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Jobs for the boys and girls - Primary pupils get a glimpse into world of work
440 of nine and ten year- olds got a glimpse into the world of work at a special careers fair at the borough’s Heritage Centre on the 23rd & 24th June 2010. The two-day event was organised by the Education Business Partnership (EBP) and involved over 20 employers. They included people from construction, the NHS, transport and the hospitality industry.
Cllr Denise Hyland, the council’s cabinet member for enterprise said:
“We’ve been organising careers events for the borough’s secondary schools for about six years. Now, thanks to an idea which started at Nightingale Primary School on Woolwich Common, we thought we’d try out a similar event for the younger children within the local Plumstead ‘cluster’ of schools, along with some others from Thamesmead and Woolwich.”
She added:
“All the employers taking part are just so good with the children, really engaging with them and answering all their questions.”
Each young visitor was given a special introductory World of Work booklet, with spaces to fill in some of their observations from the day.
Izan, a nine year pupil at Eglinton Primary School, on the London Ambulance Service stand said:
“This is the best school-trip ever! Before I came here, I didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do. Now I have loads! I really enjoyed the stand about working in a pharmacy.”
One of the newest employers to be recruited to the EBP careers days is VolkerHighways – currently laying out the new square in Woolwich town centre. Business manager Dave Snowden told us:
“It’s my first time at something like this – but my company always tries to get actively involved in the
local community. Besides everything else, it gives us a chance to put a message over about the ‘health and safety’ aspect of what we do.
“The most popular question children have asked me so far is what I enjoy about my job. My answer has been that it’s a good ‘outside/inside’ combination which also provides an end-product that people benefits from.”
Building their futures
Around 350 students from 14 local schools got some first-hand experience of the construction industry when they went along to a ‘Careers in Action’ event at the Greenwich Heritage Centre at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich.
Teams from 20 local construction firms spent last Wednesday and Thursday giving the 13 to 19-year-olds an insight into the different professional routes into the industry to help them with their career decisions for when they leave school.
All the firms taking part are big-hitters in the industry. They included Berkeley Homes, Carillion, Morrison, Wates, Mulalley, Rydon, Durkan, Apollo, Lakehouse, Axis and Martin Associates.
The young people each spent two-and-a-half hours hearing about urban planning, design and development, and tried their hands at trades such as brick-laying, carpentry, tiling, joinery and plumbing. They also learned what training was available for different careers in construction, and the different qualifications required for working in the industry.
The event, now in its sixth year, was organised by the Education Business Partnership (EBP), part of Greenwich Council’s Directorate of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills, together with the L&Q housing association.
One of the firms taking part, which liaises closely with the EBP, was Durkan (Construction). It takes on three apprentices from Greenwich every year out of a total of 10.
Paul McCrae, its Community Liaison Manager, said: “I look after apprentices and work closely with EBP because we want to help young people with their careers as much as we can. I sit on the Board of Governors of the Post-16 Shooters Hill campus, and I’ve been taking on young people from there as apprentices for several years.”
Tamera and Mariam both 14 and from the Blackheath Bluecoat School, had a go at brick-laying on the Berkeley Homes stand. When they arrived in the morning, Tamer had aspirations to go into medicine and Marian was considering going into the performing arts. But they found their visit very interesting as it gave them a different view on the professional side of the construction industry.
“We’ve never done anything like this before, and it’s nice to be able to try something different,” they said.
The students said they appreciated the chance to learn more about career options in the industry.
Boys from the John Roan School at Blackheath were shown how to put together kitchen units at the stand run by property maintenance company Axis of Thamesmead. Ricky, aged 14, said: “It’s still too early to decide what I want to do when I leave school, but being here today has opened my eyes to some of the careers available in construction.”
Cllr Denise Hyland, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills, said: “This event has given the young people the chance to try something different and get some fresh ideas for what they might want to do when they leave school. It is important for students to raise their awareness, not only of the opportunities available, but also of the skills employers are looking for. I would like to thank all the companies who have taken part and generously gave up their time to make it such a success.”
Doing the right thing 2010 - Young people set examples to us all
YOUNG people from Greenwich were given the recognition they clearly deserved at an awards ceremony last week. Over 60 accolades were handed out at the Do The Right Thing, Young Citizen of the Year ceremony at Eltham Palace on March 2.
Recognition was given
to the winners across a
range of categories from
community and bravery
to sport carers. Traveller Bridy Purcell, 13, from St
Ursula’s secondary
school, Blackheath, was one of six special
winners. “I
was very proud but also
very nervous. I got my
award for the work I did
for London Citizens on
low pay.”
Bridy, who lives in
Greenwich, will be
spending Easter as a
volunteer with sick
children making a trip to Lourdes.
Community winner
Stefan Rabicano, also
13, said: “I was shocked
to be nominated, but it
feels so good to have got
it. The award was for
raising money for
charity. I raised over£400 in total.”
Fourteen year-old
sprinter Ruth Onyekwe
is the ninth fastest 100-
metre runner in her age
group nationwide. She
said: “It feels really
good to get the award, and in the future I want
to go to the Olympics.”
A positive progress
accolade was given to
Lilly Daisy Cook.
Despite her disability,
Lilly has found work as
a peer advocate at a
local firm.
Lilly, 19, said: “”Some
people seemed to think
the only job I would be
able to get was a
voluntary position for
little or no pay, but I got the job and proved the
doubters wrong and
have done something
they never thought I
would achieve. So it
feels good and I’m proud
of what I have
achieved.”
