Students from Abingdon and Witney College took the Plunge last week by taking part in an innovative two day event, created by Working Knowledge.
Working Knowledge decided that the ideal way to deliver Work Skills Qualifications is to engage employers in the process. And there is no better way to engage employers than using a large event programme like THE PLUNGE to kick-start a relationship with a new employer.
17 local employers spent a day supporting 124 L3 Students for the second of their two day event. The students were 1st and 2nd years at Abingdon and Witney College studying Engineering, Business, IT and Health and Social Care amongst other subjects.
The employers represented both big (Fujitsu) and small local businesses keen to engage the 16-19 age group.
“This is my fourth Plunge, a splendid event stimulating for both the business experts and the students. Just wish at the age of 16 I had had that opportunity.” Tim Cowling, Cowling HR
“It’s fantastic. I really enjoyed it, great to meet the young people and to feel as though we are contributing to their future. The event was very slick, very organised, they had everything you needed worked out. It’s been an unexpectedly inspiring day for me personally, as well as the students.” Ruth Wells, Ruth Wells Consultancy
“An inspiring and enjoyable experience.” David Gaine, William Martin Productions
“A truly brilliant day, assisting and watching the growth of students has been really enjoyable. A very professional day all round, congratulations.” Phil Gibbs, Virtuoso Ltd
Working Knowledge organised and facilitated the event, which included recruiting the employers on behalf of the college.
Students gathered evidence during the 2-day event to achieve an NCFE Qualification for Demonstrating Enterprise.
Here’s what some of the students from Abingdon and Witney College thought about the experts that helped and encouraged them throughout the day;
“The experts were excellent, they were kind and full of advice.” – Rebecca
“It was good meeting the experts and being able to interview them.” – Chloe
For details about Working Knowledge, and how we can work with you on similar events, please call Dr James Lott 07980 589427. Our new website is to follow very soon!
WORKING KNOWLEDGE – BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND THE WORKPLACE
The Guardian reported this month that an ‘aspect of the worrying trend in youth unemployment is that there are thousands of young people who don’t have the skills, confidence or qualifications to find their first job. They may have struggled at school or grown up thinking no one cared, and they are being driven further from the job market, as they struggle to compete with a backlog of graduates.’
So it’s clear that we need to tackle this entrenched youth unemployment now and that educators and employers must work together to give these disadvantaged young people the long-term support they need to escape unemployment for good. 1 million youth unemployed makes for a frightening headline.
One way colleges are responding is to offer the Work and Employability Skills qualifications this coming academic year to give their students an edge in the job market.
At Working Knowledge we partner with FE colleges nationally to deliver work, employability, enterprise and life skills on your behalf. We do all the planning delivery and portfolio collection for you.
We deliver the qualifications by running events that are exciting, challenging and fun. The events involve local and regional employers that we recruit on your behalf and who, in many cases, go on to offer students work placements, guest lectures and apprenticeships.
Students not only feel more confident about their career goals after our events, thanks to a large extent to the engagement with local business people, but also feel more motivated to complete their core programme.
Our partner colleges fund our programmes that last from 1-3 days either through the qualifications that we deliver on your behalf (including all portfolio collection) or through project funds such as Aimhigher.
Take a look below at what local employers and students thought about recent Working Knowledge events held in Bristol;
At a recent TED event (Canada) Cameron Herold makes the case for parenting and education that helps would-be entrepreneurs flourish — as kids and as adults.
An entrepreneur since childhood, Cameron Herold wants parents and teachers to recognize — and foster — entrepreneurial talent in children. Bored in school, failing classes, at odds with peers: “This child might be an entrepreneur”.
If you have not quite reached your student number then delivering a short course this summer could protect your SLN. The problem that you might face however might be organising such a course for the numbers you need this late in the academic year.
We are running one day events for a number of our partner colleges this July to deliver for them WWO L1 in a single day. Each event accommodates up to 120 students and for one college we are running the event twice in order to guarantee the numbers they need.
We still have capacity to deliver three more events in July. For more on this story go here
At this time of year our enterprise events step up a gear as AS level students make their University decisions and Vocational students enter the workplace.
Experts again play an essential role supporting young people from local colleges to take control of their lives with confidence, aspiration and knowledge.
We are looking for experts on:
• 31st June in Oxford for The Plunge with Abingdon and Whitney College
• 1st July in Bristol for The Plunge with Bristol City College
If you would like to take part please register here
Events will also be running in June and July in:
• Bradford
• Guisborough
• Barnsley
• Burton on Trent
The date are yet to be confirmed but please do contact us to register your interest by email
To find out what happens at a Working Knowledge event click here.
