It was a real pleasure for Dale to be back at Stowe School this week, speaking to their Sixth Form students about Degree Apprenticeships. As part of the school’s careers afternoon, he delivered a keynote session and hosted a stand at the careers fair....and admitted that, seeing myself on a poster was a bit of a surreal moment!

At My Great First Job CIC, we’re a non‑profit social enterprise helping sixth form students move confidently from education into employment. And with 2026 in full swing, we’re opening up new partnership opportunities for employers and businesses who want to support young people or build closer links with schools and education.

Dale's first visit to Sheldon School where he shared a presentation on Degree Apprenticeships and then showed students how they can use LinkedIn.

Dale recently had his first visit to Rugby School, where he delivered three sessions focused on Degree Apprenticeships 🎓 - and what a busy afternoon it was!!

A room full of ambition!! Dale had the privilege of working with sixth form students from Bluecoat Sixth Form, The Long Eaton School, and The Nottingham Emmanuel School (NES) - all part of the Archway Learning Trust in Nottinghamshire. He focused on three things to help their Year 13 students who are looking for Apprenticeships. 💻 How to write a Great First CV 💪 Personal Branding & LinkedIn 👊 How to Smash Your Interview The energy? Outstanding! The set-up had a real confer

140 6th Formers. 140 LinkedIn profiles. A busy Monday morning! We had the pleasure of delivering a “LinkedIn for Students” session at Royal Russell School in Surrey to 140 Year 12 students....all armed with their devices and ready to go.

Dale had his second visit of the year to Salesian School Chertsey running a series of workshops for students applying for Degree Apprenticeships. This session focused on How to Smash 👊 Your Interview. One of the key sections was showing how important part time jobs can be for demonstrating your skills. William Robbens chatting with Dale William Robbens (seen above chatting with Dale after the session) works part-time in a Japanese restaurant as a waiter, and is aiming for a

This was Dale's first visit to Chalk Hills Academy, kicking off some work with their Sixth Form students who are exploring Degree Apprenticeships. 🎓 It began with a presentation for Year 12, followed by a similar session with Year 13. A particular highlight was having two ‘live’ actual Degree Apprenticeship offer-holders in the room! Huge congratulations to those Chalk Hill students who have already secured places with Forvis Mazars and Grant Thornton 👏👏

But what is Project 13? Project 13 is a Higher and Degree Apprenticeship 🎓 Application Mentoring Programme running in 20 schools across Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire….with support from Uni Connect organisation Aspire Higher.

Dale had a fantastic visit to Bedford Modern School to run an 'Application 101' session on applying for Degree Apprenticeships - covering CV essentials, building a strong personal brand, and how to prepare for interviews.

Our latest webinar was about 'How to Develop Your Personal Brand!'….and we had a great time. It was all about ACTION! It was all about not just SAYING YOU’RE PASSIONATE about something…..but DOING ONE THING that shows you are. It was all about How Students can showcase their Personal Brand.

Session 1 kicked off in the school’s stunning chapel with Personal Branding for Year 12 students. After lunch, we moved into 'Interview 101' for students exploring Degree Apprenticeships 🎓, before heading back to the Year 12s for an 'Introduction to LinkedIn.' We wrapped up the day with some dedicated 1-to-1 LinkedIn profile support, helping students put all the learning into action straight away.

Dale found myself presenting at the Sixth Form Leadership Conference run by Net Sixth Form. ⏰ 15 minutes, 150+ leaders, & approximately 0 seconds available for waffle.

This time of year, so much attention rightfully goes toward university applications… yet some Year 13 students pursuing Higher and Degree Apprenticeships can feel unseen. They need the same level of guidance, confidence-building, and practical tools – but budget constraints can make this difficult.

Dale had the pleasure of delivering two live virtual sessions for 6th Form students at Springwood High School in King’s Lynn. 😊

Dale had the pleasure of delivering a LinkedIn workshop to Apprentices from Starting Off – a local apprenticeship training provider that’s very close to my heart. Why? Because 36 years ago, he founded that very company! worked alongside for many years……and today was the first time he’d been back. The Apprentices in the room were working in marketing roles in local businesses.

Last week Dale had the privilege of returning to Woodbridge School in Suffolk for a packed day of talks and coaching sessions on Degree Apprenticeships and LinkedIn 🚀. He started with a session to the entire 6th Form on LinkedIn, showing students how to showcase their achievements, explore opportunities, and build meaningful connections. It’s been brilliant to see so many of them subsequently setting up profiles, and posting and engaging on the platform. 👏

Before starting his Technology Degree Apprenticeship, Dale met with Yanmi and he reflected on the support he’d received at The Duston School through the Apprenticeship Application Coaching Programme I'd delivered. We'd worked together to prepare for interviews and assessment centres, so Dale asked: “What made the biggest difference?”

Last Autumn Dale met James Braybrook at Bedford Modern School when he was running workshops on applying for Degree Apprenticeships. But actually, he'd first come across him months before as he’d been attending our free careers webinars throughout Year 12. ⏩ Fast forward to today, and Dale has just had this brilliant message from him! One of the big things we worked on together was decluttering his CV…..working to get it down to one page….and shaping his Personal Summary as a

Ask a room full of 15-year-olds what they think about Apprenticeships, and you’ll get everything from ‘pointless’ to ‘life-changing’ all in the space of 5 minutes. Earlier this Summer, as part of a residential organised by Villiers Park Educational Trust at University of Bath, Dale worked with high-achieving Year 10 students from areas of the UK where opportunities can be tougher to find. We were exploring the reality of Apprenticeships, and what they could mean for their fut