It’s Your Future ran on the 21st and 22nd of November 2018 at the Carnoustie Golf Hotel. The event was available for S4-S6 pupils in all eight Angus schools and aimed to teach them about future career pathways, particularly through the Apprenticeship family.
Over the two days there where more than 30 exhibitors from varying industries with around 400 pupils engaging. Many of the exhibitors had interactive stalls, with activities such as a water pump from GSK, court attire from the Scottish Tribunal Services and a sushi demonstration from Springboard.
On the morning of the second day a business breakfast was held for local employers to get more information on Foundation Apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships and Graduate Apprenticeships. They also learned how to go about recruiting and training apprentices and heard first-hand experiences from those who employ apprentices and the apprentices themselves.
Pupils were also given a challenge to encourage them to get the very most out of the opportunities to talk to employers. Each pupil was given a card and every time they engage meaningfully with an exhibitor they received a stamp. If pupils got 15 stamps in the hour of allocated time they were entered into a prize draw to win an Amazon voucher.
Exhibitor feedback was very positive. Aldi – “Thank you for having us at the event, I had a great time! The event was excellently organised with an optimal number of pupils on each visit allowing for meaningful engagement with the young people. Hopefully there will be a few young minds that have been opened to the opportunities that are on offer at Aldi.”
Police Scotland – “The event was really good and great to see so many young people genuinely interested in career opportunities in Police Scotland.”
Angus Training Group – “The Angus Training Group attended both days and we found them well organised and the facilities excellent, having all the stands in one room is a big plus. We had some interested pupils in our stand and hopefully it will give them something to think about and maybe consider a career in engineering.”
Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service – “We at the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service were delighted to attend the event to share information about what we do with the pupils. We were very impressed by their enthusiasm, their thoughtful questions and their overall engagement and we hope that some of them seriously consider a career with us in the future.”
RAF – “Thank you for having us at your event, we had a lot of interest and it was nice to meet such keen young men and women with an active interest in their future careers, the event was well presented and easy for the students to follow. “
GSK – “This makes it a lot easier for employers. We used to have to go around all the schools, now they come to us.”
Journeycall – “I really enjoyed the event this year (it has good) better pace, location and setup. Really liked the stamp setup for stall visits, pupils were for the most part engaged and interested in what the organisation could offer”
We would like to thank our partners, Skills Development Scotland, Dundee and Angus College, Energy Skills Partnership, Angus Council and the University of Dundee for their hard work and collaboration to make the event a success.
If you would like to be involved in next year’s It’s Your Future careers event, get in touch at contact@dywtaycities.co.uk