Leicester VESA, The CRA and a morning with Barclays: A
first for everyone!
Tim Farthing - [email protected]
VESA
Rob Ward – [email protected]
The Centre for Recording Achievement
VESA, is a 13 to 19 education support agency, which works with schools, colleges, learning
providers and other partner organisations across Leicester, Leicestershire and in the wider East
Midlands region. Previously centrally involved in the development of the DfES Progress File work,
it has retained an interest in developing new practice to interface with wider records of learner
achievement, including the Higher Education Achievement Report (HE) most recently through
developing the Post 16 Education Achievement Record Leicester (PEARL). And it shares an
interest with Barclays in developing and supporting the progression of learners from a full range
of backgrounds in sometimes challenging circumstances.
Barclays is, of course, a global organisation with a very strong High Street presence, and one
with an interest in recruiting education leavers and in supporting initiatives to develop and focus
talent, such as the Skills for Life programme https://www.barclayslifeskills.com/. They were also
involved in co-ordinating BIS funded work on the HEAR for AGR, leading to the production of the
HEAR Toolkit ‘HEAR the whole story’.
Which brings us to the morning of 12th February 2015, which, after much careful planning,
provided the first opportunity for Leicester students from a range of schools and colleges to learn
more about the Barclays Insight Programme – indeed it was the very first run-out of this new
programme! We learned in some detail about the application process for their new Higher
Apprenticeship Programme almost a month before it opened for applications, so a real head
start. But we learned much more than that. We learned that:
People of all different backgrounds, from graduates to those who left school with very few
if any qualifications could be considered for opportunities in Barclays. And – as living
testimony to this - you can find the profile of one of the Barclays presenters on the day at
http://joinus.barclays.com/emea/meet-our-people/laura-webber/
Almost below our radar, Barclays have developed an extensive apprenticeship programme
focusing on people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), recruiting more than
1,000 young people into the bank. This event emphasised Higher Apprenticeships, but
opportunities exist at Traineeship and Foundation Apprenticeship levels, with career
ladders between them.
THE CENTRE FOR RECORDING ACHIEVEMENT 104 -108 WALLGATE, WIGAN, WN3 4AB |
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