Freecycle in Hemel Hempstead

I've recently discovered this useful network locally in Hemel, which helps save tangible items going to landfill: it's a free online noticeboard for things you want to dispose of or acquire, for free.  Hemel Freecycle
Now the Herts Freecycle network have launched a Freecycle Cafe.
This is "a great way to keep tangible items out of landfill but what happens if you missed a voucher for a holiday? Want to know where to find a particular tradesman? Need a particular recipe? Have a skill and would like to swap skills to get jobs done? Maybe someone can help you with an issue? Offer money saving tips and advice? Or anything else that may be of interest?"
Here's the link.

Apprenticeship with National Grid

Excellent opportunity with National Grid, apply by 31st Jan with potential start in Sept 2014. Full information here.

Moving On

Some excellent articles, ideas and advice on this website, for young people and their parents.  Their free monthly paper magazine is available in school, ask in Careers Room.  Click here for the link.

Last chance for Morgan Stanley event

1st Jan is the last date to apply for the Morgan Stanley "Step In, Step Up" event in February for yr12 and yr13 students, to find out more about a career in investment banking.  See the main blog post on 16 Dec for more details (quick route via the category/label "opportunities" on the right of this page).

News from Careers Room 18/12/13

Dragons Team 1 are on HemelToday!  See the article and video of their great giftwrapping service here…  The team will be  gift-wrapping twice more this week on Thurs and Saturday.  Happy wrapping and happy Christmas to everyone!

Save the date!  On Friday 17^th January, the two Dragons teams will combine to organise a mega Quiz Night – look out for more details early next term.

Careers Week 2014:  From 3^rd to 7^th March, Cavendish will celebrate National Careers Week which coincides with Apprenticeship Week.  I am inviting several speakers into school during the school day to tell us about their work and career route.  We hope this will inspire our students to think about their own future and consider possible routes they haven’t thought about before. 
Do you know of someone with an interesting career who could inspire our students?  Please ask them to contact me, or let me know how to reach them.  Look out for more information about this exciting event next term in Contact!

College applications: If you are applying to college, I can send off the application for you.  I will keep a copy on file in case of any query.   Hand in the neat, signed application to me at Careers Room.  Sixth Form application process takes place in January.

Seeing the Vauxhall Vivaro in a new light

Earlier this term, Sixth Formers from Business Studies and some budding Engineers visited the Vauxhall plant at Luton for their See Inside Manufacturing event.  We had a tour of the Cutting section, where the pieces are cut from rolls of sheet metal, the Body Shop where the pieces are assembled to make the vehicles (amazingly clever robots), and General Assembly, where the vehicles (chassis, base, engine and all else) come together so the finished Vivaro vehicles roll off the production line: 198 finished vans per day.   In between the tours, students took part in activities which made them more aware of skills needed by the people who work in this fascinating environment.  Students commented:  “Lots of advanced technology”; “I was impressed how the vans change shape throughout each section”; “Interesting how all the robots work together and in sync to get the job done”; “it takes 8 hours to go from a shell to driving out of the factory”;  “really impressive attention to detail in terms of quality control”;  “everyone seems to work hard and be committed to their job, they all work together even in this big factory”.

Two weeks later, the Vauxhall team headed by Jenny Lokko (who is on a placement year at Vauxhall from her uni) came to Cavendish, in a Vivaro of course!  In assembly, they awarded a prize to Chris Elliott for his winning entry in one of the competitions on our visit.  Vauxhall have some great employment opportunities for new apprentices, undergraduate placements, and graduate traineeships.  We hope to visit them again next year!   Pictures of our visit are here

Gift wrap service

Come and get your presents wrapped by the Cavendish elves!  They will be in Riverside twice more - this Thursday and Saturday, see the details here. 
Dragons Team 1 are a team of Cavendish Sixth Formers who are taking part in a local schools' challenge.  Through their own business idea, and working with a charity and a business mentor (their dragon) they have to turn £100 into £1000+ for the charity they are working with:  the Hemel Hempstead Volunteer Centre. 
Come and support the team's business enterprise, support the Volunteer Centre, AND get your presents wrapped!