CAREERS NEWSLETTER 2018-19
This week a number of our students from across the year groups headed to the NEC to present their CREST projects at The Big Bang Fair 2019. It is an outstanding show promoting the best of young talent and of course there are many exciting professional exhibitors. The chance for our young students to present their projects – inc. creating their displays and fielding questions from expert scientists and interested observers – is invaluable.
ISSUE 11 – Friday 15 March 2019
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MEDICINE Artificial intelligence (AI) – the ability of a computer or machine to perform actions requiring human intelligence – is rapidly being utilised in medicine, and, late last year, five new medical technology centres were promised for 2019 across the UK, including one in Coventry, to help improve healthcare and treatment, while also increasing the speed of early diagnosis. This hot topic was recently recognised in a Medic Portal article highlighting three specific areas where AI was making huge advances: Diagnosis – AI systems are designed to diagnose disease accurately from medical imaging scans, allowing earlier detection and potentially better long-term outcomes. Virtual Nursing – Virtual nurses are robots (e.g. wearable devices) that offer advice and medication reminders to patients in their homes. Robotic Surgery – A promising investment for the future with robots already able to carry out routine operations. Highlighting AI’s potential to erase human error in healthcare, PC Pro writer Nicole Kobie described three more projects: Ophthalmologists, aiming to accelerate diagnosis and treatment, await trial results from two neural networks trained to spot symptoms of 10 diseases seen on OCT scans. Heart Health is a major NHS challenge, with as many as one in five scans diagnosed incorrectly, so six cardiology units are trialling a machine learning system to achieve over 90% diagnostic accuracy. Great Ormond Street Hospital experts are among those developing a movement tracking bodysuit to act as a personal neurologist for children affected by a particular muscular dystrophy. For the Medic Portal’s view on AI in Healthcare, see: https://bit.ly/2u8w8XM.
STILL STE-A-M AHEAD The Times Educational Supplement reported Stemettes CEO Dr AnneMarie Imafidon, in her keynote speech at Digifest, suggested thinking about arts alongside STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering & maths) is advantageous. Calling for greater collaboration across subjects and departments, she said: “We’re now moving away from saying STEM towards STEAM. We don’t just want technology for technology’s sake, we want it to help solve problems. Enlisting other departments, opening our learning to other students who aren’t necessarily on a digital or computer science course is a fantastic thing to be able to do and a great example of what’s happening across Further and Higher Education to great effect in terms of having different types of people on board.” Great news for our students who are often very creative and at the top of their scientific game too. Stemettes is an award-winning social enterprise working across the UK & Ireland to inspire and support young women into #STEM/ #STEAM careers. See @stemettes for more info.
@BablakeCareers
BABLAKE HALL OF APPRENTICESHIP FAME Last week was National Careers Week and a major focus of the national delivery was on apprenticeship opportunities. A search for the hashtag #NAW2019 will reveal many of the exciting options open to students looking for opportunities delivered by employers and training providers in unison. Mr Mark Woodward, Head of Bablake Careers, is an Apprentice Champion, and lists below a number of the students who have recently taken an apprenticeship route at 16 or 18. The L6th have recently had Life Choices sessions looking at how to narrow their search for either university courses or dynamic Post 18 alternative options, and we thank Laura Hutchinson (Aston University) for her recent talk on Degree Apprenticeships. The following companies are some of those who have given Bablake students dynamic direct employment and training opportunities at 18.
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AECOM – Lucie Barnes, key member of our 2016-17 Arup EES team, began a much-envied civil engineering technician apprenticeship. ALDI – Adam Clements started his training with the company, a much sought-after graduate employer, straight after completing his A levels. ARUP – Lawrie Womble-Lancaster started an economics degree at the University of Reading, but successfully applied for an civil engineering apprenticeship with this company last summer. ASTON MARTIN – Jonathon Yardley began his apprenticeship with the company last September after completing GCSEs. Amrit Bhandal (featured in Issue 1 18-19) begins his mechanical engineering degree apprenticeship later this year, but has been in permanent contact with Aston Martin since his successful work placement last summer. CAP GEMINI – Dan Cotton, after winning a BCS competition in Y10, applied for CapGemini’s 5 year degree apprenticeship in Software Engineering (in conjunction with Aston University). His prediction that dApps will go mainstream was recently quoted in a New York Post article about 2019’s tech trends. COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY – Brad McKenzie-Quinn changed his focus from a traditional degree to work as a product analyst with this nationally rated local employer. DELOITTE – Seb Harding joined after A levels working as a tax analyst, while last summer both Remy McNamara and Liam McSorley also successfully applied for the highly competitive BrightStart programme. FAROL – A grade student Rob Jacques chose Farol over university, training as an agricultural engineer HS2 – Rhys Mangat is very much enjoying his role as a procurement and supply chain apprentice. IBM – Joshua White was the UK’s Apprentice of the Year in 2015, having joined IBM after a gap year and testing the water with other companies before joining IBM. James Tumber, seen recently at What Career Live on the IBM stand, exchanged a university degree for excellent progress as a test specialiast apprentice, while Aaron Biddle gained a much sought-after Futures intern post last summer. IMPERIAL COMMERCIALS– Daniel Phipps’ success as an apprentice was confirmed with him receiving a 2018 DAF Trucks Apprentice of the Year award. JCB – We are delighted to confirm current U6th student Rob Tyas has gained a Level 4 apprenticeship with this company that will commence later this year after he has completed his A levels. JLR – This company over the last decade has been the most popular employer to apply to after A levels as Tom Curtis (Workshop Team Leader), Andrew Pyatt (Unit Under Test Engineer), Iain Suren (Body Engineer) and most recently Stefan Ahya (Engineering) will testify. Its popularity for Post 16 apprenticeships has also been proven: Erica Ash, Lucy Farrington, Megan Rose and Jonathan Utting have all excelled at this level. MARSTON’S – Natalie Jackson (Multi-Site Manager) has been sponsored by her employer for this route. MGTS – Ben Turnbull returned to Bablake’s 2018 Careers Convention full of praise for his route after GCSEs and with further outstanding transferable skills to impress future employers. PET-Xi – Jake Sexton took the challenge of a business role at 16 and has not looked back. SEVERN TRENT – Becky Williamson has studied for her psychology and criminology degree at Coventry University, while also managing a full-time post as a transformation change analyst with this company. SPECSAVERS – Krina Mistry’s part-time Saturday job through Sixth Form was converted into a business apprenticeship last summer and we expect her to make every success of this role. FURTHER NOTES:
• A very impressive number of students have taken up apprenticeships across the UK post A level study in the last decade and there are still a few of our current U6th still in the application process for 2019/ 20. • Suki Vraitch is a paralegal with HALFORDS, who spent a gap year with local Coventry law firm ROTHERHAM & CO and continued working for this firm while studying at the University of Law in Birmingham.
