News

Skills Week 2020

Last month, we were pleased to have a number of different businesses, universities and charities join us for JRC’s Skills Week! Company representatives presented to our students over video link, and one or two in-person, to give them an idea of what they could do after College and how they can achieve their aspirations.

We heard from a range of businesses, including Katie from Croydon Council, who heads up Employment Pathways. Katie spoke to our Health & Social Care students about careers in care and how in demand the job is right now. She mentioned that Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to get into the field and learn the role hands-on whilst you study. "This will help you really know if it’s the right career choice for you".

Childcare students were pleased to hear from Adaku, Nursery Manager at Cooperative Childcare Croydon University Hospital, who spoke to the students all about her role at the hospital, teaching children to play and learn. She also touched on how progression within the field works, recommending studying Childcare as a qualification and getting into part-time work at a nursery whilst studying. “Having that qualification often means you can start at a higher level and it can possibly take you higher in the industry too”.

Another presenter who spoke about working towards your aspirations was Luli, CEO of charity Shpresa, which helps Albanian speakers integrate into the community and achieve their potential. Luli spoke to our ESOL students about how invaluable their skills are and that it is possible to achieve anything if you work hard!

A range of universities also joined us including Solent University based in Southampton. Sarah, Senior Student Recruitment Officer, her colleague Sam and two Student Ambassadors spoke all about university life and the range of courses Solent can offer, from Media Production to Fashion to Law. We were also joined by Victoria, Outreach Officer from Leeds Beckett, Nick, who is part of the UK Marketing and Recruitment Team from City University and Megan, Recruitment & Conversion Services Graduate Ambassador from Durham. They all spoke to us about their university's diversity, campus facilities and courses before hosting a Q&A, giving our students the chance to ask more about Higher Education!

London South Bank University joined our Creative Arts students, presenting on Photography courses at the university and the teaching that’s involved. Daniel, who is Course Director for Photography, spoke in detail about the skills that can be learnt, as well as the importance of “making art for the purpose of it being shown” rather than just assessments.

MetFilm School also delivered a fantastic presentation about what it’s like to study on a working film set. Alumni include producers, cinematographers and editors that have worked on Oscar winning productions! Sam from the university explained to students which skills were most important when considering a career in film, advising that whilst technical skills are of course vital, “communication and interpersonal skills” are also highly valued due to the busy environment on film sets.

Thanks also go to Palace for Life, Centronic, Victoria Gregory Make-Up and a whole range of wonderful companies – we loved learning all about your work and it gave our students a great insight into what they could do with their qualifications!

Pictured: Palace for Life’s Pat presenting on coaching careers, MetFilm School presentation with a snippet about their alumni, Katie at Croydon Council speaking about Apprenticeships in Health & Social Care and Luli from Shpresa presenting in person to our wonderful ESOL students!