Newsletters

Careers Bulletin May 2025

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MESSAGE FROM OUR SIXTH FORM CAREERS TEAM

Welcome to our Careers Bulletin.

Miss Giacomet (Careers and Pastoral support) will be on hand to organise careers events throughout the school and keep you updated with the latest apprenticeships, workshops and work experience opportunities.

If you would like any help as you search for universities, apprenticeships, CV writing, future career pathways or anything careers related, please contact Miss Giacomet. 

We are always happy to hear from parents/carers who feel they could offer career support. If you'd like to help with our careers provision or are an employer that would be happy to come into The Piggott School to share your insight with our students, please get in touch. 

For more information or any questions, please contact Miss Giacomet at Giacometa@piggottschool.org 

LINKEDIN AND THE PIGGOTT ALUMNI

LinkedIn is usually the first place a potential employer will check prior to any offer of interview. 

Once your page is set up, you can Join us on LinkedIn to follow the careers of former Piggott students and to network and stay in touch with our Alumni now and in the future. 

Bright Stars University Scholarship

If you're interested in a medical career of a different kind, you should look into Optometry - it's more than just glasses!

Specsavers have an amazing off through their Bright Stars university scholarship. Their exclusive university scholarship offers future Optometry students the chance to receive £10,000 over four years, towards the cost of your university experience. It’s aimed at STEM students, with only 40 spots across the UK. It also includes paid part-time work at one of their practices. 

To find out more and to register your interest visit: Bright Stars Scholarship | Specsavers UK Careers

How to find Work Experience

A free Webinar for students & parents 

Tuesday 20th May, 6-7pm

InvestIN Education are holding a free webinar on how to find work experience. Gaining meaningful work experience is a key step in building your confidence, developing practical skills and exploring potential career paths. However, finding opportunities can be challenging.

This webinar will allow you to learn practical tips on how to seek out work experience, and how to make the most of any opportunities that come your way.

Please click here to register your place. If you can’t attend live, I still recommend registering so you can receive the event recording and follow-up resources.

                                                   

Cambridge information and resources

If you are applying to, or interested in applying to Cambridge, they are hosting a series of useful webinars from on various topics such as the new UCAS application and a variety of specific subjects. 

Use this link to book your place on these inspiring and informational  webinars - Upcoming events | Undergraduate Study

 

Young Professionals Summer Conference

The O2 Arena, London

Tuesday 15th July, 1:30pm - 5pm

Young Professionals are inviting you to join them at their Summer Conference, taking place in July, where you will have the opportunity to step inside one of the world’s most iconic venues and meet some of the most prestigious employers in business, banking, finance, law, engineering, and technology, all in one place

This year’s event will feature representatives from some of the biggest names in business, banking, finance, law, engineering, and technology. Some of the employers attending include; Goldman Sachs, BDO, Lloyds Banking Group, Rothschild & Co Legal & General, Grant Thornton, UBS, Linklaters, Farrer & Co, Charles Russell Speechlys, Browne Jacobson and many, many more still to be announced!

Dan Miller - Founder and CEO will play a big part in this session and sharing his journey on how he founded the YP brand and made his first million by the age of 25!

All students that attend will get a professional LinkedIn headshot as well as a digital PDF link packed with CV templates, how to start a business, top tips on applying to corporate roles as well as lots of other useful content.  

For more details and to book you ticket please visit: Young Professionals Summer Conference 2025 | O2 Arena Survey

Free Skins or Fake Wins? Exposing Fake Gaming Giveaways!

Tuesday 13th May at 4.30pm

Virtual work experience opportunities

Experian believes data has the power to change lives. They help businesses and organisations use information in smarter ways to fight financial crime. By combining cutting-edge technology, powerful data, and expert insights, they’re helping to stop criminals in their tracks and making financial systems safer and fairer for everyone.??

Join their career challenges to see how Experian tackles fraud, protects communities from financial crime and helps catch criminals! All while gaining virtual work experience!

For more information and for details of other opportunities for year groups 9-13, please visit: Experian career challenges - fraud detection

 

RBH Youth Forum

Are you interested in making a difference in your local hospital? If so you might want to consider joining the RBH Youth Forum. 

