Make the Future Yours! Issue 1

Education, Careers, News & Insight

Issue 1

Case studies, advice and tips!

Apprenticeships explained - earn while you learn!

Understanding T-Levels and more!

What’s next?

Interviews, information and advice to help you make the right career choices!

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Make the Future Yours is published three times a year – October, February and June. To subscribe visit: www.makethefutureyours.com Editorial Editor Claire Sutton claire@makethefutureyours.com @edfutureyours Advertising hello@makethefutureyours.com 02394 004042 Design Art Director Steve Davis steve@makethefutureyours.com Publisher The Future Business Ltd www.thefuturebusiness.co.uk

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From the Editor In this magazine we set out to highlight the diverse range of career and training opportunities on offer. If you already have an idea of how you want to make a living, we will be able to signpost you to some useful resources.

If you have no idea what your next step is, we want to share some case studies and ideas that might inspire you. If you do not know what you want to ‘be’, you can be reassured that very few people have just one career these days. Many people will change direction or requalify as their life and the opportunities available develop over time We also aim to cover tips on enterprise, personal finance, and other forms of training.

In each issue, we will focus on different opportunities, bringing you real examples. At the back, there is our Directory section, where we have collated useful information if you want to find out more.

We’d love to hear from you if there is a particular area you would like us to feature and if you know a person or organisation who would like to be featured. And follow us on social media to keep up to date with publication dates and forthcoming features. Visit our website if you would like to subscribe to future editions.

We hope you enjoy reading this first issue!

The reproduction of any material, whether whole or in part, is strictly forbidden without prior written consent of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to publish any letters and submissions. Prices and details are subject to change and The Future Business Ltd accepts no responsibility for omissions or errors. All materials sent at original owner’s risk. © The Future Business Ltd 2021. All rights reserved

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How The AA jump-started my career The AA offers a wide range of apprenticeships across their business from Customer Service to Roadside Patrol. We hear from one of their Apprentices who shares their experience.

Hello. I’m Abigail and I’m the Emerging Talent Co-ordinator Apprentice here at The AA. I’m taking an Apprenticeship in Business Admin at Level 3. I have to say that I had no idea what ‘Emerging Talent’ was before I started working here but I work with people who are joining an Apprenticeship programme, sometimes as new recruits but often as progression for existing staff members.

My job can be quite project-based, which I enjoy. For National Apprenticeship Week last year, for example, I was writing daily blog posts, coordinating events and I even got to have some mugs made especially for it! I also run our 4

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‘Inspiring Young Minds’ project with Brighton Hill School here in Basingstoke. We invite groups of pupils in; I give them a talk about The AA and a tour, and then we get other specialists to talk about specific employability skills. I had never even set foot in an office until I started working in one, so I think it really helps if people have the opportunity to visit one.

No two days are the same. I get insight into lots of different parts of the business; recruitment, procurement, selecting the right training provider for our courses, and I work closely with the learning and development team.

How did I get here? That’s a good question and

“

it’s certainly not what I thought I’d be doing” About The AA

it’s certainly not what I thought I’d be doing if you’d asked me a couple of years ago. At school, actually, I wanted to do Clinical Psychology because I am fascinated by the human mind and mental health problems; I really wanted to help people. I picked my A Levels based on the idea of studying this: Biology, Psychology and Philosophy, Religion & Ethics.

However, at college, I realised that Biology didn’t really suit me. Psychology is such a broad subject, too, half of the lessons were subjects that interested me, and the rest weren’t. It helped me realise that perhaps it wouldn’t be the right Uni course for me, especially if I had to pay for it. It takes a long time to become a Clinical Psychologist and I wouldn’t be giving myself the best chance to succeed if I didn’t enjoy some of the topics.

Did you know The AA is the oldest and largest breakdown organisation in the UK? And it’s one of our most trusted brands.

The Automobile Association (now known as The AA) was formed by a group of motoring enthusiasts on 29 June 1905. They wanted to champion motorists – in particular, to help drivers avoid police speed traps. Back in those early days, The AA was responsible for putting up the first road signs and establishing the first roadside petrol stations.

It had 1 million members by the early 1950s and by the 1980s was England’s largest insurance broker. It was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2014.

Today, they are the UK’s largest breakdown cover organisation. As their strapline says, “anything can happen” and so they have developed a range of other services and products to keep their customers prepared.

These include car insurance, maps, travel guides, campsite guides, home insurance, savings accounts, apps and home emergency breakdown cover.

The Basingstoke head office is one of six AA offices across the country and about 750 staff work there. You can see the building prominent on the Basingstoke skyline. There is even a viewing gallery on the 18th floor that lets you see for miles. Rumour has it you can even see The Shard in London on a really clear day!

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It was a scary decision to give up on plans I had for years. Comments from teachers like “You’re too clever not to go to University” made me really cross and more determined. I had never really thought of what I could do instead so I decided to focus on my exams, get the best grades I could and see what options opened up at the end of it. I was pleased with my results, particularly as I had struggled to engage with some of the subject content.

After college, I felt ready to start work, but I was interested in getting a job that would bring me a work relevant qualification too. As I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I visited the Find an Apprenticeship website and looked through all the Apprenticeships you can do. I settled on Business as I thought it would keep doors open for me to specialise in future if I want to. Using the alerts function, I was getting regular emails on new Apprenticeships, but I actually found The AA Apprenticeship on the Indeed website. I applied and got a call from The AA. They set up an interview and I was offered the job on the same day!

I’m so glad I did an Apprenticeship; I’m getting money, experience and opportunities. I would really like to get the opportunity to do a business or management degree apprenticeship in the future. For me, this was definitely the best choice.

It’s really helped my confidence and my soft skills; I feel like I’m so different now than I was before I started here thanks to my apprenticeship – in a really good way!

An Apprenticeship is great as your employer knows you don’t know anything when you start, but will give you a push to develop yourself; given the choice, I wouldn’t do presentations but I know I have to and so they have helped my confidence.

I’m even a Young Apprenticeship Ambassador now and go into schools to talk about my experiences.

Where will my Apprenticeship take me? I’m getting the opportunity to spend some more time with our training team and to get a feel for what other teams here do. I’m lucky that my manager is so supportive and wants me to stay with The AA after I’ve finished my Apprenticeship. I would say I probably don’t really know where my career will take me, but I’m getting lots of opportunities here to see what my options might be. And, in my experience, things often have a habit of working out for the best.

Apprenticeships at The AA

The AA currently employ over 200 apprentices across their business and across the UK. They don’t have a set list of apprenticeships that they recruit to as they will always add new opportunities in response to the business need, whether as a means to upskill existing staff or to recruit new colleagues.

As you would expect, the AA Patrol Apprenticeship (Level 3) scheme is at the core of their offering. New AA Patrol staff are recruited across the country and develop skills both as vehicle technicians and customer ambassadors.

In their contact centres across the UK, they also regularly recruit Customer Service apprentices (Level 2).

Some of the other areas they are currently training apprentices in include: Business Administration (Level 3); Recruitment (Level 2); IT (Level 3) and Internal Audit (Level 4).

For more information, please visit https://www.theaacareers.co.uk/

Note from Editor: I am pleased to tell you that since the article was written, Abigail has been offered a permanent job, which shows apprenticeships can be a great way to start your career!

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VIRTUAL OPEN EVENT EXPERIENCE • Explore our campus and facilities with our interactive map and college tour video • Hear from our students and lecturers in subject-specific videos and 360 tours • Watch our student and staff takeovers on our Instagram channel

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NOW LIVE bcot.ac.uk/voe

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Part-time studying If you decide to go straight into work after college or an apprenticeship, it doesn’t mean you can’t study for qualifications later on. What if you are looking to change direction in your career, but can’t afford to stop working to study full time, for example? Lots of people decide to go to university later in life - either using their existing experience to do a ‘top-up’ degree, or taking the time out to do a three-year undergraduate degree. Or you can study part-time for professional qualifications in areas like marketing, accounting, HR, and computing.

