This month DYW Forth Valley sponsored Metafest at Codebase, an interactive and inspiring event which offered a range of activities, workshops and exhibitions from all sectors of the tech world, including 3D printing, virtual reality, gaming, coding, holograms, animation and much more. This was an opportunity for the whole family to attend a packed day and have fun while gaining an insight into what the digital sector has to offer, as well as meeting some of the country’s leading technology companies. You can see more photos from the day in the slideshow at the bottom of this post! Are you a digital business working within the Forth Valley area who would like to find out more about supporting DYW activity and how it can benefit your business? On the 17th January 2019, Forth Valley College are holding a Business Breakfast at Codebase to inform businesses about the Digital Foundation Apprenticeships on offer, and answer any queries you might have about these frameworks, or how your business can get involved. Click the invitation to register to attend! On Thursday 22 November more than 120 attendees from across Forth Valley joined us for our first ever conference. The ‘Be Inspired’ Conference brought businesses, local authorities, 3rd sector organisations and educators together to inspire innovative partnerships to better prepare young people for the world of work. All delegates heard about DYW’s success stories, future plans and took part in a series of interactive ‘Focus On’ sessions specifically designed to energise attendees to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with developing Forth Valley’s young workforce to their full potential. These sessions were delivered by DYW Forth Valley partners Robertson Group, Drummond Laurie, Forth Valley College and Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils, designed to explore challenges and opportunities associated with developing the young workforce.
The Conference brought together businesses, local authorities, 3rd sector organisations and educators to inspire innovative partnerships to better prepare young people for the world of work. Local businesses were also encouraged to consider how they could offer exciting, educational and effective employment opportunities. In November St Modan's High School's ‘Build Your Future’ week inspired over 1100 young people to expand their horizons as they consider their future careers. Organised by the school in collaboration with local business partners, Stirling Council, Skills Development Scotland and DYW Forth Valley, it allowed young people from every year group to explore the world of work by examining career pathways linked to every curricular area. Recent figures from the Construction Industry Training Body (CITB) show that the Scottish construction industry will need 21,000 new entrants at all levels from apprentices to graduates over the next 10 years just to meet current demand. Pupils took part in a variety of activities and workshops to help equip them for the wide range of opportunities available within the growing Scottish construction sector. The week's programme also extended across Forth Valley with pupils from 11 other schools benefiting from visiting the school to take part in some of the activities on offer. The event was designed to deconstruct the myths of the construction industry, which supports roles such as lawyers, accountants, designers, ecologists and software designers.
Linda Soutar from Construction Scotland’s 'Inspiring Construction' programme, said: "Construction is a tremendously exciting industry that is about so much more than just hard hats and high-vis vests. Our 'Inspiring Construction' programme aims to attract more school leavers to join the sector by letting them know about the huge and diverse range of careers available, and importantly, how to access them. From engineering and surveying, to 3D visualisation, not to mention the more traditional trades such as joinery, I hope this event has demonstrated that this industry really does have a career to suit everyone." As part of ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers Week’ there will be a chance for schools to take part in ‘The Big Assembly’ at 10:30am on the 7th of November 2018.
This is an excellent opportunity for young people who have ideas and passions about engineering to turn them into careers. Big Assembly is a live video stream to thousands of students across the UK wanting to find out how engineering impacts on the issues they care about, such as saving the environment, animal welfare, staying safe, health and entertainment. The live stream will be a mix of short inspirational films interspersed with live discussion, which will include the opportunity to take questions from viewers. The films examine exciting engineering career options, including more information on the panel. During the discussion, there will be experts on hands to answer questions sent ‘real time’ using email, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Schools can register for free now and be part of the biggest career webinar. Many businesses are currently advertising their seasonal jobs and many more are also thinking about it. That means you should be too.
You may think that these jobs are just great for boosting finances at this time of year. That is true but they can also benefit you in terms of gaining additional skills and experience. Have a look at how a seasonal job can help you stand out from the crowd. Click on the link at the end of this post to find current seasonal jobs in Forth Valley. Coalsnaughton Primary School received an insight into the care sector by Gwyneth Morrison from Mears Group. This took place as part of the 'Primary Aspirations' programme which aims to give earlier intervention at primary school level, helping pupils to discover what sectors and career pathways pique their interest. The session had a positive outcome for both the pupils and Gwyneth, who was pleased to be able to share with young people that a career in care is a positive destination and a rewarding and fulfilling career.
Read more by clicking the best practice example below. Come and be inspired to make a difference to young people and your business!
Please join us for a showcase of DYW best practice across Forth Valley; hear directly from young people, employers and educators about how they are benefiting from being involved. You will hear from inspirational leaders in education and business who understand and recognise the value and impact of developing the young workforce and are leading by example through innovating change to engage, inspire and develop the talent of the future. Young people from across Stirling and Clackmannanshire visited Forth Valley College yesterday for a flavour of what the Hospitality, Food and Tourism industries have to offer. It was all hands on deck as local businesses shared their knowledge and expertise with over 180 pupils who donned their aprons to take part in cooking challenges and interactive demonstrations facilitated by Forth Valley College and personal chef Mark Heirs; explored the mixology of a 'Mocktail Masterclass' with Cromlix to the mixology of what makes a great salad dressing with Forth Environment Link and The Food Assembly, and heightened their senses with a 'Sensory' workshop from Caledonian Produce. Claire from Egglicious, alongside Henrietta 1, 2, 3 and 4, gave insight into what it is like to be a young business owner whilst a keynote address was given by Fergus Wood on the opportunities within Tourism. "I loved the interactive activities" said Isabelle from Dunblane High Have you ever worked with education? Would you like to? It is easier than you think. If you can give up an hour or two of your time then all we need is for you to “Do one thing!” By getting involved you can motivate, inspire and stimulate a pupil by giving them an opportunity to benefit from your knowledge and on the job practical skills. You can also help them develop their soft skills such as self-confidence, assertiveness, communication, inquisitiveness and creativity. Can you make your 'one thing' a work placement? Nationally only 27% of employers offer work placements however development of career management skills in young people at this stage is crucial. "54% of 18 year olds in forth valley are in higher or further education" In November we are looking forward to facilitating the first ever DYW Forth Valley Conference bringing businesses, educators and young people in Forth Valley together to:
Inspire innovative partnerships by showcasing DYW best practice examples; consider challenges, opportunities and what success looks like. Support learning and change through engagement in meaningful interactions with best practice exhibitors and bite size focus sessions Support new quality engagements and connections between business and education. Thank you to everyone who shared their #nowrongpath image on the 7th of August. Nearly 100 images were shared in Forth Valley alone, contributing to the national campaign.
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