Parents Careers Newsletter North Berwick High School February 2015 As the S3 students move towards making choices for their future time at school, it is important that they start to think about what they are going to do even further into the future. As the school’s Careers Adviser, I can give information and advice about the options open to pupils. Research shows that parents and guardians are the most important influence on young people’s career aspirations and choices. This newsletter is to inform you of the services Skills Development Scotland offers pupils at North Berwick High School and their parents. Mick Burns, Careers Adviser Help from Skills Development Scotland If S3 students would like help in deciding what to do when they leave school, they should register on Skills Development Scotland’s website MyWorldofWork at www.myworldofwork.co.uk. As a starting point, they can use the My Strengths tool on the website to help identify areas of study or employment which might suit them. The website also gives lots of useful information on applications, CVs, interviews, college and university. They can have a web chat with an adviser and also call Skills Development Scotland’s Contact Centre for advice on 0800 917 8000 All pupils can come along to Lunchtime Drop In sessions held most Wednesdays and Thursdays 1.30pm in school careers library. If pupils still need help from S4 –S6, they can speak to their guidance teacher about organising a 1:1 interview if required. I can also be contacted by telephone at the SDS Careers Centre in Musselburgh on 0131 665 3120 or by email at: [email protected] Careers Resources Pupils should do research into jobs and courses. The careers section in the school library contains up-to-date information. This includes a range of publications to help them make decisions about university and college, as well as advice on job seeking, application forms, interviews, CVs etc. You can also make use of on-line information using these websites: Don’t  PlanIt - www.planitplus.net  Careers A-Z www.myworldofwork.co.uk  Edinburgh College www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk  UCAS - www.ucas.com  My blog at edubuzz.org/careers Choosing school subjects is not about choosing a career. However, there can be a link between school subjects and your career plan. If you have some ideas about what you would like to do when you leave school, you should check out what subjects may be needed. Here are some hints which may help with making subject choice decisions:  Do leave your career ideas open – you may have some ideas already but these may change.  Do take subjects that you enjoy.  Do take subjects you are good at.  Do remember to take at least 2 sciences if you are interested in a scientific or medical career.  Don’t choose subjects you dislike.  Don’t think some subjects are for girls and some are for boys.  Don’t be influenced by your friends’ choices or because it is with your favourite teacher – you may not have that teacher another year.  Don’t choose subjects that you find difficult – they will likely become harder in S3 and S4. There are lots of possibilities for future options – university, college, modern apprenticeships, employment, training programmes, volunteering, taking a Gap Year……. If you need more help, please just get in touch. My World of Work www.myworldofwork.co.uk Skills Development Scotland’s careers website My World of Work can help you identify your Self and Strengths and learn how to develop your Horizons and Networks. To make full use of the website you should first register as user. Below are some of the options you can select from the Main Menu page to help develop your Career Management Skills. My DNA is an image based quiz, which can help you find out more about your Self and your potential, who you are and what makes you tick. My Strengths can identify your strengths and see how these relate to the subjects you might choose to study in school or at college or university, to jobs you might do in the future and to leisure activities you might enjoy. The Careers A – Z and Course Choices sections can help you explore your career Horizons. You can look at information on jobs in different career areas and find out entry requirements for jobs and courses. The more you are aware of the range of jobs and their training routes, the better prepared you’ll be to make your choice of career. These sections can also help you when you’re making a choice of subjects. Once you know what you’d like to do, how can you get that job or course? What resources and Networks can help you? You can use My CV to write a job winning CV, which tells a potential employer all about you and why you’re a good candidate for the job. My Interview can give you tips on face to face and telephone interviews, on assessments and even on what to wear and not to wear to an interview. There is also lots of information on application forms for jobs, college and university. Find the job you’re interested in by looking in the Job Search section which lists job vacancies. Careers Resources As well as using My World of Work, you can also look at the following websites to do your own research into jobs and courses. Use these resources to check out the subjects you’ll need for jobs and courses which interest you.  Edinburgh College – www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk for information on college courses  Scottish Rural University College– www.sruc.ac.uk for information on courses in land based industries  Planitplus - www.planitplus.net for careers and course information  UCAS - www.ucas.com for information on university courses Help from Scotland Skills Development Your Skills Development Scotland Careers Adviser Mick Burns, is in school all day Wednesdays and Thursdays to meet with pupils on a one to one basis. If you would like to speak to me during third year, for example about subject choice, ask your guidance teacher to arrange an interview. You can also contact me by email at [email protected]