The RBH youth forum aims to get young members of our community who are aged between 16- 24 heard and involved in the decisions made by the Royal Berkshire Hospital. As a member of the youth forum, you can help to make changes  and influence hospital decisions to improve services for young people and future generations.   

For more information please contact Miss Giacomet at Giacometa@piggottschool.org, to obtain an Expression of Interest form and Job Description. 

 

Interviews and assessment centres can feel daunting, and dealing with rejection is never easy. That's why Rate My Apprenticeship have put together their Instagram guide with top tips and resources to help you shine!

RateMyApprenticeship | Instagram

 

Choices Magazine - The ultimate guide to apprenticeships!

Aimed at parents and carers, this month’s Choices magazine is bound to get you and your young people inspired over the end of term break!

In May's edition, find out what it’s like to step into a corporate role at Lloyds Banking Group and hear first-hand experiences from two hairdressing apprentices. Students can find out why it’s not too late to secure a role this summer and how they can make an impact through an apprenticeship at their local council. We share a parent’s view of supporting two very different apprentices, highlight the growing world of green apprenticeships and bust some common myths about careers in logistics!

View and download this month's Choices Magazine here; Choices Magazine - May Parent & Carers Guide - Amazing Apprenticeships

We work closely with Berkshire Careers Hub who have been working hard to put together some fantastic upcoming opportunities including work experience., insight talks, live chats and apprenticeship opportunities. 

Check out: Home | Berkshire Opportunities | Business Support for Berkshire

 

GetMyFirstJob offers you a whole new way to find Apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships, Work Experience and Graduate opportunities to get ahead. It's a great search tool where you can explore job categories and put you in touch with a wide range employers.

Visit: GetMyFirstJob | Apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships, Work Experience & Graduate Jobs

Apprenticeship opportunities 

Apprenticeships are an increasingly popular pathway with hundreds of apprenticeships across a broad range of industries that you can apply for depending on your qualifications. 

 Top companies hiring now!

This is a useful website for all thing's apprenticeship, including reviews, industry guides and blogs.

You can also search for live opportunities  With the likes of companies such as Balfour Beatty, PwC, experian and many more! 

RateMyApprenticeship

Check out Success at School for the latest apprenticeship and job opportunities from Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen and more. 

Success at School

Speakers for Schools is a charity which puts you in touch with some of the biggest companies on the market, across a range of industries, to provide work experience opportunities. 

Their new app 'Youth Card' gives access to developmental opportunities, work experience placements, as well as discounts from your favourite high-street brands. It’s completely free.

Visit Youth Card – Speakers for Schools for more information and to download the app! 

Ongoing Work Experience

Work experience is an invaluable opportunity which not only could lead to a full time job within your chosen career path, but you'll learn transferable skills, day to day etiquette of the working world and just being in a working environment.

Work experience is also valuable content for a UCAS application. It'll help you check out career areas and show evidence of useful skills for coping with university study and life.

Top tips for finding work experience

  • Get online. Search local authority websites, local businesses and LinkedIn
  • Ask parents or friends for useful contacts and opportunities 
  • For speculative enquiries to employers, write to them and send a brief CV and covering letter stating clearly when you're available and what you are looking for i.e. work experience, volunteering, shadowing etc. This can be done online or even by visiting the organisation itself and talking to the manager. 
  • And remember if you don't ask, you don't get! 

Check out and sign up to Speakers for Schools for some of the latest work placements:

Work Experience – Speakers for Schools

Check out Create Your Future for exciting projects to get involved in: 

Create Your Future Opportunities - Youth Employment UK

Future Learn

Future Learn offers a variety of free online courses that could be done over the summer.

Browse Free Online Courses - FutureLearn

Springpod

Check out Springpod for summer work experience programmes. 

Take control of your future | Meet Springpod

Whilst The Piggott School believes the content of any recommended online resource to be appropriate for use by its pupils, they have not been compiled by the school. As such – if you have any concerns over accessing the links outlined in this newsletter please do not do so. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email Miss Giacomet.