are still on track.
We now face the same frustrations all parents do when they return to work and spend time away from baby. I am undecided in my final career path. It is harder than before but we are happy and baby is healthy and happy too. We have realised that just because there is a stereotype doesn’t have to be true for you.
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