Vodafone and St Bart’s Apprenticeship Day
St Bart’s were delighted to return to Vodafone last week for an apprenticeship support masterclass at the striking Vodafone Headquarters Conference Pavilion. This is the third year in which the school has been fortunate to partner with Vodafone for this event. 60 Sixth Form students from the St Bart’s Apprenticeship Applicant Group benefitted from a ‘mock’ version of an apprenticeship assessment day. Vodafone managers, employees, graduates and apprentices gave their time to take students through information on Vodafone’s apprenticeships and the abilities that employers are looking for in applicants. Our students were also given personalised feedback on interview technique and participated in a series of Group Tasks specifically designed to put their teamwork, problem solving and presentation skills to the test.
Mr Wilder, Co-Head of Sixth Form, said: “We are hugely grateful to Vodafone for providing this invaluable opportunity and sharing their advice with our students. This important partnership really does make a huge difference in preparing students to make strong applications to major companies. We are seeing an increasing interest in students wishing to pursue the apprenticeship route, which is often highly competitive, and it is fantastic when local employers can offer their time in this way to support our young people. One of our alumni, Owen Chetwood, took part in the first Vodafone apprenticeship masterclass and credits this experience with motivating him to apply for a Vodafone Level 6 degree apprenticeship in Technical Project Management – he is now working at Vodafone Headquarters! One of our Year 13 students, Seb Chapman, who attended last year, has just received a Level 7 degree apprenticeship from KPMG. It is really inspiring to see the success that comes from the hard work of the students, backed by the support of our community; I can’t wait to see how our Year 12 use the knowledge they gained last week”.
Year 12 student, George Britton, said: “Going to Vodafone HQ was a brilliant experience. I received really useful feedback on my interview technique and really enjoyed the experience. Talking with the apprentices at Vodafone has inspired me to consider an apprenticeship route.”
University of Bath Visit
Our thanks also to Mr Cimmino from the University of Bath, who last week presented to our Year 12 parents/carers and students. The talk focussed on applying to competitive universities and on student funding. Students, parents and guardians were guided through the application process and were provided with top tips when applying for competitive universities. Mr Cimmino also provided students with advice and recommendations on the new layout of the personal statement, which our current Year 12s will need to complete. Mr Owen and Mr Wilder, Co-Heads of Sixth Form, also provided an overview of the UCAS process and how our Year 12 will be supported through their applications.
Charlie Gale, Year 12, said: “The talk began with an overview of UCAS personal statements, providing an insight into their format and the importance of having a strong personal statement. The most useful part of the talk was on personal finance options, including tuition fees and maintenance loans. This helped dispel many common myths I had about student finance, making it much clearer and less daunting. Finally, other options were mentioned, such as an apprenticeship or gap year, leaving me more prepared about my next steps.”
Part of the Sixth Form Enrichment Programme, this talk was the latest in a series of visits by universities. This academic year, St Bart’s have also hosted the University of Reading and the University of Portsmouth, and there are plans to host more. Mr Owen said: “A student’s chosen university and course can in many ways set the direction of their path in life. It is an extremely exciting time for both students and their families, however, we recognise that these choices can also be overwhelming at times. We want to arm our students, not only with the grades to achieve their ambitions, but also the knowledge and skills to make the right choices and to have confidence in their choice and their next steps on their academic journey”.
Work Experience Week
We have launched our Work Experience programme where Year 12 students can take part in up to five days of work experience throughout the academic year. Students are approaching local employers and using Unifrog and UCAS to secure in person and online work shadowing experiences.
Y12 Film Studies students were joined this week by Marc Jenner, a former student who, having completed a Film Production degree is working in the film industry. He gave a fascinating talk, reflecting on his own academic experiences and providing insights into careers and opportunities in film. The students are currently working on writing screenplays as a key component of their A Level NEA (Non-Examined Assessment. Working as he now does as a Script Reader, Marc was able to advise students on the ingredients of successful screenplays and he engaged on a one-to-one basis with many of the students who were keen to try out their ideas on someone with real industry experience.
