Harrow College is pleased to announce it is working with Barclays and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services to deliver the employability programme Prepare for Work.
The new initiative is designed to address the lack of awareness and understanding of the competencies and behaviours that employers seek.
Prepare for Work helps students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully navigate the recruitment processes as well as touching on the financial aspects of self-employment.
The programme also raises awareness of entrepreneurship and self-employment and aims to reach 100,000 FE college students in 2015.
Prepare for Work is supported by Barclays as part of their commitment to change ‘5 Million Young Futures’ by helping the next generation build vital enterprise, employability and financial skills.
As part of its commitment to the Prepare for Work programme, Harrow College will run a Prepare for Work Lunchtime Activities Week. Starting from the week beginning Monday 20 April, the programme will cover an array of activities to help motivate students and enhance their employability skills.
Harrow College has already taken steps to implement the Prepare for Work programme among its student body.
These steps include students documenting their social and enterprise achievements through an Enterprise Passport, which can be used to support their work throughout the academic year and can be shown to potential employers.
Students have also taken part in a field trip to the offices of Sky to see what it is like to work within a busy office environment.
They have also attended mock interviews with potential employers including British Airways, CapGemini, Lenovo, B&Q, IBM, Write Stuff, Cognizant Technology and TFL. The interviews allowed students to hone their interviewing skills and appreciate what employers are looking for in potential candidates.
In the coming weeks, students at Harrow College will be able to take part in a series of employability-focused activities through the Prepare for Work programme. The activities will cover topics including CV writing, understanding skills and behaviours that employers seek and how to approach the recruitment and interview process.
Harrow College students will also have the opportunity to become Prepare for Work College Champions. Selected by college staff, the College Champions will undertake activities with their fellow students and help support their peers by promoting employability-focused events. Students in this role will also have additional opportunities to develop their skills and will be able to draw on their experiences as a College Champion when seeking employment or applying for higher education.