On Monday 26 March the IB1 students were given a career’s launch day where they attended career focused sessions tailored to their application plans and subject interests. This ranged from talks on taking a gap year to writing personal statements. We were extremely lucky to have several representatives from different universities including University of Bath and IE University coming to St Clare’s to give sessions on application and specific courses.
In addition to these sessions, we welcomed back alumni Joshua Madeiros and Freddie Gorst who gave a talk on apprenticeships to students.
Joshua: I never really considered apprenticeships before because generally they weren’t always considered a viable alternative to university. About half way through my first year of university I discovered apprenticeships and discovered the benefits of them. I applied to a number of them and went through the whole application process which were a few online tests, interviews and an assessment centre. Eventually got offered the Lloyd’s of London apprenticeships which is a corporate insurance firm where I am now. My advice to students is that they should explore all of their options because there are definitely alternatives that people will benefit from which they have never considered.
Freddie: I’m on an apprenticeship with Capgemini who are an IT outsourcing consultancy. I have been there for about a year and a half and it’s been a really good experience. I feel like St Clare’s really prepared me for what I’m doing in the real world. I think the apprenticeship is a really good alternative to university, especially if you know what you want to do in the future and you have a clear path set in your mind then you can find a really good career for yourself down this route. I think the extended essay at St Clare’s is something I really valued because that has prepared me for a lot of the documents that I have to write in the real world.