The Flagpole

On Tuesday 28 November, we welcomed Rebecca Ayres from Warwick University to talk to Upper Sixth Form parents about student finance. She gave a very informative and useful talk about all aspects of the finance available to students going off to university and recent changes to repayment terms announced by the government. Parents had lots of questions and Rebecca was able to answer each of these in detail. We will be welcoming Rebecca back to talk to Lower Sixth Form parents in the spring.

In the meantime a copy of Rebecca's presentation is available to view by clicking here.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers and UCAS Co-ordinator

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:

• A Career as a Doctor - Medical Insight Course
• Gap 360 Limited
• Nottingham Trent University - Experience Sport Science
• University of London Taster Courses
• School Leaver Opportunities in Tax and Accountancy
• Medic Mentor National Healthcare Weekend
• Capgemini - Degree Apprenticeships for Students that aren’t sure about University
• Work Experience Programmes with PwC

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers and UCAS Co-ordinator

Monday 5 February to Wednesday 7 February 2018

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust are running a three day course for Sixth Form students to help them to decide if medicine is for them and to improve any application they make. 

Click here for details.

Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers and UCAS Co-ordinator

Gap 360 Ltd is one of the leading Gap Year organisations in the UK. 

Travel Grant
They have got three travel grants to be won for £3,000, £1,500, and £750, which can be put over 35 pre-set itineraries or towards a custom built itinerary featuring Thailand! You can be away for any length of time, from two weeks to two years!

The aim of the grant is to encourage and inspire students to explore the world and expand their own personal horizons, as well as helping others see the many positives of travelling for future life and employment.  Click here for more information.

Should I go travelling?
A free guidebook, created by Gap 360's Director of Operations and drawing on her own experience travelling and working in the gap year industry, has been created especially for Sixth Formers and aims to help students decide whether travelling is right for them.  Please click here to download the guidebook.  Hard copies are available from the Sixth Form Resource Centre.

Nottingham Trent University are holding an Experience Sport Science Day on Wednesday 23 January 2018 at their Clifton Campus, 10.30am to 2pm.

The taster day will give students an insight into Psychology, Nutrition and Biomechanics.

To book a place on this taster day please email martin.bancroft@ntu.ac.uk.

Not sure what University life will be like? Why not try one of the University of London's one-day courses for sixth formers?

The Taster Course Programme provides Year 12 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 of 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.

The taster courses take place at various times throughout the year but mainly between February and July. The courses run from half-a-day to a week and are non-residential. All courses are free of charge, students are responsible for their own travel and food expenses

The courses offer you an insight into study at university and the opportunity of attending a course that you may be interested in but are not sure about at this stage. The experience will also enable you to check out the non-teaching facilities provided by the university. You will get the chance to meet with other students on the taster course and undergraduate students studying at the university.

Applications to the 2018 taster courses open 11.00am on Thursday 4 January 2018. You do not need to rush to apply as soon as applications open as they are giving everyone until 11.00am on Wednesday 10 January 2018 to initially apply.

Please click here to learn more and to search for courses.

If you are in Upper Sixth and currently deciding what your next step is after you finish your studies in the summer then Smith & Williamson's Apprenticeship programme may be for you. It will allow you to earn a full-time salary, whilst being supported towards a professional qualification and gaining hands on experience in a job.

Smith & Williamson offer an unbeatable breadth of services - a unique combination of financial services, private banking and investment management which, in turn, means a greater choice of opportunities for school leavers joining them.

If you’re looking for an opportunity where you will be doing real work, for real clients with real responsibility from an early stage, look no further. They offer apprenticeships in the following areas:

• Audit
• Private Client Tax
• Business Tax

You would work towards obtaining a recognised professional qualification; the Certificate of Finance and Business (CFAB), Associate Accounts Technician (AAT) or Associate Tax Technician (ATT). Smith & Williamson will provide full support throughout your studies, including ongoing in-house training, appraisals and mentoring.

Upon successful completion of the CFAB, AAT or ATT qualification and positive performance appraisals, you would have the opportunity to qualify as a Chartered Accountant (ACA), Certified Accountant (ACCA) or Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).  For more information please click here.

24-25 March 2018

The National Healthcare Weekend on 24 and 25 March 2018 is taking place in London, Cardiff and Birmingham.

Over two hundred healthcare professionals form across the UK will be volunteering to present and network with students who are interested in:

• Medicine
• Veterinary Medicine
• Dentistry
• 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.

Times have changed. University is no longer the only credible option for students wanting to have meaningful and exciting careers.

Capgemini writes, "Did you know that Degree Apprentices are not liable for a single cost relating to tuition fees? And in fact, upon completion of their free degree, they will also be earning more than those who join the company as a graduate fresh from university. This is just one of a wealth of benefits to choosing the Degree Apprenticeship route.

