Experience- students from Prior Pursglove College getting firsthand knowledge of what to expect in a biomedical lab.
ARE YOU
‘ FUTURE-READY’?
TIPS TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP AFTER COLLEGE
So, you’ re thinking of going to university or securing an apprenticeship – but how do you improve your chances?
Getting young people“ future-ready” is what Atomix Educational Trust does.
Guisborough’ s Prior Pursglove College and Stockton Sixth Form College are both run by Atomix – so it’ s helping hundreds of young people like you take their next steps and prepare for life after college.
Atomix has three“ core” values – mental health and wellbeing, an international outlook and employability.
That third one, employability, means helping each student give themselves the best chance of getting a job, whether straight away or after uni.
But if you’ re thinking of uni, how do you improve your chances of being accepted? And if an apprenticeship is more your thing – and remember, you get paid on one of those – how do you catch a potential employer’ s eye?
Here, Atomix employability, careers and enrichment manager, Lauren Greenwood, gives a few tips …
UNIVERSITY
• Do your research – make sure you know which courses you want to apply for and look at the entry requirements, including the subjects needed.
• Think of what to put in your application – for example, have you done some extra reading relevant to the course you’ re applying for? Has someone or something sparked your interest and you’ ve looked more into the subject? Listen to podcasts, watch TED Talks and documentaries on Netflix and YouTube.
• Use the UCAS website – it contains lots of useful information, subject by subject.
APPRENTICESHIPS
• Research the company you want an apprenticeship with – they’ ll always ask why you want to work for them and why that particular apprenticeship.
• Use LinkedIn – as long as you’ re aged 16 or over, you can put all your relevant skills on there, talk to and“ network” with employers to find out about their companies and their job roles.
• Put together a portfolio – if you’ re thinking about a creative course or apprenticeship, have examples of your work. That could be online for digital courses or a physical portfolio for things like interior design.
GENERAL HINTS
Whether you’ re off to uni or seeking an apprenticeship, work experience is great to have. You could maybe volunteer with a charity, get a part-time job or support open events at college.
And think about your strengths and skills, and have examples ready, because you’ re sure to be asked at interviews!
37 37