For many years in the UK, people working in a range of professions have organised themselves into groups to learn from each other, to support each other and to share good practice. These groups, known as professional bodies or institutions, have developed training courses and qualifications, partly as a means to develop their members, but also as a way to maintain standards amongst their members; to build professional reputations. They also provide the range of support in the way a trades union might offer.

Many of these institutions are now international bodies, with their qualifications recognised across the globe. Amongst these we could include 8

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accountancy, human resources, marketing and management, to name just a few.

The benefit of getting a qualification written by a professional body is that it will certainly help you develop your career in that trade or profession.

The qualification has been written by people with experience of doing that job so it will be very relevant. It will be recognised and respected not just by other people within the profession, but by other professionals who understand what it signifies. This has been proven in recent years when we have seen more and more new apprenticeship standards adopt existing industry qualifications.

Professional qualifications can boost your income and create job opportunities you might not have thought possible before. Believe it or not, but studying can also be good for your physical and mental health; an active brain tends to be a healthy and longer-lived brain.

So, what professional qualifications are available to study part-time?

This is not an exhaustive list, but a quick survey of just some of what many colleges and providers offer to give you a flavour of the wide range that is available: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Accounting (AAT/ACCA) – Level 2, 3, 4 Beauty Therapy and Make-up – Level 2, 3 Business – Level 2, 3, 5 Counselling – Level 2, 3, 4+ Customer Service – Level 2 Dental Nursing – Level 3 Health & Safety – Level 3, 5 Human Resources (CIPD) – Level 3, 5 Insurance – Level 6 Law/Legal Executive (CILEx) – Level 3, 4, 6 Management (iLM or CMI) – Level 5 Marketing (CIM) – Level 4, 6 Motor Vehicle – MOT Tester Training Plumbing – Level 2, 3 Teaching/Teaching Assistant – Level 3, 4, 5+

For more details If you know what vocational area you are interested in, a really good place to start would be the professional body for that area. Search online for the ‘Accountancy professional body’, for instance.

Another route would be to talk to your local college or university and find out what professional courses they can offer. There are also lots of part-time leisure courses available, too, so parttime study could be a route to a new hobby as well as a new job!

Our tips to succeed in studying part-time Get organised: Working, studying and having a life can make you feel rushed off your feet so learn to prioritise, manage your time and occasionally learn to say no!

Build your supporters: Family, friends and colleagues can be a big asset in helping you stay on track.

Even little things like explaining to your workmates why you always need to leave promptly on Tuesdays, or getting your family to give you some time to work on assignments, will make a big difference to how you feel about your course.

Work in bite-sized tasks: Sometimes, completing a full qualification can feel very daunting so it might help to just focus on the next task and the next deadline. You can climb the mountain, but you only have to do it one step at a time!

Remember why you’re doing it: Keep your motivation up by remembering why you decided to do the course in the first place. Whether your ambition is a promotion at work, being able to look after your family or simply learning a new skill, hold on to the vision of you doing that. And, perhaps think about how you might reward yourself when you’ve been successful!

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Managing your money These tips will help you to manage your money and feel confident about your finances. They will help you plan for the future and feel confident month-to-month.

1. Budget It might seem basic, but it’s important to create a budget. There are loads of different ways, but all of them look at how much money you have coming in and how much you can afford to spend on different areas of your life. This is essential for money management and financial stability.

Using a 50/30/20 approach is useful: 50% for essentials like rent, bills and groceries, 30% for clothes, meals out, etc., and save the remaining 20%. Be realistic about your income and use it wisely so that you can afford the essentials and still have money to enjoy yourself and to save.

2. Know what you spend Make sure that you know what you are spending your money on. It’s easy to lose track and get a nasty shock when you check your bank account.

There are a number of apps that can help you keep track of your spending including those from the banks, like Monzo.

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Getting cash out at the beginning of the week and spending that rather than using your card is also a useful way of tracking what you spend.

That way it’s easy to know what you have left to spend and what you’ve used.

3. Have an emergency fund If you start saving and create an emergency fund, this will help you if anything sudden or unexpected occurs. This really can happen at any time and happens to everyone at some point in their life.

Keep the emergency fund in a separate account so you don’t accidentally use it for essentials or a holiday!

4. Plan your meals You’ll probably find that a significant portion of your budget goes on food. Planning your meals in advance means that you only buy what you need when you shop, reducing waste and cutting down on unnecessary costs.

5. Compare prices Always compare prices, not just on your purchases but also on household expenses like electricity and gas bills, your car and house insurance, and when you shop for groceries. It is easy to save money by switching to a different provider or to a different shop.

6. Credit score A good financial tip is to start building your credit score early. It takes time to build up a good credit score and it will be useful when you buy a car on finance or you are looking to get a mortgage.

One of the ways of building a credit score is to get a credit card, but you need to use it wisely so as not to get into unnecessary debt. Only spend money on credit that you know you already have, then try to pay it off before the end of the month so you are not charged any interest.

7. Subscriptions Do not waste money on subscriptions that you are not using, whether it’s a gym membership or a subscription to Amazon Prime that you barely use. Cancelling subscriptions can save you a lot

of money without much effort and you can use the money for other things or put it into your savings.

8. The future Planning for the future and saving money are extremely important even if it doesn’t seem very exciting!

Your emergency fund is important, but so are retirement savings or opening long term ISAs that will mature a long way down the line.

Once you turn 22, a certain percentage of your earnings should go into a retirement fund automatically. This will show up on your payslip under the name of the pension organisation that your workplace uses. You can increase the amount that is paid into the fund if you can afford it.

You can split your savings and set some aside for short term savings, like a holiday, and some into long term savings, like an ISA. Managing money can be hard, but these tips will hopefully make you feel more confident about your financial future.

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For more information call 0345 607 5555 Visit www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers

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Introducing T Levels – a new type of qualification T Levels are a new qualification that have been introduced in England for students aged 16+. The first colleges began delivery of some subjects in September 2020 with further colleges and subjects coming on stream in the academic years to come. It is expected that T Levels will quickly become one of the major postGCSE options, alongside A Levels and Apprenticeships, so here’s our guide to what you need to know about them.

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What is a T Level?

T Level (or Technical Level) courses are an alternative to A Levels, Apprenticeships and other qualifications for students typically aged 16 to 19 years. One T Level will be worth the equivalent of 3 A Levels, in terms of both UCAS points and space on the timetable.

T Levels focus specifically on the quality teaching of vocational skills, to provide an alternative to many A Levels (which tend to be more traditional subjects). The intention is that a T Level will help students find skilled employment, higher technical studies at university or higher Apprenticeships. Like Apprenticeships, T Levels have been developed in collaboration with employers so that the content meets current industry expectations and will be based on the same national industry standards. Employers such as IBM, Lloyds Bank and EDF Energy have been amongst many sitting on T Level development panels.

How do they work?

T Levels are two-year courses, totalling around 1,800 hours of study (which works out to about 25 hours per college week). Students choosing to study a T Level may have capacity in their timetable to add in additional studies if they wish, such as a GCSE subject, but this will depend on individual college arrangements and work placement requirements.

Students can earn Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction* grades. Final grades will depend on the student completing their industry placement and meeting the English and Maths requirements. Grades will be calculated on a combination of assignment-based assessments and some tests.

What qualifications do I need to study a T Level?

T Levels will be the technical equivalent of A Levels so are likely to require very similar entry requirements, typically a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades 9-5 (A-C under the old grading system) or the equivalent. However, as with all qualifications, colleges and training providers will set their own entry requirements so it’s worth checking locally. It is also worth noting, as stated above, that students will be expected to demonstrate standards of English and Maths so colleges may well prioritise students with good GCSEs passes in these subjects.

80%

CLASSROOM

20% WORK

EQUIVALENT TO 3 A LEVELS A 45-DAY INDUSTRY PLACEMENT What makes T Levels different?

What stands T Levels apart from traditional qualifications is the emphasis on meaningful industry experience. Students will spend around 80% of their time in the classroom and 20% working alongside a real employer, where they can put their classroom learning into action. There will be a requirement to demonstrate a minimum of 45 days (or 315 hours) of valuable Industry Placement in order to complete the qualification. This is the equivalent of about 1 day per college week, although placements may not be organised on this pattern. For students who have not secured an Apprenticeship or don’t feel ready for the workplace full-time, a T Level could be a fantastic option.

