What’s on at College during Skills for Everyone Week
Do you know what it takes to excel in today’s fast-paced job market?
As a vocational College, it’s our job to teach you the technical skills you need for your chosen career. But there are also lots of soft skills, or transferrable skills, that employers are looking for when hiring new candidates.
Soft skills are what will make you stand out amongst others who share the same qualifications. You might think of them more as personal qualities, such as problem solving, resilience, adaptability, and self-management.
They benefit every aspect of your working life, from building customer or colleague relations to your chances of being promoted.
From Monday 14th to Friday 18th October, Dearne Valley College will be hosting its own Skills For Everyone Week. This will focus on those transferrable skills needed to close the gap between education and employment.
You can take part in dynamic skills building sessions, thought-provoking discussions and interactive workshops led by industry professionals. These sessions are aimed at helping you think about how to improve your employability and become work-ready away from the classroom.
Here’s what’s happening during Skills For Everyone Week
CV Drop-in Sessions
You’ll usually need a CV (or curriculum vitae) when applying for jobs. A CV is like making a first impression; a good one will improve your chance of getting an interview.
But if you’ve never written a CV before, it can be a difficult to know where to start
What skills should you include? Is that work experience actually relevant? Do you need a fancy layout or an all-singing-all-dancing design? Or is a basic CV adequate? Should you use one CV for all jobs, or will you need multiple ones if you’re applying for different types of roles? Who should you choose for your references?
Our careers team will be holding three CV drop-in sessions throughout the week. They can answer any questions you have and signpost you to our careers and employability hub for more in-depth support with CV writing.
CV Drop-in Session Times:
Tuesday 15th October: 12pm – 12.30pm
Wednesday 16th October: 1pm – 1.30pm
Friday 18th October: 12pm – 12.30pm
Work Experience and Apprenticeship Stalls
Work experience is a great way to develop your employability skills such as communication, problem solving, commercial awareness and teamwork. Plus, it’s a great confidence booster for young people.
Some courses here at RNN Group will require you to undertake a work placement as part of your studies. We work with hundreds of employers every year to provide a variety of work experience opportunities for our students.
During skills week, our work placement officers will be running stalls where you can pop along for advice about where you could work and for how long – will it be once a week or can you do a full week’s placement?
There will also be a stall with information for learners who might be considering an Apprenticeship. You can speak to our recruitment team about current vacancies, how to make your application stand out from the crowd and how to prepare for an interview.
Apprenticeships Stall Times:
Monday 14th October: 12pm – 12.30pm
Thursday 17th October: 12pm – 12.30pm
Work Experience Stall Times:
Monday 14th October: 12.30pm – 1pm
Thursday 17th October: 12.30pm – 1pm
Turing Scheme
Have you ever wanted to work abroad?
Did you know that we offer the Turing Scheme here at RNN Group which gives our level 3 or T Level students a life-changing opportunity of international work experience.
The two-week trip is designed to help students develop a wide range of soft skills and experience other cultures whilst also boosting their employability. Having the Turing Scheme on your CV will make you stand out in the global job market
The Turing Scheme is government funded with flights, accommodation and meals provided – and it could take you to places like Spain, Bali or Japan.
While we’d love to be able to take all our students, places are limited. If you’re interested in applying, our Turing Scheme administrator will be on campus once during skills week to answer any questions you might have about your eligibility or how to register your interest.
Turing Scheme Administrator:
Wednesday 16th October: 10.30am – 12pm
Launch of Skills For Employment Project
We’re excited to be launching a new initiative for this academic year. The Skills For Employment project will see students work towards becoming a desirable employee by developing in ten employability skills. These are:
- Communication
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Decision making
- Leadership
- Problem solving
- Proactiveness
- Resilience
- Self-management
- Time management
On completing this scheme, you will have certification to show potential employers that, as an RNN learner, you have the right skills to help their business grow.
The new initiative will be launched during skills week, with two sessions taking place at each campus for learners to find out more about getting involved.
Skills For Employment Sessions:
Thursday 17th October: 9am – 10am and 2pm – 3pm
Guest Speakers
Hear from some inspirational motivational speakers from external organisations such as Rotherham Titans rugby club, Weston Park Cancer Charity, National Fluid Power Centre, Altitude PR and South Electrical.
They will be speaking about how they’ve used essential skills in their own education and working careers, with specific talks about:
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Punctuality
- Problem solving
- Self-management
- Teamwork
Guest Speaker Sessions:
Wednesday 16th October:
9am – 10am – Steve Timms from Weston Park (Adaptability)
2pm – 3pm – Lindsay Jones from Titans Rugby (Teamwork)
UCAS Workshops
Thinking about applying for university after you finish college? You’ll usually have to apply through UCAS. But where do you start?
Throughout skills week, we’ll be joined by representatives from Sheffield Hallam and Huddersfield universities who will be able to answer any questions about the UCAS application process.
Discover when to apply, how, and key dates and deadlines. You might also want to know what to include in your personal statement, how to calculate your UCAS tariff points, how many universities you can apply for, or what happens after you apply.
UCAS Workshop Times:
Monday 14th October: 9am – 10am and 2pm – 3pm