Careers Newsletter April 2024

Spring Term Focus

This newsletter is to provide you with information about all careers related news, including what’s on, what’s happened and various opportunities, providing impartial guidance and information across the school from Years 7 – 13.

Careers Round-up - The spring term is always busy with career related events so please do take the time to catch up on what has been happening in school this term.

Student Career Leaders - This month marks the end for our current student career leaders William and Oliver. Both students have embraced their role supporting the department and helping to grow the awareness of careers across the school community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and to wish them all the best in their next steps after CGS. Both William and Oliver have written a piece about their experience in this role which is included further down in this newsletter. In April, we are looking forward to working with our newly appointed student career leaders Rose & Joseph. They have a very exciting project to roll out in the summer term.

Extra Curricular – please take a look at the opportunities students can sign up to over the coming months to help improve their knowledge and soft skills for future applications.

We are always looking for companies, parents and Old Cheshamians to come in and talk in assemblies, lectures or a lunchtime drop in. If this is something you can help with, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you for your continued support and wishing everyone and Happy Easter. The Careers Team

A summary of events this term …..

Aspiration Day Y10

In the first week back, over twenty alumni from the Class of 2022 and Class of 2023 returned to CGS to talk to Y10 students in small groups about life beyond CGS (university and apprenticeships) and to offer advice on how to prepare for GCSE and A level. We know from the feedback that the Year 10s enjoyed this and would have liked even more time with the students.

Y9 Options

Students and parents have had an online information event and an assembly explaining the process of choosing GCSE options. Y9s will start their GCSE option courses after May half term.

National Careers Challenge Y7 & Y10

Both year groups took on their respective challenges with lots of energy and enthusiasm back in January. Y7 were given the task to develop a promotional campaign that would encourage a local transport firm to adapt their vehicles to hydrogen fuel. They needed to identify a suitable transport provider before exploring the benefits of ‘Hydrogen for Mobility’. Y10 were challenged to create a “School of the Future” that needed to be focused on sustainability and community support. Congratulations to “Drive for Good” (Y7) & “Neptune School of the Future” (Y10) for their winning presentations. They will now represent CGS in the National Finals in July.

Y8 Workshadowing Day

Well done and thank you to all the Year 8 students who completed this in February. The feedback from parents and students has been extremely positive and we do believe this is a great initiative that introduces students to the world of work.

“This was a great opportunity for the Year 8 children to spend the day at a workplace. Thank you for making this part of their learning at this age, it’s a great introduction to a work environment and doing it on an insetdayis agreatidea.” Parent

“My Dad uses Teams which is where I see my school homework. I also watched myDad interview someone looking for a job. Some of the skills I saw were good communication skills and being able to understand Excel. Overall, I have learnt lots of new things and metlots of new people.” Student

“I feel that the work shadowing opportunity isvaluable to both the student and the person being shadowed. It enables the studentto find out more about a role within abusiness, andfor the person beingshadowed to focuson their role in more detail, while explaining anddemonstrating what it involves to the student.” Parent

Here are some of the main skills the students have listed on Unifrog as part of their work shadowing day: Planning/Aiming high, Listening, Speaking, Teamwork, Leadership, Problem solving, Independence, Reading, Writing, Resilience / Staying positive

Old Cheshamians Inspiring the Next Generation

We would like to thank our alumni for continuing to support our careers programme by sharing their stories and inspiring our students. This term alone we had over 20 students for Aspiration Day and former students coming back to support our sixth form lectures and lunch time talks. These have included;

Harry Barratt - Class of 2020 currently on a oneyear internship with Hawk-Eye Innovations whilst studying Mechanical Engineering at University of Leeds

Brendan Hourihan - Class of 2021 currently working at Amazon on a year’s internship and studying Business & Marketing at UCFB

Ben Wober- Class of 2020 Ben went from CGS to Durham University, graduating last summer, after which he joined the RAF

Dany Abbasi - Class of 2022. Dany talked about his gap year and starting a degree apprenticeship with Amazon

Ayuj Pathak - Class of 2023 Ayuj talked about his degree apprenticeship with the Bank of England

Charlotte Booth - Class of 2014. Charlotte is Associate Director at Gardiner and Theobald, having graduated from UCL

Josh Shreeve – Class of 2013 talked about his career in the media industry and his current role as a radio producer and presenter for BBC Radio 1

Jess Chapman – Class of 2016 spoke to Sociology students about her current role for the Crown Prosecution Service

Laura-Jayne Tiley – Class of 2012. Laura-Jayne spent the afternoon with politics students and talked about her career working in the House of Commons

Henry Hill – Class of 2008. Henry is Deputy editor of Conservative Home. He joined politics students for their latest “Chesham Chats” podcast

Rob Evans – Class of 2000. Rob is an Executive Director at UBS Bank where he also runs intern recruitment into the Global Markets business.