Why do we need T Levels?

We think there are two key reasons why T Levels have been developed. Firstly, this forms part of a wider Government review of all post-GCSE qualifications to create a simpler, high-quality system that students, parents and employers can all understand. There had been literally hundreds of possible qualifications that colleges could deliver so this is part of a move to streamline the options whilst maintaining the broadest possible vocational areas being covered.

Secondly, it is a regular gripe from employers that school and college leavers do not come to them properly ‘work ready’.

The focus in T Levels on a quality industry placement, where a student is undertaking tasks directly related to the subject they are studying, will help to develop employability skills in young people (and help some employers to see how motivated young people really can be!).

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What subject areas can I study a T Level in?

Eventually, there will be 25 different T Levels, all focusing on key industry areas. Currently, Design, Surveying and Planning (construction); Digital Production, Design and Development and; Education are being delivered. In coming academic years, these will be added to:

September 2021 Onwards

September 2022 Onwards

Building Services Engineering

Agriculture, Land Management and Production

Accountancy

Digital Business Services

Design and Development

Digital Support Services

Financial

Health

Human Resources

Healthcare Science

Legal

Onsite Construction

Maintenance, Installation and Repair

Science

September 2023 Onwards

Management and Administration Manufacturing, Processing and Control

Animal Care and Management Catering Craft and Design Cultural Heritage and Visitor Attractions Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics Media, Broadcast and Production

Want to find out more?

T Level map https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/students/find or https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/

* Your future * Excellence * Opportunity * Achievement Phone: 023 8043 5636 Email: info@itchen.ac.uk Web: www.itchen.ac.uk Middle Road, Bitterne, Southampton, SO19 7TB

Advertise here and reach thousands of young people across the region (and their parents) hello@makethefutureyours.com or call us on 02394 004042 14

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Do you have a LinkedIn profile yet?

Launched in 2003, LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com, was designed to be a tool to connect professionals across the world, helping them become more efficient and productive. Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion since when it has worked on integrations with other Microsoft products, particularly Dynamics, its customer relationship management (CRM) system.

Far from being ‘Facebook in a suit’, LinkedIn is a platform that exists to share best practice and ideas, give testimonials to others, join professional or industry online networks and – sometimes – to find your next job. 30 million companies and organisations have a LinkedIn profile, and that 67% of LinkedIn users are between the ages of 25 and 34.

It is free to set up a LinkedIn profile and the setup guide leads you through it. You can then follow companies, universities or other organisations you are interested in, connect with and message people you know and join interest groups for areas

of interest. Like other social media, you can also follow or search hashtags to read up on the latest discussions on a topic.

Inviting someone to connect with you on LinkedIn feels less intimidating than speaking to someone in person; just remember to include a message with your invitation to say why you’re asking to connect with them. At the time of writing this article, you can only include a message on the desktop version and not on the mobile app.

If you’re serious about entering the world of work at some point, it’s never too early to start building your network on LinkedIn.

To call LinkedIn a social media platform is to misunderstand its purpose and its potential.

You only have to look at some of the statistics to see why: • Someone is hired through LinkedIn every 7 seconds • 55 job applications are submitted every second • People in 200 countries and regions are on LinkedIn • 75,000 freelancers find new contracts • 2 million small businesses regularly use LinkedIn to hire staff • LinkedIn now has 690 million members worldwide (data from LinkedIn, May 2020)

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Thinking of starting your own business?

Starting a business can be an exciting and terrifying prospect!

It’s a leap into the unknown, and you have to have faith in yourself and your abilities to take that leap.

Many people consider running their own business as the ultimate exercise in freedom.

After all, being your own boss means you call the shots. All of them. You need to decide what you’ll do, how you’ll do it, when, how, what hours, where, and how will you fund this fledgling business and get it airborne?

Don’t be intimidated. This is a big step and, like all major life changes, you’ll probably have to fight through the uncertainty, people with good intentions telling you this is silly, and maybe even a few sleepless nights doubting yourself to get up and running but, once you are, it will all be worth it.

Start with time You might not have the money right now to just set up and go, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit back and wait for finances to fall into place to get started. Sit down and write out a rough plan.

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This may sound obvious but name your business. This could end up being dead simple, a lot of fun, or a major headache.

Make sure you put some thought into it. It will, after all, be how people identify you and making a change later on could have some repercussion on how easily existing customers find you online in future.

Build out your brand identity.

Do you have a logo in mind?

What colours will you use? What font? You need to make sure that people can easily identify your business no matter what material they are looking at, printed or online or just driving by. Consistent branding is important to your business identity.

Be absolutely clear on what you’re selling. Test the waters by selling to a small group of family or friends, maybe do a few test runs with sales to friends of friends. Get a feel for your customer base. Connect

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with people in the same line of business or find someone who has something you’ll need and find out if they’re interested in a swap of products or services.

This usually works best with another business on the same level as yours. Nothing wrong with aiming high but you’ll have a better shot at getting somewhere with someone who isn’t a multi-billion-pound giant.

Identify your customer. Who are you selling to? Where can you find them? Are they on social media? Can you begin a conversation with them now? Set up your social media accounts and make sure the name you use is about the same across all the platforms you’re using.

If you’re planning on setting up a website, consider writing a few blogs. That way you’ll have shareable content ready to go and you won’t need to worry about it during the initial whirlwind of getting the business going.

Write your biography – who are you – what do you do – and more importantly, how does what you do help your potential customers. Sell the solution not the problem is still solid advice, and if you know exactly what problem you’re solving, it will be much easier to build your brand around it.

Money talks Time to get serious about money. Make a list of all the things you will need to spend money on. From premises to vehicles to web domains to staff to stationery, you need to be absolutely clear on your initial outlay. You don’t need to start with exact figures, but you do need to know exactly what you’ll be needing money for, so you can build that out later.

Go through your list and assign priorities to each item.

What must you absolutely have ready to go from day one, and what can you set up later.

“

Get to work on your business plan now”

Do some research and work out how much everything will cost. Set out a budget for at least the next 6 months and come up with a few worst-case scenarios and make sure you budget for them. There shouldn’t be anything left unaccounted for here, and you should now have a very good idea of exactly how much capital you’ll need to get up and running.

Make a plan Get to work on your official business plan. This will vary greatly depending on the type of

business, where you’re planning to get funding from, and various other factors. There are plenty of templates around to get you started.

Use them to get the thought process going, and then tweak and refine to make it your own. You need to have a clear vision of who you are, who your customers are, how much money you’ll need and for what, and what your plan is for your business.

Write it down. Keep it brief by focusing on key points that will keep your business on course, but thorough. You need to be able to define your business, know who your competitors are and have a basic marketing plan. Consider everything but don’t get too bogged down in 100 pages of probably inconsequential details.

The small print You need to make sure you have the basics covered.

You’ll need an accountant, for example. And it wouldn’t hurt to get some protection in place for those things that could trip you up when you least expect it.

Having tax investigation and legal protection takes the weight off your shoulders of having to worry about it when you need it. FSB members have access to a 24/7 legal advice line, online legal documents and tax and legal protection as part of their membership package.

Have a look at our full range of benefits to get an idea of what might come in handy for your small business.

Getting started is the hardest part. The truth is, if you wait until you’re 100% ready you may never do it.

No time like the present. Take a deep breath and just take the first step. Soon you’ll find your momentum and be well on your way to being a small business owner.

FSB – The Federation of Small Business The FSB offer our members a wide range of vital business services including advice, financial expertise, support and a powerful voice heard in government.

Established over 40 years ago to help our members succeed in business and achieve their ambitions, the FSB are a non-profit making and non-party political organisation that’s led by the members, for the members.

Members get an exclusive package of great value business services including advice, financial products and support.

These cover a wide range of benefits such as tax, legal and HR, local network groups and business banking.

