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careers advice 16+ 2019 edition

wayward bob said:
yes, this is her (current) preference. me and her dad both did small-town only-sixth-form a level options when there were still grants. brave new world :/
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I was sick of school by the time i was 16 and did fuck all work in my 6th form, leaving with a couple of mediocre A-levels (and a U in maths). After bumming around for a bit I went to the local college and got 2 As at A level. We were treated like students more than schoolkids, only coming in when there were lessons, being less formal with tutors. Plus there's a whole world of vocational courses that aren't just sitting in a classroom all day and give you practical skills. I think thats what a lot of people at that age need.
 
Lots of excellent advice above on this thread. I know from my experience of apprenticeships how they have changed, almost disappearing at one point. There are numerous pathways into engineering but I think nowadays especially it is vital the candidate chooses a company that will provide further and ongoing training after competition of the apprenticeship.
Some companies offer places to young people through training schemes and tend to train for specific tasks and no more. You then have craftspeople who have the certification but not a wide range of adaptable skills.
Remember the broader the base, the higher the pyramid!
The larger companies mentioned above like Rolls-Royce, BA etc are excellent but places are limited.
Siemens I know offer fantastic training at advanced and professional levels.
But multi-skilled engineers are now a premium. They can command excellent salary and benefit packages.
We ourselves have been searching for suitably qualified craftspeople for eighteen months, there are just not enough. The training structures are in need of desperately expanding and improving. We need to do this, especially if we are to lose some of the excellent engineering staff currently working here from Eastern Europe.
 
Can she go visit some FE colleges, chat to some if their students?

There aren’t many AS courses about, not since they did away with the top up A2 part in almost all subjects. Half an A Level isn’t that popular.

However, tech awards (such as btec) come in all shapes and sizes. If she can bear college until 18, then all kinds of high quality apprenticeships become available. Imu there isn’t much available to under 18s that isn’t the trad hairdressing/trades etc route. If she has an active passion for one of those careers, though, she should go for it.
 
Keep an eye out for open evenings at local FE colleges, as many employers will advertise there as they are always looking for apprentices.

It sounds like an apprenticeship may be the way to go for her, there are lots of different options now and many encourage degrees at a later stage.
 
Did we previously have a discussion about software engineering or was that someone else? I saw early on that coding was probably a no now but I thought I'd ask how that came about.
 
mauvais said:
Did we previously have a discussion about software engineering or was that someone else? I saw early on that coding was probably a no now but I thought I'd ask how that came about.
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i don't think so. i'd have had her as a shoe-in for coding etc. but she's really quite resistant, no idea why. haven't sat her down and had a proper discussion recently - hopefully find a good time over the xmas break.
 
mauvais said:
Did we previously have a discussion about software engineering or was that someone else? I saw early on that coding was probably a no now but I thought I'd ask how that came about.
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There have been similar discussions within the forum before - at least one that I remember this year - perhaps it was that?
 
wayward bob said:
i was under the impression it was the law to be in education until 18 :oops::D

eta: she's a long way from employment-ready atm. i can empthise tbf, never stuck a full time job :o
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No it’s in learning, apprenticeships count as they spend a period of time in college as well and they are ‘learning’ on the job. Employers like apprenticeships as they can pay way less than minimum wage.

What schemes are the school linked to? Is there a careers advisor she could speak to?
 
Hand in heart, since she doesn’t seem very worldly, my advice would be to do sixth form at a college, or better at another school. Then there are lots of cool enrichment programmes she can apply for. In many ways, the academic stuff is secondary to the status as a y12 student that gives her the passport to access these schemes.

Totally different discipline, but I had a very disaffected girl in y12 a couple of years ago who went on a stage management holiday programme run by the national theatre, which led to her be offered other cool stuff, and tbh, she could have taken her pick of to uni courses or apprentiships after a year of that. I mean, the national theatre were employing her in backstage roles because she’d built a rep with them.

