A huge congratulations to our Head of Careers, Jo Bishop, who won the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Apprenticeships’ Award at the Rate My Apprenticeships Awards 2018, last night.

Jo fought off competition from a strong shortlist, most notably, Carlo Liu from our sister college, Westminster Kingsway College.

Jo was commended for her brilliant Step into Work tutorial programme as well as the partnerships she has with such a wide range of employers. Upon winning, Jo was delighted and said: “I am thrilled that our work with students raising awareness of all their options post college has been recognised. It’s not just raising awareness but also preparing students for a competitive application process. This award is not just for me but for the whole team at the sixth form.”

“It was a lovely way to end the academic year.”

During the evening, two City and Islington College students, Anastasia and Jamil, were on a panel chaired by the original Apprentice winner Tim Campbell. By the end of the evening they were being given business cards by several top employers.

The careers provision at City and Islington has been very successful this year, with our Step into Work tutorial programme and wide range of employer partners who are all keen to engage with our young people and help them prepare. Students have also been able to visit businesses, hear from current apprentices and attend a range of workshops. Planning for 2018 is underway with a two week Apprenticeship Roadshow all set for the start of term.

Over 200 visitors from Islington’s Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School had the chance to find out about the huge variety of opportunities waiting for them in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), at an open day at City & Islington College.

Girls are far less likely to study STEM subjects at A Level or degree level – and, as a result, far fewer women than men work in a STEM job. The aim of the Open Day, held at the Centre for Applied Sciences in Angel, was to exhibit the wide and varied world of STEM subjects and the careers available to those who study them. For many of the students at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, it was their first chance to visit the college, where many of them will study A Levels.

David Swinscoe, Centre for Applied Sciences Head, said: “It’s a shocking fact that only 13% of those working in science, technology, engineering or maths jobs in the UK are women. This is a disaster for our country’s competitiveness on the global stage, as it means that these industries do not have a diverse workforce.

“It’s a tragedy for young women too, as they are being denied so many potential careers, including in engineering, aerospace, coding, software development, bioscience, research, surveying, forensics, microbiology, robotics, product design or maybe teaching a STEM subject at a school, college or university.

“That’s why we run this open day: to help the girls – and their teachers – share our passion for these subjects and the courses that we offer. Every year, dozens of young women study a STEM subject at City & Islington College – including many from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, with whom we have had a long and happy partnership. Many of our students progress either to a job, or on to university to take their skills to the next level. With a STEM A Level or degree on their CV, the sky is the limit.”

Paul McIntyre, Assistant Headteacher at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, added: “The STEM day at City and Islington College was an excellent opportunity for our Year 9 students to find out more about the wide range of courses and career options available to them in science, technology, engineering and maths. These are not considered by some to be ‘traditional’ female careers, but at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, we strongly believe that our students should pursue the career that they want, no matter what the perceptions are. I think the day was a real eye-opener for many of our young women and I hope that it has inspired some of them to look further at STEM.”