Welcome to our summer term bumper edition!
Student Career Leaders
The careers department is delighted to welcome our new student career leaders,William Burrows and Oliver Painter in Y12.
They will play an integral part in our careers programme supporting Mrs Lovelace with assemblies, careers events and representing the school at the Bucks Student Career Leader meetings. We believe their input and assistance will help to develop our careers programme across the school and we look forward to working with them over the next 12 months.
The vast majority of last term was dedicated to career events. This term we are encouraging students to focus on developing skills and researching. Our destinations platform, Unifrog, can provide a huge amount of assistance to students and parents and we want to encourage students to use this more over their time at CGS.
You will notice that we have changed the format of this newsletter slightly as a result of a discussion with our newly appointed student career leaders. We now have sections dedicated to each year group as well generic career information. We hope you find this easier to read and more beneficial.
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.
Mrs Lovelace & Mrs Churchett Careers OfficeA quick summary of last term
As we didn’t get the chance to produce a newsletter last term, here is a quick summary of some of the events that took place.
The Careers Fair was the main event in March, with over 50 stands across a range of sectors We are extremely thankful to all the exhibitors for volunteering their time to come along to inspire students and I would like to take this opportunity to especially thank the parents and alumni who supported the event. We couldn’t run events like this without their help.
Since January, there have been career activities across all year groups including;
Years 7 & 10 – National Careers Challenge
Year 8 – Work shadowing
Year 9 – GCSE options and Bucks Skills Show
Year 11 – Work experience assembly
Year 12 – career talks in lectures & UCAS Fair
Year 13 – career talks in lectures and introduction to using LinkedIn
Outgoing Y13 students who have been offered a place at Oxford & Cambridge gave an insightful presentation to Y12 students about their recent application process covering top tips for personal statements and interviews, and the Y13 students who have been applying for apprenticeships talked about the various steps involved and provided top tips about their own experience.
We wish all of our Y13 students the best of luck with their exams and next steps. Don’t forget to stay in touch with our school alumni group so you can take part in future school events. We always love to hear what you are doing.
Our alumni network of Old Cheshamians have been a fantastic source and support of our careers talks this term and have included;
Beth Richards (2020)– year in industry placement as part of her maths & physics course at Warwick University
Callum Boyagoda (2022) – studying at Princeton University and talked to students about applying and studying in the US
Christina Slater (2014) – studied geography at Durham University followed by an internship at Baringa
Rob Evans (2000) – Equity salesperson for UBS Investment Bank
Helen Cooke (1988) – HR graduate recruitment, disability consultant, trainer, speaker & CEO of MyPlus
Harry Mancinelli (2021) – spoke with economics students about his civil service degree apprenticeship
Scarlett Debbage (2020) – returned to talk to MedSoc about applying for dentistry
And thankyouto parents and contacts who have also come in to talk about their careers and top tips with our students. They were;
Dan White - MCS Certified about green renewables
Ravi Chauhan – day in the life of being a founder and start-up focussed on corporate finance & consultancy
Matt Writtle – documentary and portrait photographer
Creative Media Skills – opportunities and courses available in the film & tv industry
Year 7
This term, we will be inviting Y7 students to join Unifrog. They will be sent joining instructions via email after half term and they will get the chance to take the personality test during computer science lessons. This is an invaluable tool for them to start learning about their interests, skills and personality.
National Careers Challenge
The Y7 winners from our National Careers Challenge day back in January are working really hard on their idea to adapt underground trains to hydrogen fuel as part of the Air Products Challenge. They are meeting with Miss Lindsay and Mrs Lovelace every week to prepare for the national final on Wednesday, 5th July in Birmingham. This is a fantastic event that develops so many skills and we'd like to take this opportunity to wish Miranda, Freya, Alice, Cary, Michael and Sam the best of luck.
STEM DAY
We are hoping to be in a position to run a STEM workshop for Y8 students in the summer. We are in the process of confirming a date.
Year 9
Following on from the Bucks Skills Show visit in March, we would ask students to log back into Unifrog and explore some of the careers they came across at the show. Maybe they could look at taking their personality test again and see if the results match any of the careers they liked.
With students starting their GCSE options after half term, this is a good time to explore what these subjects can lead to.
Year 8
Work Shadowing Day
Following the work shadowing day back in February, please can we encourage any students who haven't yet added this to their Unifrog account to do this as soon as possible. Please contact the careers department if you need any help with this.
This is also a good opportunity for students to take 10 mins or so exploring Unifrog and even take their personality test again and see if it has changed!
It was great to see and hear Y9 students enjoying the World of Work day during activity week. Students were given an introduction to the basics of interpersonal communication, and why students should start to think about its importance in their lives. This included communication essentials, what employers want and personal qualities followed by an afternoon activity that covered
• Time management
• Presentation skills
• Communication skills
• Delegation
• Decision making
• Leadership
• Thinking on your feet
• Presenting to a specific audience
• Working as a team
• Creative thinking
Year 10
National Careers Challenge
The Y10 winners from our National Careers Challenge day back in January are working hard on their GoGreen challenge which is sponsored by NatWest. The team of Nathan, Zoe, Amelie, Liam, Ayla and Emily are preparing for the national final on Wednesday, 5th July in Birmingham where they will showcase their idea of a tv programme aimed at young children to learn how to be eco-friendly and care for the environment around them. With CGS having won the competition for the third time last year, the team has big shoes to fill!
Post-16 Options – career advice
With Y10s moving closer to their GCSE year in September, have students started thinking about their options after their exams? In the autumn we will be running our post-16 options workshops, but if any students want to start exploring A level choices, T-Levels, apprenticeships or local college courses, appointments are available over the summer term with our independent and impartial careers adviser, David Ritchie. The autumn term is always busy so why not start some conversations and research now? Appointments can be booked by emailing careersoffice@cheshamgrammar.org or students can pop by our office next to H8.