The FSB don’t only provide fantastic membership benefits, but it is also the UK’s leading business campaigner, focused on delivering change which supports smaller businesses to grow and succeed. The lobbying arm starts with the work of the team in Westminster which focuses on UK and English policy issues. Further to this, their expert teams in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast work with governments, elected members and decision-makers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. www.fsb.org.uk

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Dentistry – a career to smile about!

Whatever we feel, personally, about dentists, the fact is they are an essential part of our healthcare. Like other branches of medicine, there are also many specialisms within dentistry. We say ‘open wide’ to some toothsome career options.

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What’s the difference between a Periodontist and an Orthodontist? What can a Cosmetic Dentist do that a Hygienist can’t? And why might you need a Maxillofacial Surgeon? It’s easy to think that we know what a Dentist does, but unless you have ever had need of their skills, you might be underestimating the entire profession.

Let’s start with becoming a Dentist. It perhaps goes without saying that, to succeed in dentistry, you need to be prepared to root around in other people’s mouths; you can’t be squeamish about the idea of giving injections or drilling out a cavity. But, beyond that, what other skills or characteristics do you need?

Perhaps most important are communication skills. You need to be able to explain to patients from all walks of life the diagnosis or treatment.

An interest in people and their wellbeing is very helpful. You need to have a calm, reassuring manner. You will need to be good with your hands; you’ll often be working with very small

tools in even smaller places, so good dexterity is a definite advantage. And you will need to be pretty organised when it comes to paperwork and admin; accurate and up-to-date patient records are vital to ensure correct diagnosis and treatment. As you progress in your career, you may also need management skills, to run a practice or manage a team around you. The good news is that many of these abilities you can learn and develop.

For most people working as Dentists or dental specialists, they will have started their training with a degree in dentistry. Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level being preferred qualifying subjects. A dental degree typically lasts five years; a few University dental schools offer a fouryear course for students with appropriate prior qualifications, such as a degree in Biomedical Science.

Once you’ve completed your degree, if you want to work as a Dentist, you need to register with the General Dental Council, the profession’s governing body who specify ethical guidelines and codes of practice that all dentists must follow in order to practice in the UK, including a requirement for Continuous Professional Development (CPD). Most UK dental graduates

will then go on to complete their Dental Foundation Training (DFT), which involves a year employed in a dental practice, combining supervised experience with further studies.

Dentists who want to work in the NHS must have completed this training.

Having completed the DFT, there are a number of choices a dentist can make. Most will go on to work in a dental practice offering a mix of NHS and private treatments. Some may work in a hospital or the community; there are also opportunities for dentists in the Armed Forces or a corporate organisation. Further studies are possible to specialise in a particular aspect of the profession, such as oral surgery, periodontics or sedation.

To qualify as a dentist does take time and hard work, but it can see great financial rewards.

Lots of people work alongside dentists or within the profession. Here’s some of them – Cosmetic Dentist, Dental Nurse, Dental Receptionist, Dental Therapist, Endodontist, Hygienist, Maxillofacial Surgeon, Orthodontist, Periodontist. For more details on these Careers and the training required, visit the Careers section of our website, www.makethefutureyours.com

Advertise here and reach thousands of young people across the region (and their parents) If you would like to talk to and influence thousands of 15-19 year olds across the region plus their parents and guardians, contact us today. We’ll tell you all about the advertising and sponsorship opportunities available in this new magazine.

To connect to this important audience, email: hello@makethefutureyours.com or call us on 02394 004042 Make The Future Yours! Issue 1

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What is an Apprenticeship?

An Apprenticeship is a real job with relevant qualifications attached to it. In some ways, it’s a ‘best of both’ between working (so earning money and getting experience) and attending college or university to get qualified. Basically, you are being paid to learn. Apprenticeships have been round for hundreds (if not thousands) of years but are today more structured and more widely recognised than they have ever been. Arguably, the UK leads the world in the range and levels of qualifications now on offer through an Apprenticeship route.

What levels do they come in?

You can now do Apprenticeships in a range of levels and at many stages in your career. For example, someone new to a role might do a Level 2 Apprenticeship but someone with more experience looking to develop their career might do a Higher or Degree level Apprenticeship. The illustration at the end of this article shows what levels are available in England.

Not every career area has an Apprenticeship at every level. In some cases, this is because Apprenticeships are being developed all the time as industry identifies a need. In other cases, it might be because the work-related skills change as a career develops: take Hairdressing or Barbering for example. You can do both of these as an Advanced (Level 3) Apprenticeship, by which time you will be a very skilled hairdresser. Your next step might then be to either become a Supervisor or start your own salon, in which case you might need Team Leading, Customer Service or Business qualifications at a higher level.

You can find out which Apprenticeships exist and at what levels by visiting the Institute for Apprenticeships website, www. instituteforapprenticeships.org, and browsing their ‘Standards’ page. It is regularly updated as new qualifications are written.

How do they qualify me?

As an apprentice, at least 20% of your working week will be spent in structured learning, working towards relevant qualifications.

As we have already mentioned, every Apprenticeship has nationally (and often internationally) recognised qualifications built into it. The new generation of 20

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Apprenticeships looks to existing industry qualifications to provide that recognition.

For example, if you are doing an IT Apprenticeship, you might work towards a Google qualification, or if you are doing Accountancy, you might study for an AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) qualification. Some of the Degree and Higher-level qualifications include industry relevant degrees or Chartered professional status.

Most Apprentices will come out with at least two Certificates; one for their industry qualification and an Apprenticeship completion Certificate. It’s not uncommon for Apprentices to have collected three or four Certificates, as they complete the various component parts of their Apprenticeship.

Some of the employers that offer apprenticeships

How do I get one?

Every Apprenticeship requires three key players: • The Apprentice – who is employed to work and study • Their employer – who is responsible for employing the Apprentice and deciding the training route • Their training provider – who is responsible for helping deliver the qualifications and to maintain quality (all Apprenticeship training providers are inspected by OfSTED).

If you want to be an Apprentice, you therefore have two potential routes to finding an Apprenticeship: you can either approach employers who offer jobs in the career you are interested in or you can talk to training providers who deliver the qualifications you want. In reality, of course, you should probably do both!

About 90% of all the 28,000 Apprenticeship vacancies advertised in England each year appear on the Find An Apprenticeship website so that is a great place to start: www.gov.uk/applyapprenticeship This website is free to use and you don’t have to create a login to browse.

The big difference between applying for an Apprenticeship and applying for a place at college or uni is that Apprenticeship vacancies are posted at any time during the year, as an employer chooses to recruit, so don’t just expect to find the right vacancy for you in the summer term.

Source: National Apprenticeships Service, spring 2020

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Who does them?

Hundreds of employers, large and small, up and down the country and in many different sectors employ Apprentices. From some really big household names to the small business round the corner; you might even find that your school or college employs an Apprentice or two.

Who can do them?

Almost anyone can do an Apprenticeship.

As long as you are old enough to leave school (16 years plus), an Apprenticeship is an alternative option to staying in full time education until you are 18. There is no upper age limit, as long as you are employed and your employer is willing to invest in your training.

There are some limitations with regard to previous qualifications. For example, if you had already completed a Degree in Engineering as a student your employer would be unlikely to get funding to pay for you to complete a Degree Apprenticeship in Engineering. Instead, you may be able to do a Level 7 Apprenticeship in Engineering or a Degree Apprenticeship in a different skill area, such as Management.

Want to find out more?

There are lots of useful and interesting resources for young people, parents and teachers on the Amazing Apprenticeships website at: www.amazingapprenticeships.com

Example academic qualifications

Apprenticeship equivalents

Entry Level

• Entry Level Functional Skills • Skills for Life

-

Level 1

• • • •

First Certificate GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G Level 1 Functional Skills Music at grades 1, 2 and 3

-

Level 2

• • • • •

GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C Level 2 Functional Skills Music at grades 4 and 5 O level - grades A, B or C CSE - grade 1

Level 3

• • • • •

A and AS Levels T (Technical) Levels Access to Higher Education Diploma International Baccalaureate Diploma Music at grades 6, 7 and 8

Advanced

Level 4

• Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) • Higher National Certificate (HNC)

Higher

Level 5

• Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) • Foundation Degree • Higher National Diploma (HND)

Higher

Level 6

• Degree with honours e.g BA(Hons), BSc (Hons) etc • Graduate Certificate • Ordinary Degree without Honours

Degree

Level 7

• Master’s degree e.g. MA, Meng, MSc etc • Postgraduate Certificate • Postgraduate Diploma

Higher

Level 8

• Doctorate e.g. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil)

Higher

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Intermediate

What is a training provider?

