FUTURE TALENTED Spring Term 2019 - Issue 2 | Page 36

Gatsby Benchmarks 1 explaining to customers how to use ›› them. No matter what you do, there is an element of customer service in any job, so you have to have soft skills. I think these are the skills that young people lack. Often, when we take 16 year-olds on as apprentices, they find it difficult to sit an interview as they simply don’t have the confidence. Do we need to help students understand careers better? TB: Young adults in Years 10 and 11 need to understand the jobs that different subjects can lead to. If you ask a 15 year- old “what job do you want to do?”, only a small percentage will know. We need kids to know at a younger age how the subjects they study relate to jobs. That can only be done through schools, employers and government partnering together. SR: Schools are under a lot of pressure to deliver, so we’re happy to help. Our Energise Anything programme for schools is online, accessible to all and free. We’ve designed all the content with education specialists and got feedback from teachers on our interactive classroom activities, which 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 are designed to get students thinking about skills and careers. We’ve also created activities pupils can do at home. We were aware that we were doing these great classroom-based activities, but nothing was happening after 3pm. These have proven really popular. How do your apprenticeship schemes work? TB: First, it’s important to note that our apprenticeship schemes are open to all ages and also to our existing employees. We offer several apprenticeships in both engineering and customer service, but the challenge is still around changing perceptions. I know some schools think that if a child is clever they have to go to university, but so many organisations offer apprenticeships with a degree at the end of it, which gives you the qualification without the debt. I understand that schools are measured in terms of qualifications at the moment, so I think government needs to help out here. For me, a successful outcome is about where a child ends up after education. If you have 10 GCSEs but no job, is that ZOE FINCH – DUAL FUEL SMART METER ENGINEER Zoe, 27, from Basildon, Essex, was the first female engineering apprentice to achieve the Level 2 Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installer Apprenticeship Standard in England. I used to own and run a catering van selling sandwiches and other food, but realised I wanted to try my hand at something n e w. I a p p l i e d f o r t h e apprenticeship scheme as I thought it was the best way to start a career in something I 36 // ROUTES INTO WORK knew I’d enjoy. I’d always been interested in working with electrics, so when this opportunity came up I couldn’t have been happier. All I’ve learned and experienced will prove valuable in the future. I’m always looking to enhance the skills I already have and to learn and experience new things, so my future at E.ON could hold many possibilities for me. I’d like to be a tech specialist once I’ve gained enough experience and become the best at what I do. ››