Year 11
Work Experience Y11
The current situation in the workplace means that in-person work experience is starting to open up more, however many companies are still running some amazing opportunities virtually.
The government recommends that by the age of 18, students should have at least two experiences of the workplace. We therefore strongly encourage students to carry out work experience
in Y11 after their GCSEs. The key benefits of work experience are:
• It helps students make well informed and considered decisions about their future
• Work experience is advantageous when applying for university (and a requirement for some courses) and apprenticeships
• It is one of the best ways for students to develop skills necessary for the world of work
• Can help you to network – make contacts for the future
Students, with the help of parents/carers, will need to source their own work experience placement. Taking the initiative to find a placement is one of the best ways for students to gain invaluable experience they can use when applying for future education, training or employment, and it also enables students to choose the most suitable role and organization for themselves.
Students need to log the details as either a placement or an activity on Unifrog so there is a record.
Year 12
Any students who were unable to secure work experience during activities week, we strongly recommend they look to carry out something over the summer. We will continue to share opportunities with students via email as soon as we receive them. Some opportunities are also shared in this newsletter under general career information.
Open days and virtual tours
Heading to an open day helps you see if the place feels right. It also gives you a chance to get any answers you need before applying. You can picture yourself living at the university and see if you think you'll be happy there, see what the facilities are like, and ask students and staff anything you'd like to know more about. It is recommended that you visit at least two for comparison purposes.
However, not everyone can attend an open day or event in person, so you can visit https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-andwhere-study/events-and-open-days for a list of virtual tours and open days for course providers. You can then see the campus for yourself and find out more about the local area.
Year 13
A great group on Facebook for parents of students going off to university is What I Wish I Knew About University (WIWIKAU).
Advice for finance – WizeUp gave a talk at the Careers Fair and have spoken to students in lectures. Lots of useful information for parents on student finance, budgeting, credit cards and more
https://wizeupfinancialeducation.co.uk/parents
EY - As you get ready and prepared for the exam season we want to remind students, that it is not too late to decide to kick-start your career and develop skills for life on our Assurance Apprenticeship Programme | EY UK (Masters Level 7) or our Mobility Tax Apprenticeship Programme | EY UK (Level 4)
University of Oxford newsletter – students should refer to the email Mr Wescomb sent on Tuesday, 22nd May which offers a host information about residential programmes, subject taster sessions, webinars and much more. Too much to cut and paste into this newsletter!
Careers Adviser
We are continuing to run appointments up until the end of term with Mr Ritchie focussing on supporting Y12 students, ahead of their choices and applications later this year. 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 uploaded to students’ Unifrog accounts.
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 Leadercareersoffice@cheshamgrammar.org
https://www.cheshamgrammar.org/3003/careers
Careers on Social Media
You can follow careers on Instagram & Twitter. We share courses, opportunities and any news relating to careers. Please follow us
Instagram: cgs_careers
Twitter: @CGSInspiration
General Careers Information
We receive a high volume of opportunities from work experience, volunteering opportunities, university info, apprenticeships and jobs. Please take a look at some of the following opportunities students can apply to.
APPLICATION PROCESS IS NOW OPEN FOR THE GSK STEVENAGE WORK EXPERIENCE EVENT
*Monday 24th July to Thursday 27th July 2023*
GSK's Stevenage work experience will provide year 12 students (academic year 2022/2023) with the opportunity to:
• Understand the 'Molecule to Market’ journey
• Gain insight into GSK’s work environment and culture
• Exposure to Biology, Chemistry or Digital & Analytics
• Learn about STEM career opportunities and network with students
• Develop employability and soft skills through a range of activities
• Gain an industry-accredited Bronze Industrial Cadets Award
How to apply:
To apply and for further details please use the QR code or follow the link: https://survey.gsk.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=88K13n2LJ
The link can be used by internal or external users. Applications will close on Sunday 11th June 2023.
Queries for this work experience can be sent to STV.STEM@gsk.com
Our Virtual Work Experience programme with the Civil Aviation Authority is available to apply for right now, and takes place on the 24th of July. The programme takes a closer look at the CAA as an organisation, while also taking your students on a journey into the careers that they could go into within the aerospace industry. Whatever their interests or career ambitions, there's a lot for students to discover here and get excited about.
The CAA are a public corporation, established by Parliament in 1972 as an independent specialist aviation regulator. They have a number of responsibilities including regulating UK airports, dealing with drone permissions and ensuring pilot medical standards are met. The programme can be completed flexibly around students' studies. Even just half an hour per day is enough to finish the programme. And most importantly, it's completely free for students to apply and complete. https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience/aviation-aerospace-virtual-workexperience
In-person Young Professionals Careers Festival on Thursday 20th July from 1pm - 5pm
• Location: Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Conference Centre in Westminster, London
• Keynote talks, networking, and workshop sessions with global brands and FTSE100 firms
• Exciting high-profile special guest speakers
• Goodie bags and prizes available on the day!
• Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis until we reach capacity
• Certificate of attendance for your portfolio and CV
• Suitable for any student in Y10 – Y13 and University Students interested in gaining an insight into careers in Business, Finance, Accounting, Professional Services, Law & STEM (there will be networking zones and specific talks for each of the industry sectors)
We are expecting the Young Professionals Festival to sell out very quickly due to an incredibly high demand following the success of last year's event. With this in mind, there will be a £16 commitment fee for this event to secure your space and avoid large numbers of dropouts on the day as this sadly leads to students missing out as a consequence, we hope you can understand. Click here to purchase your Young Professionals Careers Festival ticket now: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/YP-WEX-London