Stuart Harrison – Class of 2001. Stuart talked to Year 12 students about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and how to stand out in an interview

National Apprenticeship Week

Thank you also to former students Finlay Taylor and Ayuj Pathak both Class of 2023, Siobhan Toppin, Class of 2022 and Alexander Burrows, Class of 2021 for taking time out of their busy days to help us put together a video about their experiences as apprentices. While most of our Year 13s choose to progress to higher education, an increasing number have opted for a degree apprenticeship route and we try to build student awareness of this pathway so they can make informed choices.

Finlay's degree apprenticeship is with the Civil Service, Ayuj with the Bank of England, Siobhan's with Vodafone and Alexander's with the investment bank, UBS.

If you would like to find out more, this can be viewed by clicking on the image

Bucks Skills Show Y9

We took Year 9 students to the Bucks Skills Show which was held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium during National Careers Week. Students had the opportunity to engage and interact with over 100 employers across a variety of industry sectors from across Buckinghamshire. We are very fortunate to have a skills hub that organises this event to build awareness and help students make informed choices.

College Talks

As part of our commitment to our provider access policy, students in Years 10 and 11 were visited by West Herts College and Years 8 and 9 had a presentation from Aylesbury UTC. Both colleges talked about alternative options available to students after GCSEs.

Careers Adviser

‘Talks on Tuesday’

We’d also like to thank the following parents and volunteers for coming in to talk about their careers and providing top tips and insights to students.

Alice Fowle – MetDesk

Ravi Chauhan – Laeceum

Martin Baker Ltd – aircraft engineering

BP Collins Solicitors

Jane MacBean – local councillor

Elisabeth Viry-Babel –lawyer

Appointments are available most Thursdays with Mr Ritchie, our independent careers adviser, should any students wish to discuss or validate choices.

Please email careersoffice@cheshamgrammar.org

if you would like to arrange an appointment or speak to your Head of Year. Notes and follow up actions from appointments are always uploaded to students’ Unifrog accounts.

Students seeking help with cv writing, interview prep, work experience guidance, please pop by the careers office opposite S8 any time.

Contact

If you would like to contribute to our future newsletters or be involved in any careers related events, please get in touch. Please also contact careers for any career related support and advice.

Kate Lovelace - Careers & Enterprise Leader

careersoffice@cheshamgrammar.org

Student Career Leader Reflection

This year being a student careers leader has been an invaluable experience. I have had the opportunity to plan, lead and run assemblies, as well as represent the department at whole school events – such as open days for prospective year 7’s and year 12’s. I have really enjoyed this role, and would recommend it to all future sixth form students. My personal highlight would be attending the student Bucks careers leaders conferences with my partner Will, where we shared ideas with 6 other schools on improving knowledge on careers within schools in Buckinghamshire. Next year, I am still undecided on what path I will take. I will either undertake an apprenticeship as an accountant at EY, or go to university to further my studies of Economics. I want to say a huge thanks to Mrs Lovelace, Mrs Ware and Mrs Churchett for making the role so active and exciting!

Oliver Painter, Year 13

Undertaking the role of student careers leader in the SSLT has enabled me to gain many valuable skills. From planning and leading assemblies, to helping out in the careers department during open evenings, the opportunity provided to me has been extremely enjoyable. My favourite aspect of being a students careers leader has been representing the department during open evenings, providing me with the chance to talk to potential Year 7 and 12, as well as their parents. I found this particularly engaging as I was able to provide them with information relating to both the school and careers department through my own personal experiences throughout school, including my GCSE and A-Level choices. Next year, I plan to continue my study of Economics at A-Level towards an Economics degree at either the University of Bath or Manchester. I would also like to say a massive thank you to the careers department, mainly Mrs Lovelace for constantly supporting us in the role, as well as involving us in the administering of careers information around the school.

