Apprenticeship / Trainee Careers Fair 26/11/15 11am-2pm Rotherfield Hall PREPARATION

Exhibitor list RSSL/Mondelez (Science trainee roles) Fujitsu (Business, HR, IT, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Logistics) BMW (Engineering, Business) Army, Navy and RAF STFC Science & Technologies Facilities Council (Engineering, Computing, ICT) Baker Tilley (Accountancy) NHS CISCO (Networking, Project Management) South & Vale Council (Business Admin across many departments) Thames Water (Mechanical & Electrical Engineering) Capita (Civil Service, Barclays & Prudential) Premier Training (Fitness Instruction and Personal Training courses) Oxford University apprenticeships (various) Laing O’Rourke (International Engineering) Tesco (Commercial, Technology, Fashion) Premier Inn (Hospitality management) Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Cogent/TAS (Science / Tech apprenticeships) Police M&S (Retail management) AWE (many types of engineering) Prison Service (Officer support, Custodial Care) Tech Partnership (Tech and Science) Henley College Training (Childcare, Hairdressing, Business, Engineering, Teaching assistant, Hospitality) Microsoft (IT, Computing) British Gas (Customer Service, Engineering) Network Rail (Engineering, Project management, Year in Industry) ‘All About School Leavers’ TALKS in R144 at 12.15pm and 1.15pm A website for school leaver, apprenticeship and sponsored degree programmes

Why prepare? One opportunity this year to see all these companies in one place You want to make a good impression  It might lead to a real job opportunity  It might lead to valuable work experience  It is great networking practice You can ask companies directly about their opportunities, what sort of candidates they are looking for and much more It will help you make the decision about whether to apply to university, apply for a trainee/apprenticeship role, or both!

Research to do beforehand Study the exhibitor list Research the company websites for those of interest Make some notes Plan some questions N.B. You will be asked to sign in to the event and to fill in a short questionnaire on exit to give feedback to improve the event in the future.

What questions could you ask? What different types of opportunity do you offer? (College-leaver, graduate…) What are the entry qualifications? What else are you looking for from a good candidate? (Personality, hobbies, skills…) What sort of work experience would help me with my application? What are the career prospects? Does your company sponsor employees through university qualifications? What salary could I expect to earn initially and in 5 years’ time? How long is the training period? Where would I be based? What do you most and least like about your job? Where are your opportunities advertised? How do I apply? Is it an interview, assessment centre….? What advice would you give me? Take a notebook and pen to record important information. Why not take a few copies of your CV along to hand to those exhibitors you are most interested in?

AFTER THE EVENT: NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION! WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? Look through all the information you have collected – throw away the rubbish and organise the rest. Can you register on relevant websites, ‘Like’ Facebook pages, use Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date with developments? Follow-up with any specific contacts you made. Is there more research you can do on other opportunities now that you have some ideas? Did the event give you contacts or ideas about work experience that will help future applications? Can you improve your CV now that you know the sort of skills and qualities employers are looking for? When are the deadline dates for the companies you are interested in? Work towards these. Practice your interview skills. See Learnzone – Careers and Higher Education for advice and guidance. Be organised about your jobsearch – keep a record of all actions, replies etc. What are you going to do now? MAKE AN ACTION PLAN TODAY!