Please do share these opportunities with your networks.
Following another successful delivery to Redcar and Cleveland College students we’re pleased to be able to show you some of the highlights from the event.
City of Bristol College students have wowed judges from the local business community, in a competition similar to the BBC’s Dragon’s Den programme.
Around 500 students on BTEC Business and BTEC Leisure and Tourism and Art and Design programs took part in ‘The Plunge’ competition. They worked in teams to come up with their own idea for a new business.
The three-day event culminated in a session in front of judges from more than 80 local businesses, where they had to convince the experts why their group’s idea was the best.
Among the participants was Rafael Hayes, a BTEC First Diploma Art and Design student, whose team created ‘The Real Shock’, an idea to produce and market an alarm clock that emits a mild shock.
“I have a lot of respect for people who are out there making a living in business. I have seen how difficult this is and it has prepared me a little more for working life.”
Other ideas included ‘MDIY’, a new open-mic festival for Bristol, and ‘TruColourz’, a glass that would change colour when the drink it contains has been spiked.
One of the judges, Lynne Baber, Audit and Assurance Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, said:
“This was an amazing chance to share some of my experience and knowledge with the business leaders of tomorrow. It was inspiring to work with such innovative, creative and confident individuals.”
Nick McCloud, founder of Descartes,described the experience as “a jumpstart download of enthusiasm for us experts as much as for the students.”
“The competition gave students a real insight into the world of work, which perfectly complements the skills they are developing on their vocational courses.” said Ajay Sarda, Head of Vocational Studies at City of Bristol College’s Sixth Form Academy.
To find out more about the Ride the Wave programme click here
Abingdon & Whitney College tutors chose to ‘Take the Plunge’ in response to student representatives requests for group bonding and employer links. The Take the Plunge programme is able to address these needs in a fun and stimulating way whilst working toward a key skill.
A mix of AS level and National Diploma students together will be taking part in the Take the Plunge programme. On the final day they will be joined by 12 business experts from local businesses in a Dragon’s Den scenario.
At an awards ceremony on Tuesday night in Newcastle, the Working Knowledge Group was awarded both a Regional Training Award for the North East as well as a coveted National Training Award for the delivery of its course called The Plunge. The Plunge is part of a wider range of activities called Ride the Wave which are aimed at raising the commercial awareness and confidence of 14-19 year-old students.
The Award was made specifically for the Plunge event that Working Knowledge had delivered in partnership with Redcar and Cleveland College of Further Education in the Tees Valley. The Plunge specifically aims to bridge the gap between employers and education and to allow students to get a taste of what working in a business is really like.
In announcing the award the judges focused particularly on the immediate but lasting impact that the process had had on both tutors and students alike whilst at the same time achieving a valuable qualification.
Since Working Knowledge delivered the first course at Redcar, over 1,500 of the college’s students at all levels have been through Ride the Wave programme which has contributed a significant amount to the college’s goal of creating an institute-wide enterprise culture.
Speaking at the ceremony, Andrew Hatcher, Working Knowledge’s Managing Director said, “We are thrilled to be recognised for our work with the staff and students at Redcar. The award only confirms our belief, and that of the colleges we work with across the country, that the Plunge has a huge part to play in raising aspirations for young people as well as equipping them with skills that will stay with them for life.”
Gary Groom the Chief Executive of the College added, “This is a fantastic outcome for Redcar and Cleveland College and represents the culmination of a relationship we have been developing with Working Knowledge over the past few years. Ride the Wave is now a core part of our Key Skills and enrichment activities.”
The Plunge and the rest of the Ride the Wave programme is being successfully rolled out across the country and is available to all FE and sixth-form colleges. Ride the Wave can be funded from a range of sources including Key Skills, Aim Higher, Enrichment and Enterprise budgets as well as in conjunction with universities through Widening Participation programmes.
The Plunge has also recently been accredited as the primary constituent of a first year elective at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Based in Cambridge, Working Knowledge works across the UK from regional offices in Bristol and Nottingham. Please see www.ride-the-wave.com for more details.
The Plunge, a Working Knowledge course for FE colleges that is part of the Ride the Wave programme, has been selected as a finalist in the National Training Awards 2008. The nomination is focused on one of the first implementations of the Plunge at Redcar and Cleveland College on Teesside.
The National Training Awards are designed to celebrate organisations and individuals that demonstrate outstanding business and personal success through investment in training. By recognising best practice, the awards aim to raise awareness and inspire others to invest in learning and development as a route to becoming world class.
City of Bristol College students have wowed judges from the local business community, in a competition similar to the BBC’s Dragon’s Den programme.