There will be this stuff in her field of interest and area. Worth looking at Reading Scholars, Social Mobility Fund, Uniq, soas scholars, K+, Deloitte, Barclays Creative Futures, ... inevitably my knowledge is related to my area but almost all the top unis and big companies have money to spunk on bright sixth formers.
 
spanglechick said:
Totally different discipline, but I had a very disaffected girl in y12 a couple of years ago who went on a stage management holiday programme run by the national theatre, which led to her be offered other cool stuff, and tbh, she could have taken her pick of to uni courses or apprentiships after a year of that. I mean, the national theatre were employing her in backstage roles because she’d built a rep with them.
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yesterday's work exp was backstage theatre :) and now that's what she wants to do :D i think it's very hard for her to have a proper long-term perspective on what she does want, just short term what she doesn't ( :hmm: where could she have got that from?). so i guess keeping options open while keeping her engaged is the way forward.

thanks all, much to think on :)
 
wayward bob said:
yesterday's work exp was backstage theatre :) and now that's what she wants to do :D i think it's very hard for her to have a proper long-term perspective on what she does want, just short term what she doesn't ( :hmm: where could she have got that from?). so i guess keeping options open while keeping her engaged is the way forward.

thanks all, much to think on :)
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Does anyone have much of an idea what they want to do at that age? I certainly didn't. If you're academic (as I was) then it's easy - just stay on the conveyor belt GCSE's* --> 'A' levels --> degree --> then panic. Harder if you're not.

(* or 'O' levels in my case :oops:)
 
I flip flopped wildly. I did what Winot said- academic box ticking, slightly panicked st the end of my degree and did some more.... even now when I have an existential crisis I’m all
‘Maybe I should do a doctorate’ as a sort of deferral mechanism! I went onto a grad fast track scheme, having had my choice of them- loss of offers-..... and then I crashed out. It was much harder to make sense of in my 20s than it would have been in my teens, I reckon. Knocked my confidence for years. But I’m fine. The odd bonkers misdirect and crazy sidetrack is not a big deal in the 40-50 years your working life will span. The key I think is the resilience to deal with them, dust yourself off and keep going
 
Manter said:
...The odd bonkers misdirect and crazy sidetrack is not a big deal in the 40-50 years your working life will span...
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this is where ?ASD? rears its head for me (we're getting an adjudication next year, apparently :thumbs:).

i took my decisions at the same age on the basis that a "working life" a) was a thing and b) had a span that was in the 10s of years at least. in actuality 5 years is the longest i've held a job and i feel fairly certain that i was "managed out" of that position at the end of it. i think i may be genuinely unemployable. i'm really hoping to help set <child-i'm-acquainted-with> on a more secure route...
 
wayward bob said:
this is where ?ASD? rears its head for me (we're getting an adjudication next year, apparently :thumbs:).

i took my decisions at the same age on the basis that a "working life" a) was a thing and b) had a span that was in the 10s of years at least. in actuality 5 years is the longest i've held a job and i feel fairly certain that i was "managed out" of that position at the end of it. i think i may be genuinely unemployable. i'm really hoping to help set <child-i'm-acquainted-with> on a more secure route...
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I’ve never done one job for more than 2 years. My employer was, technically, the same one for 10, but I did project after project after project for different clients some lasting months, some a few years. And i’ve Always had loads going on on the side to keep me too busy to get bored and disruptive. I am neurotypical- I’m also impatient, easily bored, hate routine and am impulsive. None of that is a bad thing if you know it and use it to shape a path that works for you- but steady, routine jobs where reliability is key are a disaster for me. Both personally, And for my employers, frankly.

What I am getting at is whatever characteristics she has there is a happy and fulfilling path for her- she doesn’t need fixing (I know you didn’t suggest that but it sometimes comes with statements, diagnoses etc) and things about her that are like you aren’t weaknesses or drawbacks. They are just.... her.
 
just need to get her over this next hump of actually applying - some 6th forms full last week. oops :oops::D

eta: but she does have a preferred option and a reserve still open, and has buffer of high predicted grades, she looks fantastic on paper :cool::D
 
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