IAG Newsletter Spring 2013

7/29/2019 IAG Newsletter Spring 2013

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NEWSL

ET

TE

RINFORMATIONAdvIce &

GUIdANce

to develop ideas into products.

Fab Lab Manchester is one of

35 Fab Labs around the world,

developed from a 2005 outreach

project of the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology in the

USA.

During the week, the pupils

designed and built a remote

controlled robot capable of

playing football, made a Boom

Box (docking station for a mobile

phone), created a light activated

music box and developed their

own 3D products.

The week of technological

empowerment allowed the

students to use:

M a f a c

Sccss a

Fa La Macs

There was no rest during the

February half term break for three

enterprising MCMA students,

who took advantage of the

facilities at Fab Lab Manchester.

Along with pupils from other

Manchester schools, Ryan

Hilton, Donald Okoli-Chuks and

Victor Oderinde were rewarded

with a unique introduction to

engineering, invention and

manufacturing.

The Fab Lab, short for Fabrication

Laboratory, is a fully equipped

workshop which gives members

of the community an opportunity

2Ddesignsoftware

lasercutters

millingmachines

electricalwiring

circuitboards

solderingirons

3Dprinting

Thenalchallengewastocreate

a robot capable of navigating

the rocky surface of Mars. This

brought the weeks technical

endeavours to an end.

Wa was c f

MCMA w a Fa

La?

Amazing- Donald

Really cool- Victor

A once in a lifetime

opportunity- Ryan

Spring 2013


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CAreerS event rAiSeS ASpirAtionS And giveS inSpirAtion to MCMA pupiLS

A Careers Fair is a great way to

fnd out about Job Opportunities

and the Career Aspiration Event

organised by Manchester City

Council, did just that.

Different from a traditional careersfair, the event at the Etihad

Stadium consisted completely

of hands on practical activities.

Organisations such as Greater

Manchester Fire Service and

British Gas supported the event,

amongst other employers and

SixthForMerS gettheLoW

doWnonStudentFinAnCe

If you watch the news youd assume that going to University was

only for the well off. Well this myth was dispelled by Sophie Barrett-

Kai of the Student Finance Tour, who gave an informative and

entertaining explanation ofs as, las a fs.

She explained at university there are two main costs tuition fees and

livingcosts.Alsothatthemaintypesofnancialhelpyoucangetaretuitionfee and maintenance loans (which have to be paid back) and grants and bursaries (which dont).

The tuition fee loan covers the fees students are charged each year of your course. Its paid

directly to the university. Maintenance loans are paid directly to students and cover living costs.

Sophie explained that with the generous repayment terms, anyone who goes to University wont

have to repay a penny of their tuition fee and maintenance loans until they earn over 21,000 a

year. Then they pay back 9% of anything they earn over this to repay the loan. So if a graduate

got a job paying 25,000, they would end up paying back 360 a year or 30.00 per month.

Thetalkdenitelychangedthesixthformersviewofstudentdebtandloans.Onesixthformer

Keaton Vernon summed up feelings: Before I was worried, but the talk has eased my fears.

training providers.

MCMA pupils got stuck

in and participated in

activities related to as

and lcc services,

Science and engineering.

Careers in amal caprovided the opportunity

for a close encounter with a

ccac.

The hospitality industry

was well represented and

students had a go at making

cscs and e Mss.

Whilst pupils more suited to

creative occupations triedtheir luck with handcrafts.

Others took part in a a

ay workshops nding

out about nail painting and

hair care.

The ls sc had

a range of challenges

involving exercise bikes and

rowing machines. While digital

media industries offered lming

and editing opportunities a

fashion workshop gave budding

designers an insight into how

ideas go from the drawing boardto the catwalk.

Apprenticeships were promoted

at the event with several

current apprentices acting as

Apprenticeship Ambassadors,

who were able to give pupils the


3/4

Mark Higgins of The

Challenge offered an

amazing opportunity to

MCMAs Year 11s; a once

in a lifetime action packedsummer programme designed

to bring out the best in young

people and develop essential skills

for success.

The programme consists of three

challenges.Therstaresidentialoutdoor

challenge such as abseiling or hiking

is followed by four days at university

working on a project in ama, ma,

ay, s s.

A group of Year 9 pupils got a

taste of higher education today

as Manchester University opened

its doors as part of its Widening

Participation Programme, with a

Year 9 Build Your Future Day.

Along with Harrop Fold School

and Kearsley Academy, the MCMAstudents were immediately set a

challenge by the universitys Amy

Barnett: to think about where they

will be in ten years time. Some

interesting answers emerged from

the discussion which focused in on

the critical issue of why we need to

work. Not surprisingly money was

seen as crucial, but interestingly

MCMA pupils, including Shuweib

Abdulrehman highlighted the need

Thenalprojectisundertakeninthe

students local area, students

design a project aimed to make

a difference in the local

community.

