🎭 “To business that we love we rise betimes, And go to’t with delight.” A fitting line from Shakespeare that captures the energy of our first visit to Stratford upon Avon School. Now we may not be Mark Antony eager to go into battle...and our day had a much more successful ending than his did (he was beaten and fell on his sword)....but we also love our job and "go to't with delight!"

What a fantastic way to round off a super-busy Spring Term 🙌 Recently, Dale had the pleasure of working with year 12 and 13 students at Springwood Sixth Form in King’s Lynn.

Dale spent a brilliant morning at Garth Hill College recently, working with 6th form students from 7 local state schools as part of Wellington College’s Student Alliance programme. The focus? Supporting students who are considering Apprenticeships as their post A Level pathway.

Spring Term was busy for Project 13! Project 13 is an Apprenticeship application support programme run by My Great First Job and funded by Aspire Higher in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. The programme supports year 13 students who are looking at apprenticeships as an alternative to the traditional university route.

There’s been a significant shift in how independent schools are approaching post-18 pathways. Conversations around Degree Apprenticeships are no longer on the sidelines. Schools are actively looking to broaden what “success” looks like beyond the traditional university route…..and this term we’ve had the opportunity to work with students at 7 independent schools, delivering workshops on Degree Apprenticeships and LinkedIn for Students.

Our thanks to Joseph Dixon, The Duston School for this wonderful post on LinkedIn. Just had a few very informative sessions whilst at The Duston School today. One session in particular stood out to me, was the one run by Dale Willis focusing on developing personal branding. Sessions like these remind me that not everything that can help you develop further in education are taught to you in a classroom. Rather a lot of success comes down to your individual effort to succeed.

Helping students realise they’re ready for their next step is always rewarding. Dale spent a morning at Bishop Stopford School doing just that. Dale worked with around 30 Year 13 students, along with a handful of Year 12s, helping them prepare for apprenticeship and job applications.

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!

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

Yesterday My Great First Job delivered a second workshop to the same brilliant group of year 13 students from 6 schools within the same Multi Academy Trust - East Midlands Education Trust.

Being a 17 or 18-year-old applying for Apprenticeships while studying A Levels? It’s busy!! 📔 A Level / BTEC coursework 😬 Mock exams next week 🍔 Part-time job shifts to manage ⚽ Sports and hobbies for a bit of downtime 💻 And trying to apply for a bunch apprenticeships - without a fixed 'covers-all' deadline.

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.

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.

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.