Presenting the
certificates were Mayor
of Greenwich Allan
MacCarthy, councillors
Jackie Smith and Denise
Hyland, and Cormac
MacCrann from the
ceremony’s sponsor,
Canary Wharf Plc.
Cllr Smith, cabinet
member for children
and young people, said:“It’s always a pleasure
to do these awards, this
is my fifth or sixth time
presenting them, and this is the twelfth
ceremony in total.”
Cllr Hyland added: “We
hear so much negativity in
the media about young
people, but tonight we are
celebrating the
outstanding achievements
of young people.”
Cormac MacCrann said: “It’s great to participate in what is a very moving ceremony for me. I know from experience that it’s not the easiest thing to stand up and be counted.” The businessman added: “The young people here today are leaders who may provide leadership in the future development of Canary Wharf.”
It’s a Fair swap - Students urge shoppers to check out Fairtrade goods
EIGHT students working
towards a career in the retail
trade gained valuable
experience of dealing with
customers face-to-face last
Monday (March 1 2010) when they
helped launch Fairtrade
Fortnight at the Sainsbury’s
superstore on the Greenwich
Peninsula.This year’s event is badged The
Big Swap, and aims to encourage
shoppers to swap at least one
item they buy for a Fairtrade
alternative.
The students, from the Shooters Hill campus of the post-16 G-Plus college, talked to shoppers about Fairtrade Fortnight in a bid to win their support. They wore special The Big Swap t-shirts provided by Greenwich Council, and put up posters, laid out a table showing Fairtrade literature, and handed out information sheets to adults and stickers to children.
Four stood at the
entrance of the store
encouraging shoppers to
consider swapping
something for a
Fairtrade equivalent,
while the other four
stood by the exit
asking customers if
they had bought any
and kept a tally of the
responses.
The group, studying for BTec First National Diploma in retail, were Danielle Gray, Mohammad Asghar, Rekha Tamang, Rista Shah, Samrita Sahi, Shalice Charlemagne, Erseleda Struga and Faisal Nazir. They were joined by their course tutor Robert Alovisetti and admin assistant Jacqueline Loader.
The students said they enjoyed
taking part in the event, and got
a lot out of it. Faisal said: “I
learned a lot of new skills, and it
made me feel a lot more
confident about talking to the
customers.”
And Erseleda
added: “We all had a lot of fun at
Sainsbury’s, and we were able to learn how important Fairtrade is
to the farmers.”
Sainsbury’s is a leading supporter of both Fairtrade Fortnight and also the students’ retail course. Many of the students have visited the branch previously to learn how it uses information technology.
The event was arranged by Greenwich Council’s Education Business Partnership, who led some role playing with the students beforehand to help them practise talking to shoppers.“It’s good to see the young people of Greenwich so enthusiastic about promoting Fairtrade Fortnight,” said Cllr Denise Hyland , Greenwich Counci l ’s cabinet member for economy and skills. Cllr Hyland went along to support the initiative and joined the students in talking to customers.“Having their participation really helps put the message across to members of the she said.
GREENWICH PRIMARY K'NEX CHALLENGE 2009 - WINNER WINGFIELD
Greenwich Primary Schools entered the annual Greenwich K'nex final held at Gordon Pirmary School on the 25th June. In pairs the student had to design and construct a fun and exciting new fairground ride out of K'nex. The winning team came from Wingfield Primary School for the second year running. Brian Cato from Martin Associates judged the challenge.
GREENWICH DESIGN PROJECT 2009 - WINNER THE JOHN ROAN
This year as part of an Olympic 5 Host Borough project, hundreds of Greenwich students have been participating in activities to raise their awareness of the Built Environment. The programme was devised and managed by Greenwich Education Business Partnership.
The first part of the project has involved 900 students aged 11-15 undertake an Architectural Trail along the river Thames starting at the Queen Elizabeth II pier and ending with a trip on the London Eye, by way of the Thames Clippers Classroom.
For many young people the river trip provided them with their first opportunity to travel to London by boat and to experience the variety of architecture along the journey. Resource books enabled them to identify iconic buildings and also introduced them to basic architectural concepts. Part two of the project concentrated on Secondary schools in Greenwich who were invited to take part in a challenge to design/redesign part of their school site.
The brief was linked to the Building Schools for the Future, (BSF) with one of the aims being to bring this major re-development of schools to the forefront of the student’s minds. It would also allow them to recognise the link between design and the built environment as the BSF projects evolved in their schools.
Working with a professional brief and with the support of an architectural practice as a mentor, the project teams went about building their project from a piece of paper to a full working model supported by a design presentation.
The skills that were addressed over the life of the project included, project management, consultation, model making, interpreting a brief, understanding the role of a mentor, team work and presentation skills. The five schools and architectural practices taking part were;
- Cube Design working with Plumstead Manor School,
- Martin Associates working with Woolwich Poly School,
- Barron & Smith working with The John Roan School,
- Hawkins Brown working with Eltham Hill Technology College,
- John McAslan Partners working with Thomas Tallis.
The project was supported by the Stephen Lawrence Trust which provided workshops on model making at their centre in Deptford.The students started the project in October 2008 and presented their ideas at the final held at Greenwich University on the 18th March 2009. Each presented their interpretation of the brief to a packed lecture theatre at Greenwich University on March 18 having commenced the project in the previous October.
All present could not help but be impressed by the quality of the design work and the confidence of the participants as they presented to their peers and guests. The designs were judged by
- Paul Baxter from Nicholas Hare Architects,(who set the design brief & chair of judging panel)
- Cllr Roberts, Leader of Greenwich Council
- Cllr Denise Hyland, Cabinet member Economy & Skills
- Giselle Casio, Stephen Lawrence Trust