National Apprenticeship Week Roundup
This week has been a busy one for the Bristol WORKS team with lots of exciting sessions giving Bristol students an insight into the world of apprenticeships.
We started the week with a Twitter takeover – Rosie from Bristol City Council’s (BCC) Arts & Events team took to the @WORKSBristol Twitter account to share her apprenticeship journey, starting as a Level 2 Business Admin apprentice in 2019 and now working towards a Level 4 Project Management Qualification. When asked about her Twitter takeover experience, Rosie said “I took part in the @WORKSBristol Twitter takeover to give people a taste of what it is like to be an apprentice for Bristol City Council, and to show other young people that you can progress quickly and in many different ways! It was great to document my day, and to reflect on the two exciting years I have spent here so far.”
Tuesday saw Poppy from the National Careers Service give an overview of apprenticeships, including tips on where and how to apply, to students interested in a variety of careers including engineering, graphic design and digital technology (all of which you can do an apprenticeship in!). Her top tips included making sure you tailor your application to the specific job role you are applying for, especially if you’re applying for a few different types of apprenticeships, and to practise talking about yourself and your skills so it doesn’t feel as strange when you get to an interview.
On Wednesday, students heard about the World of Apprenticeships with Babington. They were given advice on how to prepare a CV and what to expect in an interview, as well as hearing about the many different types and levels of apprenticeship courses available. Did you know that Babington also offer a variety of free online courses in subjects such as digital skills and customer service? Check out what’s on offer here https://babington.co.uk/free-online-learning/.
Twitter Takeover Part 2 happened on Thursday, with Chris from the Apprenticeships team at BCC showing us what a day in the life of a Business Admin apprentice looks like – from Excel spreadsheets and Zoom meetings to tea breaks and catch ups with colleagues. We asked Chris what inspired him to take part in our takeover and he said “I work in a job that is focused on promoting apprenticeships, so I saw this as an excellent opportunity to get involved in something a bit fun and different and also to give people an insight into an apprenticeship role at BCC.”
On Thursday afternoon, students at Oasis Academy John Williams participated in an inspiring session run by Alaya at First Gens, an organisation that supports young people who are the first generation in their family to go to university. This session broke down some common myths about going to university and encouraged the students to consider it as a viable option for them, no matter their background. The Careers Lead from the school described the session as ‘absolutely wonderful’ and ‘enriching’.
Alongside all of the above, WORKS have delivered an International Virtual work experience in partnership with Bell Group UK and Black Professionals in Construction for students to access.
Students from Bristol and UK have worked together in teams with young people from schools, colleges and universities across Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe on an exciting, interactive, week-long construction challenge. Pupils have been involved in all aspects of research, design, building and marketing and have had guidance, input and expert advice from a range of industry professionals. This has been through live Q&A sessions, interviews and industry insider films as well as exposure to the virtual reality behind construction showcasing the vast range of careers available in the construction industry. Students have had opportunities to learn and develop a range of technical abilities and key soft skills such as team work, problem solving, decision making and resilience as well as presenting and pitching a project they have worked on. We think this has been a really exciting opportunity to globally connect and looking forward to sharing blogs written by the young people about their experience.
After this brilliantly busy week, the Bristol WORKS team are now looking forward to National Careers Week on the 1st-5th March when we will be offering another jam-packed timetable full of inspiring career insights – stay tuned for more information to come!