William Burrows, Year 13

We look forward to welcoming both Oliver and William back to CGS at our alumni events and hearing about their next steps after CGS.

Summer Term Events

17th April – Y12 UCAS Fair

19th June – Y8 STEM morning

June/July – Y9 World of Work day tbc

3rd July – Y12 Mock assessment centre for students interested in applying for apprenticeships

5th July – Y12 Criminology workshop

9th July – Y7 & Y10 National Careers Challenge Final, Doncaster

Work Experience for Y11 & Y12

Please can we remind students that once they have completed any work experience it needs to be logged on Unifrog as an activity.

For any students in Y11 who have set up work experience after their GCSEs this summer, please can parents confirm what has been arranged by completing this form before students go on study leave.

https://forms.office.com/e/b7tTKu8MXh

NEXT STEPS | CAREERS NEWSLETTER

Upcoming Opportunities

Please note all opportunities are shared with students via email.

Henley College

Next Open Evening, Thursday 18th April 5.30pm - 8pm

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust invites you to … Discover careers in biomedical science - Thursday 27 June

Explore the vital roles in our laboratories which support the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Find out about the exciting specialities of infection sciences, blood sciences and cellular sciences.

• Who: Students in Years 7 and above

• Where: In person career talk at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury

• When: 5 - 7pm (registration from 4.45pm), Thursday 27 June 2024

• Find out more and book your free ticket: Discover careers in biomedical science Tickets, Thu 27 Jun 2024 at 16:45 | Eventbrite – bring a friend or family member

ApplicationsopenforCiscoPathwaysWorkExperience

8-12July2024

ForthoseinYears11&12

Deadlineforapplicationsis9.00amon7May2024

Programmedetails:8-12July2024

Location:

•Option1-HybridBedfontLakes,WestLondonofficeorHybridDidsburynear Manchesteroffice(2daysinoffice&3daysvirtual)Applynow

https://ciscocx.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Qzpf98SCQKWwQK

•Option2-FullyVirtualApplynow

https://ciscocx.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6WLeu4HsALrSOCW

The registration for the Confident Futures Skills Show 2024, is now open! The Confident Futures Skills Show is a progression event that explores next steps and provides careers inspiration for students with SEND and other barriers. It breaks down obstacles and enables young people, their parents and carers, and jobseekers to explore the future with a range of employers, supported internship providers, next steps education and social care providers.

Please book your free tickets on this link:

Confident Futures Skills Show 2024

Event details

Date: Tuesday 11th June 2024

Time: 3:30 – 5:30 pm

Location: Bowls Centre, Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 9PP

"Women at Work: Inspiring Inclusion, STEM Access, and Empowering Youth." In honour of International Women's Day and the theme of 'Inspire Inclusion' for 2024, this episode delves into crucial discussions about fostering diversity, empowering young minds in STEM, and breaking barriers in education and industry. We would love for you to take a listen to the episode and view the accompanying resources using the links provided below:

• The InvestIN Careers Podcast: Women at Work: Inspiring Inclusion, STEM Access, and Empowering Youth

• Accompanying InvestIN Careers Podcast Free Resource

As we approach the end of term, I also wanted to remind you about our upcoming Summer Experiences as many students may be using the Easter holidays to plan ahead to summer! As always it would be fantastic to spread the word about these amongst your student/parent body. They can benefit from a 10% discount by use of the code CHESHAM10 at checkout. I’ve also pasted below an email that can be easily forwarded on and you can find a flyer advertising these opportunities via this link.

SBC's Law Summer School at Oxford

Whynotconsider Summer Boarding Courses’ LawSummerSchoolforanimmersive programmethatoffersengagingseminars,industryworkshops,andpracticalexperiencessuch asmocktrialsanddebates.

Ledbyexperiencedlegalprofessionals,you’llgaininsightintowhatacareerinlawentails.

SetintheprestigiousacademicsettingofOxfordCollege,thesummerschoolrunsfortwoweeks, startingon 30th June, 14th July and 28th July 2024. Theprogrammeisaimedatstudents aged 16-17 whoareinterestedinexploringalegalcareer.