To celebrate Renfrewshire Employability Week, we had the fantastic opportunity to visit the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre with pupils from schools across Renfrewshire!

It was an inspiring day for the students, learning about cutting-edge innovation and career possibilities in the manufacturing industry.

You can change a young person’s life.

MCR Pathways are looking for your help to provide more young people with a mentor who’s there just for them. Volunteer as a mentor for one hour per week and help a young person in a local school to flourish. Listening and supporting them for just one hour a week has been consistently proven to transform lives. You don’t need to be an expert, just caring and committed to making a positive impact.

Find out more and #ChangeALife 

Step into FINANCE will take place at the Technology & Innovation Centre at Strathclyde University on the 4th of October from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. We are holding the event in partnership with our colleagues at DYW LED and DYW Glasgow and as a result, will be reaching out to over 120 High Schools from West Central Scotland.

The aim is to provide secondary school pupils with a wider understanding of the Financial Sector and Professional Service Industries and the potential career opportunities in those fields, whilst hopefully inspiring them to select the relevant subjects and pathways at school that can lead to the sector. This event is available to pupils from S3-S6 year groups. We will be happy to support single booked tickets for senior phase pupils, who can travel independently.

Click here to register

Taking place from 2nd-6th September 2024 is the first ever Renfrewshire Employability Week, facilitated by the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership, it brings together Renfrewshire Council with a range of partners and local businesses to support people to access new careers, identify job vacancies and obtain new skills to help them progress into work or climb the ladder.

There will be more than 20 free events taking place across the week, including:

• Open days with Malcolm and McTaggart Construction to gain an insight into careers in the logistics and construction industries
• Site visits with GRAHAM and Morrisons Construction to the new Renfrew Bridge and Paisley Grammar School and Community Campus respectively
• Open event with a range of public sector partners to promote career and job opportunities
• Various events across the area supporting people to enter the care sector
• Retail jobs fair ahead of the festive season
• Support and guidance to enter self-employment
• Opportunities to volunteer for skills development and career progression

Outside of events open to the public, schools have been invited to a range of activities, including sessions at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) to promote careers in advanced manufacturing and life and chemical science.

The Renfrewshire Employability Conference will bring hundreds of professionals together to review the local economy in Renfrewshire and identify how partners, businesses and the public sector can make a positive difference in the short, medium and long-term.

This is just a small insight to all that is going on across the week and we would appreciate your support in promoting it across Renfrewshire and via your channels.

A suggested post for social media is in the link below, along with social media graphics.

Below you will also find a timetable for the week

All the programme information is available at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/employability-week.

Join colleagues from Virgin Money to celebrate Scottish Maths Week with this one day series of maths and finance based workshops and career panels for primary and secondary aged students.

The theme for Scottish Maths Week this year is "Maths Tales".
STEMTastic is a FREE online annual event that aims to inform school-age pupils interested in STEM subjects of future career opportunities in banking, finance and IT within Virgin Money. They are holding two workshops and a careers panel focused on maths and finance careers.

STEMTastic 2024 will be held on Wednesday 25th September 2024 from 9am to 2.30pm.

The event is aimed at Young people aged between 9-18 years old. Schools and home school students are welcome to join us for all or part of the day.

The format of the event will comprise 2 live online workshops and 1 live online careers panel event.

All sessions will be hosted live on Microsoft Teams, and can be streamed either directly to the pupils' computers or to the front of your classroom.

A moderated Questions and Answers panel will be available to pose your questions live to presenters to be answered in the session.

 Event Timetable

Teams events will be open 15 minutes before the start time to allow participants time to join before the interactive presentations begin.

• 9.15am - 10.15am - Primary school workshop for P5- P7 9-11 year olds exploring the maths behind interest rates
• 11am - 12pm - Secondary school workshop for S1 – S3 11-14 year olds exploring interest rates, savings and loans products
• 1.30pm - 2.30pm - Banking Career Panel for S4 – S6 14-18 year olds. Meet a panel of colleagues from Virgin Money with interesting "Maths Tales" of how they have incorporated maths into their career journeys"
•  

Tickets

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Please book tickets for the sessions you wish to attend. If you are booking for a school group, you only need to book 1 ticket per session and tell us the number of pupils who will be attending.

The Young Enterprise Scotland Company Programme is an immersive enterprise experience which runs over an academic year for S5 and S6 students. Young people learn by doing as they set up a real business, assign leadership roles, brainstorm product and service ideas and launch onto the market. Students have access to an optional SCQF Level 6 Qualification in partnership with Glasgow Kelvin College and a reflective exam provided by Strathclyde Business School.

