SJB Apprenticeships Information Evening

On Wed 9 October we held, at SJB school, our first ever Apprenticeships Information Evening.

This event was conceived as a result of the changing landscape for post 18 pathways which I have increasingly witnessed over the past 10 years, but most pressingly in the last 5 years.?

With so many graduates now saddled with a student debt that they may never pay off, and with the potential for tuition fees to increase, the past 10 years has seen a growing number of students at SJB seriously considering degree apprenticeships as an alternative pathway.

However, ?applying for and securing these apprenticeships is really really tough.? There is no one-stop-shop to manage this process, such as that provided by UCAS.? Vacancies are listed across a wide-range of platforms and websites and can be tricky to find, the application windows vary massively and don’t dovetail neatly with the academic calendar of exams, and the process of applying can be extremely complex and time-consuming.? Added to this, competition for places is fierce, with literally tens of thousands in some cases applying for a handful of positions.

The aim of this event was to offer information advice and guidance from those at the cutting edge of this process, both applicants and recruiters, to empower students (and their parents as supporters) to navigate this process successfully.

In breakout sessions we heard from P&G about how to navigate assessment centres, and from EY on how to make a CV/Cover letter stand out and what to expect from a video interview.? We also heard from miSpeak101 (Imran Akhtar) on the importance of developing Commercial Awareness, from Lara Fagents (Amazon Apprentice) on her experience navigating the application process, and from Max van den Berg (TFL) and Emily Martins (Bullen) (Taylor Wimpey) on life both as an apprentice and afterwards upon graduating.

We were incredibly blessed to be able to welcome back 18 alumni to this event, all of whom are either current apprentices or recent graduates from degree apprenticeship programmes.? The industries they represented ranged from business to technology, from engineering to law, and from finance to construction.?? During a Q&A with our alumni, the enthusiasm they all exuded, without exception, for the apprenticeship pathway was both infectious and inspiring.? Their experiences and achievements as apprentices and beyond are phenomenal and, as a school, we could not have been more proud.? All our alumni then made themselves available on their company stands, to share their experiences and advice with attending parents and students.?

Sincere thanks to Ciara Carpenter (BA), Lucy Chapman (BA), Michael Chapman (BA), Matt Connatty (CapGemini), James Cranstone (Menzies), Annabel Cunningham (CMS), Lara Fagents (Amazon), Stefania Ginex ACA CTA (Menzies), Isabelle Gray (Cisco), Calum Harding (TFL), Sofia Iannelli (CapGemini), M. Sofía López Barriga (BA), Emily Martins (Bullen) (Taylor Wimpey), Shona Ndoro (P&G), Prithvi Ramesh (Rolls Royce), Grace Rutherford (BA), Max van den Berg (TFL), Ben Worrell (P&G).

Sincere thanks also to 宝洁 , Ernst & Young Global Consulting Services and Imran Akhtar (miSpeak101) for leading such invaluable breakout sessions.

?Next year we hope to further build on the success of this event, not only welcoming back this exceptional group of alumni and businesses but extending an invitation out to more of our alumni across an even wider range of industries, to share their experiences and advice with our future school leavers.

If you are currently on an apprenticeship and would like to share your experiences, or if you work on the recruitment side of the apprenticeship process and would like to come along next year to offer your top tips and advice, please email me on n.risman@sjb.surrey.sch.uk? I would really love to hear from you!