Business leaders launch new season of employability workshops for students

20th October 2015

The 2015/16 Employability Workshop Programme has launched, with business leaders volunteering their time help prepare talented students from across the College for the world of work.

This year, in addition to a programme of guest speakers, students will also benefit from Masterclasses focussing on:

CV writing
Job applications
Personal skills
Interviewing Skills

Josephine O’Connor, Business & Community Investment Manager at VINCI Facilities will be co-delivering the masterclass programme with Chris Sutton, CEO at communications provider Tardis plc. Here she explains why she supports the programme year on year:

"Having delivered work ready masterclasses for Barking & Dagenham College as part of our corporate partnership of industry-led activities, I can honestly say that year on year the students improve.

“This is because of the competitive nature of the College. Students shouldn’t sail through college in the false belief that they will walk in to work. They have to earn it and this is what the new programme of “work readiness” is all about.

“I thoroughly enjoy seeing the change in the students and watching them grow into marketable young experts. Chris from Tardis and I work well together and touch on everything from what colour ink to use, to personal hygiene and eye contact right through to hand shaking and enthusing at interview.

“Barking & Dagenham College is a wonderful College for students hungry to learn and progress and we have and will continue to commit to their services and their students for many years.”

Bob Noseda, Employment and Skills Coordinator at the College, and the driving force behind the programme, commented:

“These workshops proved how important it is to engage with industry on issues like employability, these are the experts and know exactly what they want from a potential employee.”

Roberts Feises, studying BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in Uniformed Public Services, said for the session:

“We were provided with a template for CVs which will help me be more organised when it comes to applying for jobs.

"I found the event very helpful and we should definitely have more of these at the college in the future. I am still not fully confident when it comes to communication and networking but this has surely helped me with develop some confidence and has pointed me towards the right direction.”

Monika Calkute, studying for a BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in Construction, said:

“I did not have a CV before attending the workshop. I feel I now have the skills to create one from scratch with support from my tutors and family. I already have a part-time job at present but I will be using interview tips from the workshop when I apply for future jobs.”

Crossrail Lecture
Wednesday 21 October 2015

Chris Dransfield Head of Employment & Skills at Crossrail will deliver a lecture regarding the next phase of the Crossrail project. System Wide is the installation and fit out of the stations and is the part that will require trades from MEP, P&D, Dry Lining etc. Students from all areas of the construction curriculum will be invited to attend this lecture.

Women into Construction Registration Event
Wednesday 21 October 2015

Kath Moore of the Women into Construction will deliver a talk about the project and register all students who are interested in being a part of this project.

Women into Construction is now based at Crossrail and will have access to employment opportunities on the System Wide part of the Crossrail project.

VINCI Facilities Masterclass No. 2
Wednesday 28 October 2015

Developing your CV, interview and telephone skills

Team FLO – Northern Line Extension Lecture
Wednesday 4 November 2015

Team FLO is a joint venture project between Ferrovial Agroman & Laing O’Rourke. This type of JV is now very common within the Construction Industry especially on Major projects. The Guest Speakers will talk about the project and what their respective companies expect from apprentices / trainees.

Balfour Beatty Lecture
Tuesday 11 November 2015

Stuart Fraser, Senior Project Director, will deliver a Lecture regarding some of the very high profile projects he’s undertaken in his career. Stuart was Project Director at London 2012 at the Aquatics Centre and has recently delivered the Olympic Stadium transformation project.

Interview Skills Workshop
Wednesday 18 November 2015

This event is delivered on a regular basis at BDC and has proved to be highly effective in helping students to attend interviews with confidence. The students who have attended the Vinci series of Workshops will be invited to attend this event. Students will be asked to dress smartly and use the skills they have learnt from the previous two workshops.

Middlesex University Building Information Modelling Lecture
Wednesday 25 November 2015

Dr Noha Saleeb from Middlesex University, one of the country’s leading experts on BIM, will deliver a lecture aimed at changing the perception of BIM.