You would think that the obvious answer to that question is a person or organisation who provides training. Whilst that is certainly true, in the world of apprenticeships, the term training provider has a very specific meaning too.

A training provider is an organisation who is officially registered and approved to deliver Apprenticeship Training. All training providers need to be listed on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) and will have a contract with the Government for funding purposes. All training providers are also subject to OfSTED Inspections, which helps to ensure the quality and the experience for their learners.

Training providers are typically colleges of further education, private or specialist training providers and some universities. For example, Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT), HTP Apprenticeship College and Solent University

all feature on the RoATP and regularly deliver apprenticeships in a range of areas.

However, some employers or specialist organisations also choose to become registered so they can deliver apprenticeships. Browsing the list of over 2,000 training providers currently registered in England, the following organisations also feature: Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Boots the Chemist and the National Pharmacy Association, to name just a few.

If you want to find out more about training providers, the Gov.uk website has useful information and if you want to find a Training Provider, the RoATP listing can be found on the Gov.uk website in the Apprenticeship section.

The Young Apprentice Ambassadors Network (YAAN) The Young Apprentice Ambassador Network (YAAN) is a group of inspiring, driven apprentices, both current and former, who are happy to share their experiences with others. Ambassadors can be booked to come in to speak at schools, attend careers fairs or support mock interview days, for example. All Ambassadors receive free training and are then able to choose which events in their area they are able to support. In our experience, employers are usually delighted to support their Apprentices to sign up as an Ambassador as they are such a great reflection on the company!

To sign up as a Young Apprentice Ambassador or if you are teacher and you would like to request an Ambassador, please visit www.amazingapprenticeships.com

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“Apprentices have benefited our workforce” A manager’s view We have already talked about what Apprenticeships are and what the benefits could be to the Apprentice themselves, but what benefits can Apprentices and apprenticeship schemes bring to a business?

We’ve chatted with one senior manager to find out.

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Hello. My name is Michele and I’m a Care Group Manager at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust managing the Theatres and Anaesthetics department. I’ve worked in the NHS since 1997, starting in a temporary role. I was fortunate that someone spotted my potential and gave me the opportunities to take up a permanent post and to train. Having left school with my O Levels, I went ‘back to school’ aged 40 to take my Management Diploma. I’m now responsible for running a busy department, coordinating medical staff and patients to ensure that the right people and resources are in the right place at the right time.

During my NHS career, I have seen some changes in how the organisation works. Perhaps not surprisingly, everyone now has to be more accountable for their actions and particularly how money is spent, both on staffing and resources.

That’s really how we started recruiting apprentices.

Following the financial crisis, in 2010 our NHS Trust froze recruitment for all management and administration staff for 12 months. Following the freeze, we were only allowed to recruit apprentices. At that time, I don’t think there were many apprentices in the Trust at all so this was new territory for us. However, I needed a Clerical Officer and found a Level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship route that would fit the role well, so we went ahead and advertised the post. I interviewed two candidates and decided to take on both.

Ten years later, I am pleased to say that both are still in the organisation. The previously timid young lady is now in a Band 3 role and the young man, who only applied because he was fed-up with his previous job, is now in a Band 4 Junior Manager post working in Procurement.

Since then, I think I have had more than twenty apprentices. One or two haven’t stayed with us but the majority have. They are treated just like any other member of staff – so the same expectations but also the same opportunities.

Many have seen it as an opportunity to progress within the organisation. As a manager, I see apprentices as an opportunity to invest in the future of our organisation.

Although many other managers were sceptical about Apprenticeships when we first started, I was happy to be part of a working group formed within the Trust to help share best practice and our experiences. I’m pleased to say that this has been really successful with many other departments taking on apprentices now and in a wider variety of roles, including Health Care Support, Audiology, Clinical Photography and more. I think the Trust has become much more active in working with training providers, to really ensure our

“

Apprentices are a real asset”

Apprenticeships have great structure and real relevance to our workplace.

So, what does a Business Admin’ Apprentice typically do? It is very varied: they will spend time on Reception, greeting patients as they arrive for their appointments. They will prepare case-notes ready for those appointments, process test results and correspondence, and ensure all of these are filed correctly. All the time, they will be regularly dealing with enquiries on the telephone or from medical staff – it’s always busy! The Apprenticeship is 12 months long, during which time they are given specialist training (like patient confidentiality) on top of the course requirements. Having NHS experience then stands the Apprentice in a really good position if they want to go on to another role or another department internally.

I don’t think many people realise quite how many roles there are in the NHS that don’t involve being a Doctor or Nurse. Although these frontline staff are clearly vital, they couldn’t work effectively without the teams of people supporting them. The NHS offers some great career paths; if anyone is curious, it’s worth checking some of them out.

I would also encourage any manager to seriously look at Apprenticeships as a way to invest in their business. Personally, recruiting Apprentices feels like a way to ‘pay back’ the training that has been invested in me.

Professionally, in my experience, apprentices are a real asset to the business. They are often loyal, curious and eager to learn. Many will choose to stay in an organisation that has invested in them so are great for staff retention and reducing recruitment costs.

For more information on NHS Careers, visit www.healthcareers.nhs.uk

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Education, Careers, News & Insight

Helping you to make the right career choices

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It’s not what you know…

It could be who you know! The people we know or can get to know can be a great help in getting us where we want to be. Building your network is definitely worth spending some time on.

Who is in your network?

Think about the people you already know. Your family, your friends, your friend’s parents, your parent’s friends, your neighbours, people you know through clubs or sports, teachers and tutors, your driving instructor… when you start, you realise that you already know a lot of people. You might not class them all as friends exactly, but they are people you know well enough to say ‘Hi!’ to.

What or who does your network know?

Now you have quite a long list of people, have a think about what they know or have experienced.

Do you know what job they do, who they work for or what qualifications they have? You probably don’t know that for all of them, so start asking.

People are generally flattered to be asked about themselves when someone takes a genuine interest. The answers will be very different, and you will probably hear about jobs you didn’t know existed, people’s experience of university and of life in general. Not all of it will be relevant to what you want to do, but you will definitely learn lots with the benefit of their experience, and they may be able to introduce you to someone they know who could help you!

Who in your network can help you most?

Having heard some very random experiences and some very interesting ones, you can then start to identify people whose current job or previous qualifications are in line with your own ideas for the future. Don’t be afraid to ask these people for more details: Do they know if their company takes placement students? What kind of voluntary work would be relevant to a career in their industry? Do they have any advice on getting qualified? There is nothing like first-hand experience to give you a steer in the right direction.

Anxious about asking them?

Have you ever noticed that, if you don’t want someone’s advice, they usually give it to you anyway? Annoying, isn’t it! But the odd thing is that if you actively ask someone what they think, they are more likely to give you honest, genuine thoughts that feel much more useful and you avoid the lecture! If what is stopping you asking is shyness, or the fear of being lectured, or of having to listen to lots of ‘useless’ advice, we would urge you to think again. We’re willing to bet you’ll be surprised by some of what you find out!

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Dancing to his own tune As the brains behind an innovative local performing arts initiative, Josh Armstrong has already achieved a lot in his 21 years. We asked what inspired him and what he’s planning next?

Josh Armstrong grew up in Castleford, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, in a family who enjoy performing; his Mum and sister both dance so Josh was dragged along too. “I hated the first few classes,” he laughed “because it was so loud!

But I soon found it was a brilliant way to escape the daily routine of school and do something different.”

“I was verbally bullied at school for being a boy who danced,” he said. “There are lots of stereotypes associated with being a male dancer but it’s not all leotards and discipline. Fortunately, my family were really supportive, and I really enjoyed it, so I did my best to ignore it and carried on. The performing arts are such a diverse industry, everyone is welcome.”

