FEATURE FOCUS: THE SUMMER LEARNING GAP
further education providers offering short-term courses and taster sessions all year round, the summer time period is a real opportunity to enhance young people’s careers. There are a multitude of options out there,
whether it is a summer learning course in mechanics, personal training, or beauty therapy, and so students can have a real taste of something not conventionally taught in the school curriculum. And with so many young people considering
alternative career paths that require vocational and technical training, the summer period offers young people a head start in developing their career path.
How to implement/get students thinking about alternative courses Historically, different sectors have provided apprenticeships and traineeships for young people. This provides an opportunity to gain a ‘taste’ for different sectors, and enable them to see for themselves what they want their career to look like. For example, many hair salons offer
traineeships because not all learners wishing to pursue an alternative career away from university studies are ready for employment when they leave school. It may be that there are certain areas such as communication, maths or English that need work to help make students ready for work, and so a short traineeship programme before starting an apprenticeship can help them get to the right level. Furthermore, over the years, businesses who do
require apprentices, have found that students were going to salons or sending in their CVs and being rejected because they did not have the life skills or certain core skills such as maths and English. A summer course in Hairdressing & Beauty Therapy would not only teach young people new skills, but also cover fundamental teachings to ensure they retain that life-long knowledge. But traineeships are not just for hairdressing or
barbering - they can be undertaken by students wishing to explore a wide range of sectors, from construction to mechanics, to help develop a toolkit of core skills that they can use both now and for the future.
So what does a traineeship entail? A traineeship is a seven or thirteen-week programme, which usually runs over summer and allows individuals to gain a little bit of experience
in, for example, the hair industry and can then decide if they want to go on and do a full apprenticeship. Importantly, a traineeship helps students to
decide if the career path they are training for is the right one for them, and if not, provides them with the core skills to work in another industry. And for those who have found the career
choice they wish to pursue such as hairdressing, traineeships also provide an opportunity for work experience in a number of different salons, barber shops, or sectors, and experience different styles and work out where they might like to do the full apprenticeship. In addition, the courses also give employers the opportunity to see a few different potential employees and think about who they might like to join them as an apprentice in the future. Fundamentally, young people want to enjoy
their time whilst they explore what career path is right for them and what better way than to do so in their own time, in a supportive and established environment where they can both learn new skills, make new friends, and earn some extra money.
uVTCT supports businesses and learners around the country to maximise the summer period and embark on a technical training course that works to support the individual and enhance their overall continual learning. To find out more, please visit
www.vtct.org.uk
July/August 2018
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