My Great First Job Workshops
For National Apprenticeship week, we invited Dale Willis of My Great First Job, to speak with students about Degree Apprenticeships and developing their personal brand on Linkedin.
My Great First Job is a nonprofit organisation that helps young people navigate the journey from education to employment. We’d like to encourage our students to check out the website for more information and careers advice.
Degree Apprenticeships
During the first workshop, Dale spoke to our Sixth Form students about Degree Apprenticeships. These are a great alternative to attending university as you can get experience while earning a qualification—and get paid! While often associated with industries like engineering an accounting, Degree Apprenticeships can be found in almost every field. We will be inviting Dale back next term to give an online presentation for parents on Degree Apprenticeships so that you can better understand the options available for your children.
Keep an eye out for further information about apprenticeship opportunities in the Sixth Form Notes and Careers Newsletter. If you have any questions about Degree Apprenticeships, you can book an appointment with Miss Witchell, our Careers Advisor. A number of employers will be visiting sheldon during National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week. Make sure you drop by the Lunchtime Pop-Ups outside the Refectory to speak with employers directly about the opportunities they offer.
During the second workshop, Dale spoke to students about building a Linkedin profile to develop their personal brand and to stand out from the crowd when looking for their first job or apprenticeship. Dale explained that the networking capacity of the app creates a level playing field for young people who may not have a robust personal network of professionals in their field of interest.
Dale went through the process of setting up a Linkedin profile, explaining where students should focus their efforts to showcase who they are and what they are looking for in a career. He shared tips on how to make their profile stand out from their peers and encouraged students to reach out to companies and professionals for advice. He also showed them how to join industry specific groups to join in order to build relationships and start conversations about their chosen field.
Your A Levels will get you in the room, but what employers are interested in is you.
Students were encouraged to build a Linkedin profile that highlights who they are and why they are interested in a particular career path. It is a wonderful place to archive all of the activities that may not have a place on their CVs that help paint a picture of who you are as a student and employee. This could include podcasts you've enjoyed, books you've read, workshops, coourses and other personal interests—many of the things we encourage through our Sheldon Scholars programme. There are also many free short courses on Linkedin that will help you earn qualification badges for your profile, helping to enhance your personal brand.
As our students attend career fairs or meet employers at our Lunchtime Pop-Ups, they should be using Linkedin to make connections and build relationships. They should also be posting regularly about things they’re interested in to build a fuller picture of who they are as a perspective job candidate.
At the end of the session Dale very kindly offered to review students’ CVs and Linkedin profiles to give them tips and advice. Mr Spiers encouraged everyone to create a profile if they haven’t already. He reminded Year 12 that they need to arrange a week of work experience in July, giving students a good opportunity to test out their new Linkedin profiles and put the tips that Dale shared into practice.
Thank you to Dale Willis from My Great First Job for speaking to the Sheldon Sixth Form students. For more information, please visit www.mygreatfirstjob.com. We will be in touch next term with arrangements for the online session for parents and carers.