At secondary school, Josh appeared in some school plays, which gave him a new insight into a different kind of performance art and opened doors to some National Theatre productions.

When it came to thinking about university, Josh decided it was time to understand what 28

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goes on backstage and applied for the Degree in Theatre Production (BA Hons) at the University of Winchester, a practical degree course covering arts and stage management with lighting and sound.

“To move more than 200 miles due south for my course, away from my family and friends was a big challenge, but it felt new and really exciting!

I’m pleased to say many of the friends I made in Freshers’ Week are still friends three years later, so I settled in fairly quickly.”

Part of the reason Josh settled in quite so quickly was undoubtedly his idea to set up King Alfred Theatre Arts (KATA), which he started in week three at Winchester. “I was keen to keep up my acting and dancing, even though my degree was more backstage related,” Josh said.

“The Performing Arts Department at Winchester includes courses on choreography and dance, drama, and musical theatre too so I realised that I probably wasn’t the only student eager to be on stage as much as possible!”

With the support of the Inspiring Enterprise programme and having made a successful pitch to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style student enterprise competition with IncuHive, Josh was given the business and financial support to get his initiative off the ground. KATA was formed by Josh and a team of volunteers (mostly fellow students) who began putting on performances at venues in the University and the local community, which any student could take part in.

Looking back over almost three years of seeing his idea come to life, Josh does admit there have been some definite highs as well as a few lows. “There have been some real highlights that spring to mind; the first year we took part in Move It, the world’s largest dance event, and got great reviews, I was really chuffed,” Josh recalls.

“Performing in London was huge thrill, too.

And I wrote ‘The Blackout’ as a stage show designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible.”

“Of course, a lot has to go on behind the scenes to get a show on stage, like licencing, casting, prop-making and other admin’ jobs, which aren’t always very glamourous.

I remember we had a show on at The Bunker in Southwark and we spent the night before filling sandbags with straw to make them easier for the performers to move on stage! And I’ve learnt a lot about managing volunteers. There have been days when things don’t seem to go right and I do wonder why I’m doing it all, but something will snap me out of it, like one of our creative ideas sessions which might well take place in the pub!”

Josh would be the first to admit that finance is often a challenge in the world of performing arts, both individually and as an organisation. Whilst he and his team are all volunteers, the costs of staging a show can’t be ignored. “We prepare a financial forecast before we start on every show to make sure it is economically viable,” Josh explained. “Some venues will just take a deposit and we can pay them based on ticket sales later; sometimes we can get some crowd-funding, or through our connections. For Move It, there is a participant fee.”

“Due to the pandemic, it feels like the industry is now at breaking point,” he added. “I’m hoping the new Commissioner for Cultural Renewal can help and I know many organisations are working to find a way to make venues safe for these times. Sadly, some venues are closing, and I think the industry is unlikely to be properly open until later this year. Although many who work in the arts are freelancers, I do believe that they hold us together and will be the key to our recovery in the long run.”

Josh is now doing a postgraduate (MSc) course in International Business at Winchester. He commented, “It’s a one-year, full time course and I’ve been able to fund it through a Postgraduate Student Loan, plus Winchester give a nice discount to returning students! I’m expecting this course to help build my business skills to keep growing KATA.” And what does the future hold for the KATA project? “During lockdown, we have been holding activities online. When we return to in-person, we’d love to expand the workshops into other local Universities soon and we’re building some great connections with local colleges and councils.

We have access to some great venues, but we’d also love to have our own ‘home’ venue one day, that could be a community centre as well as a performing arts space. One day!”

KATA – King Alfred Theatre Arts King Alfred Theatre Arts is a Community Interest Company based in Winchester, Hampshire. Their main purpose is to provide unique arts experiences to students in further and higher education.

Founded in 2017, they have produced multiple productions ranging from plays to dance performances. They are eager to work with more schools and colleges in the area so would love to hear from anyone wanting to stage a performance, host workshops or even commission a new piece.

The initiative now incorporates three arms: KATA itself, staging a variety of performances; the KATA Academy, which runs workshops in dance, theatre production, drama and vocal production that any student at Winchester can take part in; and, KATA Clothing, which provides comfortable, well-fitting clothing suitable for rehearsals.

All three arms share the same ethos of encouraging creativity, cultivating community and promoting sustainability.

Find out more at www.katacommunity.co.uk

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Careers in

Architecture Architecture could generally be explained as both the art and the science of designing buildings. Surely every architect’s dream is to build not just a beautiful building, but one which also satisfies its purpose most efficiently? And managing these two, often conflicting goals, is just the start of an architect’s task; no wonder they traditionally take years to qualify.

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Architecture in the UK is a regulated profession.

This means that a central body ensures only suitably qualified and registered people are allowed to work in the profession and to call themselves an Architect; the term ‘Architect’ is protected by law. Regulated professions are generally those where legal or professional standards are vital and include solicitors, doctors and teachers. There were around 56,000 Architects registered and working in the UK in 2020, but the demand for skills means that professionals are regularly recruited from abroad too.

To work as an Architect in the UK, you need to have qualified and be registered with the ARB, the Architects Registration Board. You could also choose to work as an Architectural Technologist, becoming a professional member of CIAT (the Chartered Institute for Architectural Technologists). We’ll look at the difference

between an Architect and an Architectural Technologist later in this article.

To qualify as an Architect, the traditional route is a combination of university study and practical experience, taking at least six years overall. A student will start by completing their undergraduate degree in Architecture on a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) approved course. These are typically three years of full-time study, but they can sometimes be completed on a part-time basis; some courses even include time spent studying abroad. This

first stage is known as RIBA Part 1.

After this, students need to complete at least one year working in practice. This needs to be under the supervision of a qualified architect or other construction industry professional. Placements for this year can be highly competitive so it’s worth planning ahead.

The good news is that you will be paid on placement, so some students choose to spend more than one year working in order to gain more experience and save up some money.

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to be recorded and supervised by a Professional Studies Advisor, but they also count towards your application for professional registration later on.

Having completed a minimum of one year in practice, students then return to university to complete their RIBA Part 2, typically for a further two years. This can either be at the same institution where you studied Part 1 or somewhere new (make sure you apply in good time!). This course results in the next qualification (and more letters to write after your name), typically BArch, MArch or a Diploma.

After completion of Part 2, there is a requirement for further practical experience; this time, the recommended minimum is two years. Many students take this opportunity to work in a different kind of organisation or architectural practice than they did before, in order to broaden their experience as widely as possible. There is even the opportunity to work abroad at this stage, although at least one year must be spent working in the UK. Again, you will be paid on this placement and you will likely be given even greater responsibilities, although still under the supervision of a suitably qualified professional.

During this practical experience, you can begin working towards your final professional qualification, known as RIBA Part 3. This course is often studied part-time whilst continuing to work and covers areas such as management and law. At this stage, you can also apply to become 32

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an Associate Member of RIBA and access the support that they offer.

When you have successfully completed the RIBA Part 3 assessments, you can apply to register as an architect with the ARB. You are also eligible to become a Chartered Member of the RIBA (as well as your local professional body in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland*).

To continue to work as an Architect, you must remain registered with the ARB; although you do not have to have RIBA Membership to practice, many choose to do so, to retain their Chartered Architect status and for the support available.

In England, and hopefully soon in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, in addition to the largely academic route, there are now two Degree level Apprenticeships that will allow an individual to qualify as an Architectural Assistant or Architect. The Architectural Assistant is a Degree (Level 6) Apprenticeship and will allow a successful candidate to achieve their RIBA Part 1 qualification after A Levels, whilst gaining practical experience at work. The Architect Apprenticeship is a Level 7 qualification, which allows candidates with their Part 1 to work towards RIBA Parts 2 and 3 whilst working.

