Ceteris continue to help fund the program and now have four mentors helping to guide local 5th and 6th year pupils raise their aspirations and shape their own path into employment.
55 S5 students from 10 schools across the Forth Valley (including Alloa Academy and Alva Academy) will now embark on the structured two-year Career Ready programme that is designed to give participating pupils vital employability and career management skills, experience of the world of work and networks that will help them in their future success whilst boosting their social mobility.
The delivery of the Career Ready programme in Forth Valley is funded by both Diageo plc and Ceteris which, along with support from the DYW Forth Valley team, has provided a platform for a further 22 organisations from a wide range of sectors to directly support the student participants. In partnership with Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling Councils and 10 of their secondary schools, the programme was launched last week on Wednesday 4th October at The Stirling Court Hotel in the grounds of the University of Stirling.
Anne Wexelstein, Career Ready Director for Scotland, commented: “Today’s event really reflects how far Career Ready has grown in Scotland since we started out 7 years ago in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We’re in the business of changing young people’s lives, and we are fortunate to have the support from a growing number of employers in the area. Without this employer support, what we do just wouldn’t be possible – building young peoples’ ambitions and boosting their social mobility to set them up for success, as best as possible, in their future careers.”
Designed to complement students’ studies, the Career Ready programme helps senior pupils make informed career choices, giving them access to real experience through one-to-one mentoring, masterclasses and a paid internship. It aims to link employers directly with local schools and young people in S5 and S6, bridging the talent and skills gap between education and the world of work.
Margaret Mary Rafferty, Ceteris’ Managing Director, added, “We’re working with Career Ready and Forth Valley Developing the Young Workforce, to help, wherever we can, to prepare young people for work and this programme gives them an insight into the workplace and opens up their ideas to the vast number of potential jobs that are available. Our mentors are also enjoying the whole process and I would hope that Ceteris can continue to participate in the years to come. Of course, it couldn’t happen without the support of the Local Authorities and their Education and Economic Development Departments, as well as the Head and key Teachers within the schools, the Forth Valley Developing the Young Workforce Group and Forth Valley College, plus in particular, Anne Wexelstein, Chief Executive of Career Ready who has worked so hard to make all this happen.”
Stephen Pritchard, Brand Change Director at Diageo, said: “The growth of the Career ready proramme across Scotland and now in Forth Valley is testament to the positive impact it’s having on our young people. Diageo has been continually building a relationship with Career Ready along with local businesses to help develop and release the potential of the young people that Career Ready focus on – it’s something we’re extremely passionate about. With Career Ready now well underway in Forth Valley, it’s the final piece of the jigsaw for us with our staff in Clackmannanshire able to volunteer as mentors and engage the students in the real world of work.”
This is the second year that Career Ready has been running in Forth Valley. Marissa Tobin, a student from St Modan’s High School, who is currently on the programme and who shared her experiences at the event, said: “The Career Ready programme has honestly been one of the most beneficial experiences of my life so far. Before my internship I had no real idea of what to expect from the world of work but my mentor, Marion Aitchison from Clackmannanshire Council, is helping me so much. I believe I have acquired the essential employability skills looked for by employers worldwide and can confidently say that I am career ready.”
Jen Henderson, DYW Programme Manager for Forth Valley, added: “Career Ready is giving young people across Forth Valley an incredible opportunity to develop the skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential and it fantastic to have so many mentors from such a wide range of employers in the area taking part and demonstrating their commitment to developing the young workforce which young people and employers alike benefit from.”
Celebrating the launch of the 2017-2019 programme, students enjoyed the opportunity to meet their newly appointed Career Ready mentor and network with other business people in the room.
ABOUT CAREER READY
Career Ready is a national charity that links schools with employers to help prepare young people, who lack the advantages of social mobility, for the world of work.
Aimed at 15/16-18 years-olds, the programme is built on four pillars which give students regular contact with working people and places: face-to-face mentoring by someone in work for two years; masterclasses to help develop key skills and attitudes needed in their future career; workplace visits that provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of local and national employers; and a paid internship between S5 and S6 to allow students to put their learning into practice in a real work environment. 97% of Career Ready students are in a positive destination on leaving school including
The programme helps employers and schools to deliver ‘Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce’ recommendations and Career Ready is cited as an example of best practice in the CBI Scotland report, Delivering Excellence – A New Approach for Schools in Scotland.
For more information visit: www.careerready.org.uk and for a short film click here.
Photo by Mike Wilkinson Photography