Capgemini is known as one of the world’s largest tech companies, helping our clients to transform their businesses through ingenious technology solutions. We deliver exciting and innovative client projects across multiple industries all over the UK using cutting edge technology in an entrepreneurial and supportive environment.

Importantly, we feel the importance of having a community of likeminded people who share ideas, work collaboratively and all strive to achieve our common goals. Our Digital & Technology Solutions Degree Apprentices start their journey together, on an eight-week residential training course at Aston University where they develop their skills in order to deliver to our clients. Our Chartered Manager Degree Apprentices will have an extended induction joining live projects to start their journey as a consultant.

What are the key benefits of a Degree Apprenticeship?

• Apprentices have a full-time permanent role from day one, and a competitive starting annual salary
• They study part-time for a degree through Aston University – whilst being able to put new skills into practice in their day to day role
• They will be in a supportive environment, with flexibility such as study leave to help them out
• Did we mention it’s 100% free? We’re sponsoring all of the costs of their degree – They will get the best of both worlds – with all the benefits of a job with a prestigious company and those of being a student at one of the best universities in the UK.

What’s the catch you ask? Well actually there isn’t one… our apprentices don’t need to be a techie, but we do ask that they are as passionate as we are about the ways tech can be applied in the real world.

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any further questions."

Please click here for further information.

Are you thinking about your next steps once you leave school or college? Do you have an interest in business and finance or technology? Do you want to work with some of the most successful companies and high profile organisations in the world? PwC has two exciting work experience programmes which will help you find out more about them and, more importantly, more about yourself and where your career interests lie. Spend a week with them during your summer holidays and get paid while you build on your employability skills and start to shape your future.

Business Insight Week

If you have a keen interest in business or finance, their Business Insight Week will put you through your paces, with guidance and support every step of the way to explore the work they do and the opportunities theye can offer you. You’ll spend time with teams working on live projects and buddying up with a member of the PwC team just a little older than you. You'll get a unique insight into how the world of business works and what it’s like to start your career with PwC. They'll spend time helping you identify the employability skills you already have and how you can develop these further to give you the best possible start to a career in business. They'll top it all off by sharing your experiences with other students on the programme and celebrating a fantastic week. You can choose to spend the week in one of their offices UK-wide.

Big Data Summer Camp

PwC's Big Data Summer Camp will give you the opportunity to learn from some of their experts in this field who’ll give you an insight into how the skills you’re developing are being implemented to help their clients use their data to gain a competitive edge. Big Data represents a fundamental shift in business decision-making. PwC's clients are used to analysing internal data like sales figures, staff levels and stock counts. Now, they’re increasingly under pressure to analyse external data to understand customer sentiment through social media, competitor performance in local and global markets, and the supply chain risks and opportunities. This programme will take place in Belfast, Leeds or Birmingham.

Who are PwC?

PwC are of the world's leading professional services organisations. Their purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems for their clients. They tackle lots of different issues for loads of different organisations, entrepreneurs and private businesses. They help with big deals and big changes to their structures and businesses. They advise them on tax. They make sure they’re getting the most out of their IT. They help them plan ahead to manage risk, make sure they’re sustainable, and profitable.

For both programmes, you'll need to be:

• Currently in Year 12 and studying for A-levels or equivalent.
• Interested in taking your first steps towards a career in business, finance or technology.
• Available for a week during your summer holidays on either 6 August or 20 August 2018
• You’ll need to be on course for a 96 UCAS tariff at A-level (excluding General Studies)
• You’ll need to have achieved a GCSE grade C in Maths and English
• Committed to your career ambitions and able to explain to PwC why you want to complete the programme.

Click here to find out more.

Work Experience Placements at Princethorpe College, as part of our Careers programme, take place at the end of Year 11.  We believe that all pupils can gain immeasurable benefits from their placements; not only can a good placement teach a pupil a lot about an area of work that he or she may be interested in, but it can also develop communication skills, self-confidence, initiative and teamwork.

Work Experience takes place after the GCSE examinations, generally starting from the last week of June, at any time that is convenient during the holidays, for a minimum of one week. It is perfectly feasible for pupils to undertake more than one placement if desired. It is usual for pupils to find a placement through family/friends contacts at this stage.

So that I can complete the necessary paperwork, possible references and so on, I'd be grateful if you could you let me know the company name and contact details, for the placement(s) you have arranged either by return of the slip attached to the letter sent to you in June, or by email to me miketaylor@princethorpe.co.uk. 

If you need a hard copy of the original letter, please could you ask your son or daughter to ask me for one at school.

Mike Taylor
Work Experience Co-ordinator