Year 10 & 12 Employability Programme

Due to the pandemic, face to face work experience was not able to take place this year, so the Careers Team have hosted a two day employability programme for Year 10 students and a three day programme for Year 12 students. This was a great opportunity for students to engage with employers by undertaking online workshops and activities to gain awareness of the skills they need when entering the world of work. Year 10 and Year 12 students attended virtual workshops about employability skills, how to write a CV, the local labour market, recognising strengths and social media awareness. This was combined with videos and different group activities.

During one of the sessions, Year 10 students were split into groups to play a Careers inspired version of Monopoly which got them talking about their skills, their aspirations and ideas for their future career path. They found it fun and engaging and there were prizes for students who completed the board first!

Both groups of students were treated to talks from Sandwell Academy Alumni. Year 10 and 12 both had a presentation from Kam Shergill from Community Partnership Personnel, who was a student at Sandwell Academy between 2013 and 2015. Kam spoke to students about her career path and also gave advice on the application process, interview preparation and techniques. Year 12 students also had a session from Jamie Hawkins from Deloitte who was a student in the first cohort when the Academy opened. Jamie spoke about his apprenticeship at Capgemini, the process of applying and how he got into his role at Deloitte. The students really benefitted from hearing from previous Sandwell Academy students and their career path which was a great inspiration for all of them.

On the third day, Year 12 students took part in a presentation from Newman University about how to write a personal statement in readiness for their UCAS applications. The Aspire to HE Roadshow provided VR headsets for virtual tours of the University of Wolverhampton and also did a session about social opportunities at university, which involved the students coming up with new society ideas. Some of the interesting ideas they came up with were The Spice Society, Girls Night Society and No Hands Society.

The Careers Team also launched with the students a virtual HE & Apprenticeships Fair as a face to face event was not able to take place. This was put together as a virtual platform with information gathered from universities, further education colleges, employers and apprenticeship providers. There is also a skills and advice section including videos and quizzes the students can use. This is a great resource for students to be able to find out more about how to follow their future career path.

The students found the days a great alternative to work experience, being able to engage with employers and learn more about employability, as well as preparing for UCAS applications. Thank you to all of the employers, organisations and teachers involved.