In future newsletters, we will post more general guidance on searching and applying for degree apprenticeships, but please continue to approach us individually for this assistance.
#POST18OPTIONS
RECOMMENDED LOWER SIXTH INSIGHT DAY - KPMG BABLAKE CAREERS DEPARTMENT TIP:
APPLY NOW, IN GOOD TIME FOR THE OFFICIAL DEADLINE (4TH APRIL ’19)
#18BEFORE18 #POST18OPTIONS
ICAEW Virtual Careers Fair 4 March – 12 April 2019 The virtual careers fair is just like a normal careers fair, just online. Which means you can explore all of our employers’ opportunities from anywhere at your convenience. The event will inspire you to see careers in chartered accountancy in a way you won’t expect.
More than you’d imagine icaew.com/virtualfair
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY – VIRTUAL FAIR
THE FOLLOWING UNIVERSITIES / COUNTRIES WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THIS EVENT:
Bishops University CANADA - www.ubishops.ca
Carleton University CANADA - www.carleton.ca
Concordia
CANADA - www.concordia.ca
ESCP Europe
BERLIN, LONDON, MADRID, PARIS, TURIN, WARSAW - www.escpeurope.eu
ESSEC
FRANCE - www.essec.edu/fr
IE University
SPAIN - www.ie.edu/university
IED
ITALY, SPAIN, BRAZIL - www.ied.edu/
Maastricht
NETHERLANDS -www.maastrichtuniversity.nl
Ryerson
CANADA - www.ryerson.ca
VRIJE University Amsterdam NETHERLANDS - www.vu.nl/en
TALKING POINTS MOOC OF THE FORTNIGHT (11)
SPRINGPOD BROADCASTS
DISRUPTIVE APPS
‘Big Data and the Environment’
Watch Springpod’s latest careers broadcasts with:
We urge Sixth Formers to be aware of the ‘hidden job market’ and investigate the following:
Learn, from sources such as satellites, sensors and social media, how environmental data analytics benefit business and research. www.futurelearn.com//courses/bigdata-and-the-environment 3-week course developed by the University of Reading and Institute for Environmental Analytics.
Accenture Atkins Cancer Research UK Jaguar Land Rover Roche
Airbus BT Google Kier SSE
LinkedIn Debut Fledglink Young Professionals
Interviews with current employees at the employers listed are available via: https://springpod.live/broadcast-library/
CAREERS FORUM 18-19 REVIEW (11)
Registering with companies, that interest you, will present opportunities competitors may not see: e.g. Insight days, work placements etc.
MEDICINE TASTER – L6TH
‘BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS AND APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY’
Liverpool Medical School th Fondly recalling A levels at Bablake in English Literature, Further Maths and Wednesday 8 May £35 Psychology, University of York graduate Juliet Hodges kindly led a very well Info via: supported Careers Forum on how she had applied her degree to behavioural https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/medicine/ visit-us/visits-and-taster-days/ economics after an initial spell with a leading London marketing agency. As well as tracing her career path after graduation and defining behavioural VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY economics, Juliet’s presentation included excellent practical demonstrations of why and how this application of psychology has become a key, rapidly in demand employment area. Her examples drawn from pre-emptive medicine and restaurant menus were very accessible and stimulating. We wish Juliet all the best in her work as a behaviour change adviser at Bupa and her PhD studies at LSE: http://www.lse.ac.uk/PBS/People/Juliet-Hodges. FURTHER READING 1: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/09/what-is-behaviouraleconomics-richard-thaler-nobel-prize. 2: https://bit.ly/2W1qym0 - The Invisibility Cloak Illusion – Juliet’s article for the British Psychological Society’s ‘Research Digest’.
THOUGHT OF THE FORTNIGHT
“You are the average of your top 5 contacts on any social media platform.” Discussion point with CapGemini, at ‘What Career Live’, on how recruiters may rate you.
See Miss Taylor for more info.
CONTACT BABLAKE CAREERS
Mr Mark Woodward
Email: mgw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk Twitter: @bablakecareers FB: www.facebook.com/bablakecareers Website: www.2morrow-2day.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin/markwoodward Blog: http://bablakecareers.tumblr.com/ Spotify: http://www.spotify.com/18before18 Instagram: @bablakecareers Careers Circulars: http://issuu.com/bablake/stacks