Both Apprenticeships were launched in 2018, having been developed alongside some awardwinning architectural practices and respected construction firms, including Foster & Partners, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) and ARUP. As well as Architects or Architectural

Assistants, there can be a number of other professionals who design buildings. These include Architectural Technologists, Technicians and Architectural Designers. An Architectural Technologist will have studied for 5 or 6 years at higher and professional levels; if they choose to become a Chartered Member of the CIAT (so have the letters MCIAT after their name), they can offer the full range of architectural services that an Architect can. Some will choose the Architectural Technologist route, instead of the Architect route because it can be a slightly shorter time to qualify and there are other study options than doing a full-time degree.

Traditionally, an Architectural Technologist would be more concerned with the technical elements of a building compared to the designfocus of an Architect, but this is much less true today and both professions should be judged on their individual merits.

A quick search of qualified architect job vacancies being advertised at the time of writing this article showed starting salaries ranging from £28,000 to £55,000 per year. A similar search for Architectural Technologist roles suggests current starting salaries range from £24,000 to £45,000.

Experienced architects, partners in a practice or those who own their own business could expect to earn significantly more.

Architectural Technicians and Architectural Designers will have qualifications and/or experience in their professional field and are likely to work in practice supporting Architects and Architectural Technologists. However, they are unlikely to be professionally registered in their own right and therefore would not be able to sign-off on architectural plans and projects.

As such, there is no set route into these roles and salaries vary, but they could be a realistic option if you were only able to complete RIBA Part 1, for example.

RIBA have developed two new programmes to support those looking to build a career in architecture. The first, launched in 2021, is the RIBA Foundation programme, which aims to support those needing to gain experience or build a portfolio before they start their RIBA Part 1 training. The other is the RIBA Studio, which allows you to work full time in a practice while working towards your RIBA Part 1 or Part 2 at the same time. Search ‘RIBA Studio’ to find out more about both options.

There is more information on how to become an architect or an architect assistant, including details of apprenticeships and the RIBA Studio; go the Education, CPD and Careers section of www.architecture.com

What skills do you need to work in architecture?

Are you the sort of person with the right qualities and attributes to succeed?

Here’s what we think it takes: A logical mind Architects need to be both ‘big picture’ people and ‘details’ people but, perhaps most importantly of all, they need to be able to work logically through an issue, addressing issues in practical ways.

A sense of design As well as a mechanical mindset, it helps to have a sense of the artistic, to ensure buildings appeal to the people who will use them.

Excellent communication skills Architects rarely work alone; there are clients, engineers, site managers and so on, who all perform key roles on any project. Therefore, an architect needs to be able to explain ideas and plans to others, as well as to hear and understand what others are explaining to them.

Management skills Even as a Junior Architect working in a practice, there is a need to ‘juggle’ multiple projects and people at a time. If you aspire to become a partner or have your own business, you’ll need these skills even more.

*RSAW - The Royal Society of Architects in Wales RSUA - The Royal Society of Ulster Architects, in Northern Ireland RIAS - The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland

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Decarbonisa what is it and what jobs does it offer?

As human beings, we have become adept at using the resources around us to make life ever more comfortable and convenient. The trouble is those resources are running out.

How we find ways to reuse or replenish resources and maintain the comfort and convenience we’ve become used to is a growing part of the global economy. We look at one aspect of this challenge and the opportunities it offers for employment.

The Industrial Revolution, nearly 200 years ago, created the modern world, but it was based on fossil fuels: coal to fire power stations to make electricity, later gas to heat our homes and offices, and oil to power transport and refine into everything from plastics to lipsticks! As we all know, the problem is that burning these fossil fuels fundamentally changes the atmosphere we all breathe and the climate. And the plastics contaminate our planet and kill natural life.

Unchecked, climate change will lead to the extinction of more than a quarter of life on earth, mass human migration, massive sea level rise and flooding, and more extreme storms and winds. That’s not the plot of a science fiction movie, but the science published by the United Nations. It’s all driven by carbon dioxide and equivalent “greenhouse” gases – these trap heat in our atmosphere and are being released at such a quick rate, life on earth cannot adapt to cope.

Fortunately, change is beginning to happen, recognising that we can’t continue to 34

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ignore the consequences of releasing carbon and similar gases into the atmosphere. In 2008, the UK was one of the first nations to introduce a law to require the whole country to achieve “Zero Carbon” by 2050. In 2015, 195 national governments committed to The Paris Agreement, which intends to reduce carbon emissions and stop global temperatures rising.

This originally aimed to cap the temperatures at no more than 2° Celsius, but now striving for 1.5° as the science has been refined.

The challenge for our lifetime is to deliver these big national goals and, in particular, undo 200 years of addiction to fossil fuels. It will take ideas, action, work and commitment from a lot of people to make Zero Carbon happen for real. That also means there are lots of opportunities for people delivering decarbonisation. In the coming years, we’ll see new companies grow, new jobs, new fortunes made and new inventions become everyday devices. It’s as big a chance as the first Industrial Revolution!

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How do we tackle this?

Whatever you choose to do with your future, decarbonisation will be part of your career.

Retail, travel, industry, construction, agriculture, business, manufacturing and entertainment are all built on fossil fuels, and that means they will have to change.

An example of this is, according to the UK’s Climate Change Committee, around 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from our homes and how we live in them. About a third of those emissions come from the energy used in homes directly (14% of the total), whilst aviation makes just 7%. So, a big focus of work in the future will be on the 28 million homes across the UK. Electricity for most homes comes from the National Grid and most homes probably have gas or oil central heating, so are certainly using fossil fuels to keep warm, to cook and to power our entertainment habits. Each year, the typical UK home emits somewhere around 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide and “equivalent” gases. Even newly built homes emit more than 1 tonne; every home needs to emit zero carbon or even ‘beyond’ zero to balance out those old homes that can’t quite get to zero.

That means 28 million homes need to be converted to have no carbon emissions. We’ve got to decarbonise every single home in a city the size of Swansea every five weeks, and do it

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continuously for every five weeks from now until 2050. Achieving this huge task is going to take lots of skills, some that exist and some that have yet to be invented.

There will be a need for skilled installers to fit the Zero Carbon heating systems for our homes, improved insulation, energy storage and intelligent controls. Behind them we need IT technicians, developers and programmers to create firmware and software, and designers to help make it work well for us. We need product designers and engineers to build the components, innovators to improve them, and managers to organise and deliver them.

We need scientists to understand the houses’ performance and psychologists and behaviour experts to help us understand how to work with the people in the homes. We need medics to understand the links of Zero Carbon homes to our health, and researchers to evidence them. We need designers and contractors to conceive and transform each individual home, and we need bankers and financiers to help us all pay for it, with help and oversight from those working in government.

And that’s just to tackle the 14% that comes from the energy used in our homes. The good news is that there are a growing number of training courses and opportunities to start your career in decarbonisation.

What is CPD

and why should you do it?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the expectation that achieving a professional or vocational qualification shouldn’t be the end of the story. Many roles now have a requirement to regularly refresh relevant skills in order to develop and stay up-to-date. We take a quick look at how you can do this and why it’s so important.

We can all appreciate that progress in areas like technology, legislation and science are constantly helping us make improvements to the ways in which we live and work. So, imagine what it would be like if you completed a qualification for your job, but your knowledge just froze at that point. The longer you were working, the more out-of-date your skills would become. Imagine the GP who didn’t prescribe the best medicines because they hadn’t heard about them? They wouldn’t be doing the best for their patients.

CPD, therefore, recognises that industries and the best working practices evolve over time.

Medicine and related disciplines were some of the first professions to have a CPD requirement, but today almost every professional or skilled role has an expectation for people working in them to keep up-to-date.

What you can include as CPD does vary from role to role. Studying further relevant qualifications or attending training are likely to count across the board. Other activities like reading professional journals, giving talks or training yourself, or taking part in webinars and discussions can count too. Professional bodies will have a section on their website, which explains what they include and how to record it.

Whether you are in a ‘regulated’ profession, like teacher or doctor, or member of a professional body will also affect how you record your CPD and whether you have to submit it each year for your membership organisation to review. Again, this will be made clear on the relevant website.

Whether you are in a job that requires a set amount of CPD or not, there are many reasons why everyone who takes their career seriously should think about doing it. Being able to show that you actively take part in CPD activities will: • ensure you keep up-to-date with developments in your industry and job role.

