The Flagpole

The careers team are keen to involve parents as much as possible in assisting with the decisions your children will be making when choosing a career and their next step. As such, I will be passing on information that might be useful to you.

Please see the articles below for information regarding the following:

• EY (Ernst & Young Global Limited) Careers Advice for Parents
• The University of London University Taster Course Programme
• A Star Future (Studying Abroad)
• The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers and UCAS Coordinator

The international professional services company, EY, provides many opportunities for both graduates and school leavers and have just launched a section of their website to help parents understand the new and changing world of work. 

Find out more at ukcareers.ey.com/parents where you can also register your interest for you and your child to attend their first-of-its-kind careers workshop, the EY Parentaship. 

The Taster Course Programme provides Lower Sixth Form students with a taste of what life at a university in London is like. Through your chosen taster course you will experience the different teaching methods used by university academics and gain an insight into the additional facilities available, whilst meeting students from across the UK.

All their taster courses are free to attend and you can choose a course from a variety of subjects taking place at the numerous participating universities. Courses range from voice and drama, to medicine and nursing, to computing and business. To learn more please click here.

Are you interested in studying abroad?  

A Star Future has been providing impartial information about opportunities for British students to pursue international higher education since 2006.  Their website details over 3,800 courses taught in English at universities across Europe, America, Australia and Asia.

Are you looking for the latest graduate and school opportunities?

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) have released their latest graduate and school leaver positions and advice.

What can you find?
• Graduate positions
• Work experience opportunities
• Internships
• Apprenticeships
• School leaver positions
• International student positions

There is something for everyone - click here for further information.

The careers team are putting into place a much expanded programme of careers provision for all pupils and students throughout the school.

We are starting this term with the aim of offering all Year 11 pupils a careers interview in preparation for making their post-16 choices. These have commenced this week and will hopefully be completed shortly after the October half term break.

In these interviews we will be using the careers package 'Kudos' to assist pupils with ideas and decisions about their futures.

If you have a son or daughter in Year 11, please encourage them to talk to you about this and share their ideas both before and after the interviews.

If you have any queries about these interviews please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. You can email me by clicking here or telephone the Careers Office on 01926 634200x352.

Thursday 12 October 2017

We would like to invite parents and Old Princethorpians to take part in our annual Interview Skills Day for our Upper Sixth students on Thursday 12 October 2017 at Princethorpe College.

Our Sixth Form students are now considering their options of university, apprenticeships or other career paths and we know it is very likely that they will be interviewed for their chosen courses or careers in the near future. From September our students will be able to begin applications, and make important decisions, and we hope our practice interview day in October will help them in this.

Our parents and Old Princethorpians, with experience and expertise in so many areas, play an essential part in this process.

The day begins just after 9.00am, when our volunteer interviewers will gather in the Sixth Form atrium for a briefing about the interviews ahead. The interviews themselves usually last until lunchtime although some lucky volunteers do find they have interviews in the afternoon too! Lunch is a pleasant occasion, allowing us the opportunity to chat and reflect upon the morning's proceedings.

We are keen to hear from anyone who can offer expertise in a range of disciplines such as:

• Marketing/Management/Business
• Accountancy
• History
• Mechanical Engineering
• Music
• Biological Sciences
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Medicine
• Physics
• English/Journalism
• Sports Science/PE
• Maths
• Speech Therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Classics
• Sociology
• ICT

or anyone who is experienced in coaching interview techniques. However, all offers of help are gratefully received for all or just part of the day.

If you think you might be able to help, please can you reply by clicking here and completing the short form.

I will, of course, let you know whether we would like your help as soon as I know which disciplines/areas of expertise are required. I will then get in touch with you with more detailed information nearer the time. Meanwhile, the attached PDF document here will give you an idea of the structure of the day.

Thanking you in advance.

18-19 November 2017

The National Healthcare Weekend on 18 and 19 November is taking place in London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Nottingham and Lancaster.

Over 30 conferences on different specialties on the same day! Eight hundred healthcare professionals from across the United Kingdom will be volunteering to present and network pupils who are interested in:

• Medicine
• Veterinary Medicine
• Nursing & Midwifery
• Dentistry
• Pharmacy
• Biomedical Sciences
• Psychology

These conferences provide a valuable opportunity for pupils to network with a variety of healthcare professions, learn about work experience opportunities and how to make a successful application.

Registration is £25 for pupils on the Saturday conferences and there is an optional UCAS lecture available on Sunday for each specialty.  Please note that these events are likely to fill up quickly!

Pupils can register on the Medic Mentor website and find out more about events here.

All proceeds from the weekend will be used to support UK's healthcare students with scholarships, elective bursaries, free training and educational initiatives.