In partnership with DYW Glasgow, we will be running the #nowrongpath campaign this Scottish Exam Results Day (8 August) to celebrate the range and diversity of career paths that are followed after leaving school.
 
On 8 August, we’re encouraging people from a variety of sectors and professions to share a snippet of their story – what they did when they left school and where they are now. We want to convey a message to young people that there are a variety of ways to get into a variety of job roles – that there is #nowrongpath.

To get involved:

1. Write up a poster noting your name, what you done when you left school and what you are doing now
2. Take a photo of yourself or your colleagues with your/their poster
3. Post the photo on to social media on the 8th August and tag #nowrongpath, DYW West and DYW Glasgow

DYW West are seeking employers across a range of sectors to host an event for teaching staff & lecturers. These “Industry Twilight” sessions will give teachers and lecturers the opportunity to learn more about:

• Your specific industry
• Jobs / careers and routes in (school leaver, apprentice, graduate etc.)
• Qualifications required
• Skills and qualities you look for

…and ideally include a tour and meet a range of staff from young new starts to those with many years’ experience.

The information from these sessions will help teachers and lecturers bring their curriculums to life and help career related conversations with pupils and students.

If you don’t have the facilities to host / provide a tour – but would still like to get involved, we can look at using the college to host a session – so still please get in touch.

DYW West covers Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Ren and West Dunbartonshire – so we are ideally looking for organisations with a presence in these areas (or nearby)

The window for these sessions will be start in September and run through to early June 2018 (1 session per company)

If you would like to host a twilight session – timings approx. 4.30-5.30pm, duration 1 hour, Mon-Thu please email info@dywwest.co.uk with the following information:

• Name of your organisation
• Industry sector
• Contact, name & job title
• Address where session would be hosted
• Number of teachers / lecturers you can comfortably host
• Tour included; yes / no
• Preferred date

What is Operation Restoration?

Operation Restoration is a competition for all secondary schools in Scotland – we’re challenging students to dream up ways to breathe new life into local abandoned schools.

What do you win?

All shortlisted schools will be invited to bring ten students for a construction experience day at Queensferry crossing.

Prizes

1^st Prize: £1000 Amazon vouchers

2^nd Prize: £700 Amazon Vouchers

3^rd Prize: £500 Amazon Vouchers

For further information please visit the Go Construct website

We have now been in place for just over a year and would like to welcome you to an event to review the work we have done over the last year, thank a number of organisations that we have worked with and share our plans for the coming months.

The event will be held at the Abercorn Conference Centre in the Paisley Campus of West College Scotland on the 15th June between 4pm - 5.30pm. If you would like to register to attend then please email info@dywwest.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you there!

Calling Young People to join a National Youth Panel!

Are you aged 16-25 and living in the UK?

Do you want to represent the voice of young people on the challenges of moving from school to work?

Are you interested in making a difference to young people’s education?

If yes, help to shape a School-to-Work (S2W) programme for schools across the UK!

Tell me more!

Research based on the views of 1,500 16-21 year-olds said that many young people do not feel they have the right skills, training and experiences to get the jobs they want.  To help change this, organisations want to introduce a School-to-Work (S2W) programme in schools across the UK to ensure young people are fully equipped with the information and skills they need to successfully move from school into work.

Young people need to be at the heart of shaping the S2W programme and so a National Youth Panel is being set-up supported by the BBC, Chartered Management Institute, Developing the Young Workforce North East Scotland, EY Foundation, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to ensure that the voice of young people is heard on S2W issues.  

What will I be doing?

As a member of the National Youth Panel your commitment will require approximately 8-10 hours/month and will involve:

• Monthly calls with the other National Youth Panel members and meetings in person at least once a year
• Working with representatives from the business, education and social sectors to provide a youth perspective on S2W syllabus proposals
• Providing reaction to news items related to S2W issues
• Representing the National Youth Panel at external events.

The deadline to apply is 2 June 2017.

For further information and details on how to apply to become a member, please find further information attached below.

DYW West are inviting local companies in the West Region (Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire) to take part in the Scottish Apprenticeship Challenge which recognises the skills and creativity of apprentices and allows them to showcase their contribution to the local community.

The challenge is open to companies with staff currently following an Apprenticeship Framework. The company/apprentice(s) should identify a project which benefits the local community and the awards are open to individual apprentices or teams of apprentices (up to 8 apprentices in a team), depending upon the project being undertaken. We recommend that a maximum of 40 hours is spent on this project (including planning). 

Registration must be received by the 30^th of June 2017 and the challenge should be completed and report submitted by the 29^th of September 2017.

All teams will be invited to a Presentation Ceremony in October 2017 where they will present on their project to a panel of judges and wider audience. All apprentices will receive a certificate to acknowledge their achievement. 

Further information on the challenge and registration documentation is included below.

Are you interested in earning whilst you learn? An apprenticeship provides the opportunity to gain work experience whilst achieving qualifications.

DYW West have compiled a list of available apprenticeships in a variety of industries from accountancy to childcare! Be quick as applications are closing soon!

St Luke's High School would like to invite employers to support their careers event for construction related career pathways. At the event there will be the opportunity to speak with over 200 young people and their families about careers in your industry.

School: St Luke's High School, Springfield Road, Glasgow G78 2SG

Event Title: Construction Event

Date & Time: 31st of January between 7pm - 8.30pm

For further information about the event or to register your interest, please email info@dywwest.co.uk

Our Lady & St Patrick's High School would like to invite employers from all sectors to attend their Transitions Evening on the 9th of February. Organised in the style of a careers exhibition, each contributor will have their own stand where young people and their families can access information and resources about career opportunities in their industry.

School: Our Lady & St Patrick's High School, Hawthornhill Road, Dumbarton G82 5JN

Event Title: Transitions Evening

Date: 9th of February

If you would like further information or to register your interest, please email info@dywwest.co.uk

All members of the DYW West team are involved with the Young Enterprise Company Programme which provides senior phase secondary school pupils with the opportunity to set up their own business with the support of a business advisor from the community.

Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire (which includes East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde) Area Teams recently held their Trade Fairs in which participating companies set up a stall and sell their product to compete for the Best Trade Fair Award. Within the Renfrewshire Area Team, this award was presented to YOUnique Frames from Inverclyde Academy (pictured above). Dunbartonshire Area award winner will be revealed at Final Evening Review on the 15th of March 2017.

Participating in the company programme provides great opportunities for development, even after you have finished competing. Natalie Roberts from Inverclyde Academy, who won the IoD Managing Director Award earlier this year at the Young Enterprise National Finals, was invited to present at the IoD Scotland Conference in November (pictured below).

Congratulations to all of the young people on the fantastic business ideas and thank you to the business advisors for supporting these amazing young entrepreneurs!