• demonstrate to both current and future employers that you take your role seriously, potentially increasing your chances of promotion or a new job.

• be an opportunity to meet and network with others doing a similar job but in different settings.

• be the chance to visit different venues, as events are often organised in relevant, interesting locations.

• and should be enjoyable too!

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Esports BTEC

- a new qualification built for employment Esports, competitive video gaming, is a fast-growing international industry worth millions of pounds. A new BTEC qualification, developed by education company Pearson and The British Esports Association, has been designed to give you the skills you’ll need.

If you enjoy gaming and Esports, and would like to be employed in the industry, the new BTEC qualifications, at levels 2 and 3, could be a great stepping stone for you.

Esports are exciting, team-based activities that often engage many young people who wouldn’t take part in traditional team activities such as sport, music or drama. Esports can promote leadership and communication skills, teamwork and problem-solving skills, increase reaction times, dexterity and concentration, and improve resilience through losing, as well as winning, games. And that’s not to mention the cyber and digital skills they can help develop.

This rapidly-growing industry offers a number of jobs and career pathways, ranging from production crew and hosts (or Shoutcasters), to designers and content creators, through to the more traditional events, sales, marketing and business management skills. You could even be a professional esports player!

The new BTEC qualifications cover Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Health, Wellbeing and Fitness for Esports Players, Live-streamed 38

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Broadcasting, Video Production and Games Design.

What specific skills can the Esports BTEC give you? IT skills are the obvious one: you will be confident about finding your way around a game and your PC. You will have quick reactions, be good at looking at things in detail and you’ll be determined to succeed.

All businesses need these skills, so your gaming hobby already gives you skills transferable to the world of work. It is important to remember that businesses, including Esports businesses, also need their staff to have great personal and communication skills too. Spending too much time attached to a screen or console can mean you neglect them, but remember you’ll need to be as comfortable with ‘face-to-face’ communication and presentation as you are in the cyber world.

The Esports BTEC qualifications are a great example of the changing labour market and how there are new roles within new industries that you may not have realised.

To read more about the Esports qualifications, visit https://bit.ly/3jRsP06

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National Citizen Service

Since its creation in 2011, the National Citizen Service (NCS) has seen more than half a million young people across the UK take part in its programmes. We ask what it is, and more importantly, why it’s worth signing up for.

Be epic; Live life; Do good. Not bad as a motto, but perhaps even more inspiring when you learn that it’s the structure of the NCS programme. Aimed primarily at Year 11s for the summer they leave school (and Year 12s who haven’t already done it), the 2-to-4-week programme is designed to build confidence, explore new opportunities and make new friends. It comes in three phases.

Phase One: Be epic. The first part of the programme involves a one-week residential experience, typically staying in activity centres.

The focus is on challenging yourself, so you will get to try a range of adventurous activities you may not have done before: activities like surfing, coasteering or mountain-boarding are 40

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not uncommon. Taking part in these activities will not only give you new experiences, but also the chance to meet new people and build friendships.

Phase two: Live life. The second part of the programme also involves a one-week residential experience, typically staying in university halls of residence. The focus is on learning new skills and having the opportunity to experience what living away from home is like. You will be provided a budget to plan and buy the ingredients necessary to cook your own meals as a group. Participants also have the chance to experience some skill-based workshops, anything from candle-making to DJ-ing to sports

coaching. Working in groups of up to sixteen and mixed with students from other schools, this is an opportunity not only to discover new skills, but to discover yourself too.

Phase three: Do good. The final phase of the programme focuses on social action and, in groups, participants need to plan and organise a fundraising event or activity, with the support of their NCS Coordinator. Previous NCS groups have run bake sales, car washes, coffee mornings, sponsored walks and exercisea-thons. Imagination and creativity are the only limits on what can be done. In recognition of the World War I anniversary, one group decided to raise money for Help for Heroes by running wheelbarrows up and down Winchester High Street, not only being sponsored to do it, but also getting some idea what it might have been like working as a stretcher bearer in the trenches. You will also have the chance to work with a voluntary organisation to give a little of your time back to your community. This could be anything from working in conservation or wildlife organisations, helping out in a charity shop or volunteering as a coach with a local sports club. Local NCS delivery partners will know of placements available, but eager participants could also suggest their own if there is an organisation they would particularly like to work with. These volunteering hours can also count towards Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Service hours, for those also doing this. Summer 2020 saw this phase of the project really respond to the challenges of the pandemic when some groups chose to make gift boxes and thank you mugs for key workers.

Completion: an opportunity to celebrate.

After achieving all that, it’s time to celebrate. All participants will receive a completion Certificate signed by the Prime Minister in recognition of everything they have done. Local delivery partners will organise a celebration event, anything from a meal out to a theme park visit to a ‘graduationstyle’ ball, with posh frocks and suits. It’s a time to reflect on the programme, share photos and videos, and cement those memories and new friendships. Although you can only do the programme once, for those who want to stay involved, there is also the chance to continue working with their local groups as NCS staff.

What does NCS give you? Apart from all of this, Dudley, one local NCS Project Coordinator, believes you will never be lost for words ever again. “If you’re ever sat in an interview and stuck for something to say, NCS will give you

“

In interviews, employers aren’t asking why you did NCS, but why you didn’t!” plenty to talk about,” he said. “NCS adds so much to your arsenal: responsibilities, projects, teamwork, fantastic life experiences. It can really help you to stand out. We’re starting to find that, in interviews, employers aren’t asking why you did NCS, but you didn’t!”

Dudley has so many great memories of working with groups of students that choosing just one to illustrate the programme’s benefits is really tough. “I particularly remember one student with special educational needs who came away with us a few years ago,” Dudley recalled.

“Before he joined us, his parents had been really concerned about his future, but I remember his Mum saying that she’d got a different son back at the end of the experience! The NCS programme saw beyond his needs and treated him as an individual, challenging him to build his confidence. The following year, he and his Mum went back to his school to talk to parents about the whole experience, something he could never have contemplated before. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place!”

How do you get involved? NCS is open to anyone from any background, whether in main-stream schooling, fee-paying or home education, as long as they are aged 16 to 18. The maximum any NCS delivery partner will charge is £50 for the whole experience, and many offer deals on those fees. Every school in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland has been allocated a local delivery partner who will coordinate with the school to start recruitment, usually around February ready for the summer. For most interested Year 11s, the first step will be to ask in school; your Head of Year should have details.

If you are home-schooled, head to the NCS website for their live chat and call centre to find out who delivers the programme in your area.

With the ever changing circumstances we are all experiencing, the contents of the programme are liable to change to ensure NCS delivers within national restrictions and guidelines at the time.

However, the premise of building friendships, gaining new experiences and challenging yourself to do good will never change.

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Useful information There are some great resources available out there if you know where to find them. Here is a selection: Apprenticeships Search and apply for an Apprenticeship, go to www.gov.uk and search for ‘Apprenticeships’ Find out which Apprenticeships already exist and which are coming soon www.instituteforapprenticeships.org General resources and information www.amazingapprenticeships.com

Jobs Uni not your thing? Lots of options at: www.notgoingtouni.co.uk

Key Dates – 2021

And ideas for a first step into the workplace at www.getmyfirstjob.co.uk

20 May UCAS decision day for applications submitted by 29 January 2021

Qualifications

30 June UCAS applications received after this date are entered into Clearing

T Levels guide www.tlevels.gov.uk Find T Level map www.tlevels.gov.uk/students

University applications

5 July International Baccalaureate results published

UCAS Undergraduate applications www.ucas.com

10 August SQA (Scotland) results day

You will also find the UCAS points guide and calculator on their website.

24 August A Level & GCSE results day

University Taster Days guide, including online events unitasterdays.com

19 October Last date for UCAS Clearing choices

Funding Advanced Learner Loans www.gov.uk and search for ‘Advanced Learner Loans

To find the websites easily, go to the Useful stuff page on our website, makethefutureyours.com, where you will find the direct links.

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YOUR FUTURE MADE HERE > > > > >

A-levels Apprenticeships T Levels Vocational Higher Education APPLY FOR 2021

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