The Team Programme runs in the same format has been designed and delivered for students over the age of 15 who have mild to moderate additional support needs. We focus on ensuring students develop transferable enterprise skills that they can build on through their next phase after high school. Students are encouraged to complete the optional SCQF Level 3 qualification as part of the programme.

These programmes can be run as an extracurricular group afterschool or at lunchtimes, as an option on the school timetable or could run as short-term as 12-weeks, so could make up a project for a semester. The programmes link with the real world of work by matching each Company and Team with a local Business Mentor.

Please find more information by clicking the links below, or view the Educator guides for more information: Company and Team. 

Click here to register for 24/25

What you will need to register:

a.      Access to the School’s purchase card/card details and permission to use this (£100 per Team)

b.      Know the total number of Companies or Teams you are planning to purchase

c.      If you want to pay by Invoice/BACs instead then you can indicate this on the website or          email finance@yes.org.uk directly

Any questions or further information, please email Eloise.mcneaney@yes.org.uk

CityZen Online Competition

 Institution of Civil Engineers are opening their online competition for S5/S6 pupils, CityZen, which went live on 21^st August. It’s a great opportunity for any pupils who may be thinking about applying for an engineering or built environment course or apprenticeship. The pupils work in teams of up to four, on a series of challenges to build the civil engineering infrastructure in a virtual city and are supported throughout by an ICE STEM Ambassador.

They have also added a new shorter competition for S3/S4 pupils, the ICE CityZen Pollution Control Challenge. It’s a 1 to 2 hour long activity which can fit easily into class or extra-curricular time, featuring a unique civil engineering game based on CityZen.

Careers Presentation
Another option is for one of ICE's engineers to deliver a presentation to senior phase pupils to help them with their career decisions. They’ll explain to them what civil engineering is and where it fits into the world. They’ll hear about the different routes into the profession - foundation/modern/graduate apprenticeships, full and part-time study, scholarships and generally get the real story of life as an engineer today. These sessions are expected to be held in September or October, but the dates can be flexible. - it may be that your schools want to do this as part of Maths Week Scotland (23^rd to 29^th September) or Scottish Careers Week (11^th to 15^th November) or during a PSE class or assembly.

If this is something that the pupils in your schools would benefit from please email info@dywwest.co.uk

We have a fantastic opportunity for DYW SCs and careers advisers to explore early career roles in the financial/tech sector at JP Morgan’s new state-of-the-art campus in Glasgow, located just across from Central Station on Argyle Street.

Agenda:

• 09:00 Arrive, register, and enjoy tea & coffee
• 09:30 Welcome from Lynne Lockier, overview of the day
• 09:35 About JP Morgan – learn what they do, what happens in the building, and early career opportunities
• 10:00 Hear from current apprentices – their journey, what they’re doing, advice for young people considering applying, and Q&A
• 10:30 Activity
• 11:00 Tour
• 11:30/45 End

Click here to register

Dear Educator, Engineer a Career is a social enterprise dedicated to inspiring, empowering, and encouraging the next generation of engineers. I am excited to introduce "The Engineer a Career Podcast," available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, and Amazon Music.

This series features eight diverse engineers who have followed unique career paths. Through their stories, Engineer a Career aims to shine a light on the multifaceted world of engineering and the incredible opportunities it offers. The podcast series is an invaluable resource for school pupils and students, providing inspiration and practical advice from engineers. It also serves as an informative tool for parents, guardians, and educators, demonstrating that there is no wrong path or single correct route to a successful career in engineering. My name is Josh, and I am the founder of Engineer a Career. As the podcast host, I delve into the personal and professional journeys of my guest engineers, uncovering what initially sparked their interest in engineering, their school experiences, favourite subjects, and the different routes they considered.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into overcoming setbacks, effective strategies for career success, and advice for those considering a career in engineering, especially those uncertain about which path to take. The podcast also highlights exciting developments in the engineering industry and the professional goals and aspirations of the featured engineers. Most importantly, it reveals what keeps these professionals passionate about engineering.

Kind Regards

Josh Robertson, Founder

Click here to visit the Engineer A Career Website

As a member of the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership (LEP), DYW West has been asked to support Employability Week starting 2nd September 2024.

If you are interested in hosting a school group for a site tour, visit, or giving a talk at a school during that week, please let us know.

Focus areas include early careers, skills and qualifications, routes and pathways, and typical workdays (involving apprentices if possible).

If you can participate then please complete and return the below form to kay.mcintosh@renfrewshire.gov.uk & CC bob.davidson@dywwest.co.uk 

Thank you!