REBP Work Related Bulletin Number 10
| Work experience | Other Work Related Learning Activities | REBP Celebration 2008 | Message to Employers |
Welcome to the latest news update.
I am sure you are all now aware that the unit has moved offices and we are now firmly ensconced on the sixth floor of Regal House. Those of you who have visited us in our new home will know that we have a bit more space to play with though we do share the new office with our colleagues from Way to Work, which in itself is a bonus. Another plus point of the move is the marvellous view we now have. From the RFU Stadium to the Kew Pagoda and beyond. On a clear day we can see such landmarks as Harrow on the Hill, the Gillette clock and the Wembley Arch, not to mention the ever present batch of cranes that seem to have become a permanent feature of the London skyline.
However, to work. . . .
Work Experience
Grey Court School (Autumn term), Waldegrave School for Girls and Shene School (Spring term) have successfully completed their programmes. Congratulations to the participating students who were marvellous ambassadors for their respective schools.
A Special Message to our Summer Term Work Experience Students and Coordinators
Summer term is always the busiest time of the year for work experience, both nationally and locally. In Richmond some 1000 students from schools right across the borough will be out there giving local businesses the benefit of their entrepreneurial and enterprise skills.
The process of selecting placements is now well underway and I would ask all students to make their choices with great care. Check the job descriptions; particularly travel requirements and the dress code for the placement. Think about the physical and mental demands of the job and of course make sure you are happy in your own mind that you can complete a full programme of work experience at your chosen company or organisation.
A change of placement is difficult and expensive at the best of times, to do so during this exacting time requires a minor miracle. The REBP employer database becomes virtually exhausted at a very early stage in the proceedings and you may find yourself at the back of the queue for another placement.
Finding your own job is an excellent alternative to the database. Not only should this give you exactly what you are looking for but you will also have the satisfaction of achieving something for yourself. Remember though, it must be for the full programme and there are deadlines that must be met. Your school work experience coordinator will have all the details.
I would like to wish all students the very best of luck with their 2008 programme.
Other Work Related Learning Activities
Many of the projects completed by schools have separate reports elsewhere on the website. However, well worth a mention are:
The Enterprise Game. Made its debut in the borough at Orleans Park School and Christ’s School. Orleans Park piloted the game and similarly Christ’s tried it out with their ASDAN group and then used the group to act as bankers for the game at their very successful careers day when it was delivered by the REBP. Both schools reported favourably on the game which is aimed at introducing pupils to the idea of business enterprise in an enjoyable and realistic way.
It captures the excitement of starting up, then developing an enterprise and, in so doing, demonstrates the problems, disappointments, opportunities and occasional good fortune that entrepreneurs meet in real life.
The Enterprise Game is a board game that requires between 2-8 players to make decisions on taking risks, investment, production, selling and delivery. They then have to cope with the results of their decisions in a competitive environment.
For further details contact REBP.
The BAA (Heathrow) Apprentices Engineering Challenge 2008. This very popular annual event took place on 14 February at Clarendon Hall, York House, Twickenham.
Our thanks go to Paul Spence (BAA Apprentice Manager) and his team of engineering apprentices from Heathrow for once again setting and judging the challenge. A big thank you also to Hila-Rena Smith and Clare Huntingford of the REBP who did such a marvellous job of coordinating all the arrangements.
Whitton School: Work Experience Interactive. A programme of challenges and competitions designed to prepare pupils for their work experience. Presented by the Expanding Horizons Company and assisted by local business volunteers, including two from REBP, this 2 day programme was both fun and instructive. It encompassed many of the skills that employers will expect the pupils to have some knowledge of, such as interview techniques, teamwork, enterprise and decision making.
Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge - The world’s biggest youth speaking event
All eight secondary schools have now completed the preliminary rounds of this exciting competition organised and run by “SpeakersBank”. Each school will put 2 pupils forward to the borough final being held on Wednesday 23 April 2008 at Christ’s School. The winner from this will represent the borough at the London final later in the year
Congratulations to Hila-Rena Smith of REBP who successfully negotiated with Speakersbank to get this all-Richmond borough final. At this stage in last year’s competition Richmond schools had to compete with schools from another borough, the result of this was no representation from Richmond at the London final. .
Jack Petchey? The Jack Petchey Foundation has paid for each of our secondary schools to have two public speaking workshops, each workshop taking up to 25 Year 10 pupils. Following the workshops each school held the preliminary competition to find their two best speakers to represent the school at the borough final. The training workshops are delivered by “SpeakersBank” and link directly into National Curriculum schemes of work and GCSE requirements. All training took place at the schools and was for a one full day per workshop. There is absolutely no cost to the participating schools. Jack Petchey pays the usual workshop fee of £1000 and covers the related project management costs.
We wish all our speakers the very best for the forth coming round and the final of the competition.
REBP Celebration 2008
This year’s celebration will be held on 1 July at The Salon, York House, Twickenham.
It is hoped that all Headteachers and work related learning coordinators will join us to thank employers, community organisations and everyone else who have supported the schools and college either by offering work experience placements or by giving up their time in one way or another to teach young people about world of work.
We are also hoping to be joined by pupils from all schools who are being invited to either display some of their work or tell us about their experiences of the work place.
I am sure that it will be an interesting and exciting event.
In conclusion… A message to employers
May I use this bulletin to reach out to anyone who is not currently working with us to consider doing so. If you are an employer, the offer of a work experience placement would be wonderful. Short visits by pupils to employer’s premises are currently at a premium, could you help in this area. Perhaps you would consider speaking to pupils at school about your business and how it all started, a daunting task for some but we will be there to offer support. Could you take a teacher for a day at your workplace. The purpose of this is to refresh and update the teacher’s current knowledge, stimulate their classroom material, provide opportunities for sustainable links with business and support the development of leadership and management skills.
In school the new Diplomas are the talk of the staff room. Perhaps you have not even heard of them, or you have but are not sure what they are all about. A member of the REBP team is available to visit your business premises and explain them to you and your team and show where you may be able to help with their delivery in schools. Diplomas are employer related, your input is viyal. In Richmond it all kicks off in September 2009 with the rollout of diplomas in IT, Creative and Media and Hospitality and Catering.
We hope there is something in this latest update for you.
Thank you for your support.
Michael Daraz
Operations Manager
