npower Enthuse day comes to Didcot

npower recently visited students from St Birinus School, Didcot, sparking their interest in engineering by taking part in a npower Enthuse day.

Four volunteers from Didcot power stations joined 230, Year 9 students at the Enthuse day. The programme is designed to inspire and engage students aged 12-14 years old in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through a range of interactive activities which help them think about the impact science and engineering has on their daily lives.

The students were encouraged to think of ways to improve an existing electricity generation idea and product, or to design a completely new concept. They also took part in a series of hands-on activities, helping them to develop their engineering and science related skills and discussed the problem of how the country can meet and reduce the UK’s future demand for energy.

Enthuse, which is part of the npower's Brighter Futures Programme, aims to inspire young people from their first day at school to their first day at work. This is achieved by helping them to develop their skills and knowledge to make their own choices and empowering them to achieve their vision of a 'brighter future' for themselves and for the environment.

Jim Haggan, Didcot A Power Station Manager, said: "I think Enthuse days are very important. It's our opportunity to give young people an insight into the energy industry and highlight opportunities available. I hope we have inspired some of the students to really consider this industry as a career option for the future."

Head teacher, Mr Alwyn Richards from St Birinus School, Didcot added: "The variety of activities gave the students an excellent insight into the diversity and challenges which might face an engineer. It was wonderful to see how students of all abilities were engaged in the activities offered. The staff and students would like to thank the people from Enthuse and npower for their enthusiasm and hard work."

Since the start of the Enthuse programme in 2007, the educational experience has reached out to over 7,100 students across the UK.

To find out more about npower’s education programme and free resources for schools and community groups, visit www.npower.com/education.

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Individual monitoring and goal-setting is vital for schools and pupils to improve success rates, says Perspective

Every pupil has their own strengths and weaknesses and to maximise the chance of them succeeding in an educational environment, implementing an individual learning plan incorporating realistic objectives and goals can prove the difference between success and failure, says Perspective a leading UK provider of learning management software.

If a pupil is given targets personal to them, they have a clear end goal and more often than not, will feel more motivated to reach it. Online individual learning planners such as Perspective’s Folio, are highly effective and offer learners an easy means of tracking their own education progress.

Paul Davis, who is the managing director of Perspective, commented: “Keeping a group of students motivated throughout a course can be an extremely difficult task so breaking it down on an individual basis will allow students to be set goals personal to them. Online planners then subsequently provide the means for students to view their progress and where they can improve, which often leads to greater inspiration to reach the targets and pass the course.”

Split into four sections, Folio constructs a vibrant way of creating an evolving view of a learner’s progress. The first, ‘My Learning’, allows the user to establish overall targets for a given period, agreed between both the learner and the teacher (this can also be linked with Collaborative Learning Manager (CLM) to help detail the learner’s progress towards achieving their qualifications)).

The second is ‘My Work Experience’, which maintains a track of the learner’s on-site experience and their work aspirations, allowing for the construction of a suitable path for the learner to follow in their quest to gain employment. Further to this, Folio also includes an ‘About Me’ section where the learner can include details of their hobbies, activities and a personal statement, as well as a customisable profile which summarises details stored within the individual learning plan that enables the learner to display an online profile and create a printable CV.

For more information on Perspective or its Folio or CLM Student management system please visit www.perspective-uk.com

Unemployable underclass? Doesn't have to be this way, argues Perspective

Recent reports suggest Britain is at risk of creating a new ‘underclass’ of individuals who are permanently omitted from the prospect of gaining employment.

But it doesn't have to be this way, points out Perspective, a leading UK provider of learning management software, apprenticeship schemes could provide an outlet for those struggling to find work and so prevent the formation of the new class.

A survey conducted between July and September 2011 showed that of the 1,000 UK employees and 500 employers which took part, 73 percent of businesses and 84 percent of workers believe there is a permanent, unemployable underclass forming as a result of poor education and background.

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “Some employers are reluctant to hire individuals who leave school at a young age and without particularly good grades – which to an extent is understandable but these people need to work to live and prevent this new underclass forming.

"Apprenticeship schemes could be part of the answer as not only do they allow a business to expand cost-effectively, they are also heavily backed by the Government. Furthermore they allow businesses to form and mold their staff to best suit the business, while the apprentices themselves are earning and learning in a subject which they have chosen and hopefully enjoy.

“However, like many education programmes, student tracking and monitoring is essential if the schemes are going to deliver to their full potential. Certainly for schemes where the learners are taught in multiple locations such as work and college, having an effective student management system in place can often be the difference between success and failure.”

Despite the positives that apprenticeships can bring to all parties involved, the survey also revealed that 57 per cent of employers do not have an apprenticeship program and just over half, 51 per cent, think they are cost-effective.

Paul continued: “Apprenticeship schemes had a difficult start in life and some of the negative stigma from those early days is still, wrongly, attached. I know the Government believes in the schemes as I do but, they need to educate prospective employers as well as apprentices if they’re going to succeed and prevent the new underclass from forming.”

For more information about Perspective, please visit www.perspective-uk.com

The easy, green and friendly way to school fundraising

Schools are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to raise funds. The traditional school fairs and cakes sales can no longer be relied on by schools to raise all the money they need. A new community-based website MYGYKO is offering a new way to approach fundraising, which allows both parents to benefit as well as the school. 

Parents help raise money for their school by simply passing on their children’s uniform, sports equipment etc that they no longer use to other parents. When a parent lists an item on MYGYKO, the company will donate 50p to the school.

MYGYKO enables parents to pass on the items their children have now outgrown with other families at their school. The site is easy to use and allows parents to both, sell, give away and swap items. The site opens up the trading that often goes on informally between a few parents at the school to the whole school community. The site is free to use for both the parents listing items and the parents acquiring items.

There are not many fundraising initiatives that enable parents to benefit their pocket whilst also benefiting the pockets of their school.

Parents can earn some extra cash by selling on quality items their children no longer use and numerous items can be given away or swapped rather than parents buying brand new whilst other parents thrown away items that have plenty of use left in them.

MYGYKO has the majority of schools within the UK listed so all parents need to do is register their own personal account under a school. Teachers and Parents’ Associations need do nothing but simply promote the website to parents and then sit back to wait for a cheque to be sent on a termly basis.

GYKO offers way of fundraising that is simple and easy, eco-friendly and parent friendly.

The website MYGYKO has more information about how your school and earn up to £200 per term.

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