The Challenge is a

considerable investment in the

young people who take part;

it costs on average 1500 per

person. However, all The Challenge

asks of MCMA parents is 50 and if

pupils sign up in three weeks they only have to

pay 35.

The Challenge Network is the largest provider

of the National Citizenship Service, the

Governments youth development policy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CHALLENGE: WWW.THE-CHALLENGE.ORG

to have a job which motivated them.

The session then concentrated on

the importance of transferable

skills such as team work,

communication and problem

solving which are developed while

studying at university and are highly

prized by employers. The pointwas made that people who gain a

degree earn on average 150,000

more over their working life.

The students were then reassured

that anyone with the ability can

go to university and that the cost

of tuition fees should not be seen

as a barrier to higher education

progression.

To challenge stereotypical views

footballerMa Sm and musician

tcy Sy were agged up

as unlikely university graduates

of International Management and

Animation respectively.

The pupils were then allowed to

opt for workshops in areas they

were interested; Science, Medicine

or Humanities. The workshops,which investigated Cells, looked

at Radiation and discussed

philosophical questions, were

undoubtedly the icing on the cake

for many.

The MCMA pupils verdict on the

day was very positive. Reko Smith

said the day was exciting and

interesting. While Kudzai Elias

added that it was really good.

YeAr 9s tAke A CLoSer Look At higher eduCAtion

MCMAS neet AChieveMentManchester Creative and Media Academy is celebrating another great success, reducing the

number of its young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The 2012

guresshowafurtherreductioninthepercentageofMCMApupilswholeaveinYear11and

have no job, apprenticeship, college or Sixth Form place the following year.

MCMABoysNEETgurewasdownto1%,whileMCMAGirlscameinat2.6%,bothbelowthe

average for the City of Manchester which stands at 3.3%. The Academy, along with Connexions

invest considerable time and effort to ensure its pupils get all the support, information, advice and

guidance they need to make a successful transition into further education or training.Reducing the number of NEETs is a key priority for MCMA, as those not engaged in education

or work are more likely to be depressed, feel disengaged from wider society and in some cases

turn to crime.


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SIxTh FORMeRS GeT The INSIde

TRAck ON hIGheR edUcATIONlooking for. The social side of

universitywasaggedup,with

the many new opportunities

to make friends, experiencefreedom and join clubs and

societies.

Ben then focused on decision

making and gave sound

advice on choosing courses,

university location and

comparing living costs. The

pros and cons of degrees

were discussed whether BA,BSc, Foundation or sandwich

degree.

The advantages of smaller

universities and their locations

were compared with those of

larger urban institutions.

Course research was

recommended and the best

place to start is the UCAS

website which lists all the

degree courses at the UKs 250HE institutions. Other good

websites Ben recommended

include http://www.hotcourses.

com and http://www.push.co.uk,

along with books such as The

Good University Guide.

Before wishing his audience

good luck, Ben highlighted the

importance of extra-curricularexperience and voluntary work

in particular in impressing

Admissions Tutors.

The presentation was well

received by Y12, the vast

majority of whom intend to go to

university.

Y12 beneted from an

sfl sa

on the benets of higherca.

Ben Prizeman, Recruitment

Ofcer and recent graduate

from Aberystwyth University

outlined the key benets of

university study; including

better job prospects, access

to a wider variety of jobs,

geographic mobility and

broader horizons.

In addition he highlighted

how university can develop

your key skills including

communication, problem

solving and independent

learning. These are the

competences employers are

ApprentiCeShip

AMbASSAdor getS

WArM reCeption FroM YeAr 10Richard Nash of the Greater Manchester Learning

Provider Network and Sophie Etheridge, an apprentice with

Bowser Supply, gave an informative and illuminating presentation

on Apprenticeships to a group of interested Year 10 students. The

pupils were eager to listen to the information and asked many questions.

Apprenticeships, Richard explained are open to anyone over 16 and lead

tonationallyrecognisedqualications.Theyofferareallygood,structured

start to a career and are a sound alternative to the traditional route of studying

A Levels and a degree. In fact apprenticeships are available at 3 levels;

intermediate, advanced and higher. The Year 10s found out that you can do

an apprenticeship in over 200 different areas from accountancy to veterinary

nursing.

To bring the message home to the pupils, Sophie Etheridge who has just

completed her own apprenticeship in Business and Administration gave a

compellingaccountofherownjourneyfromschoolleavertocondent

employee with aspirations to move into management. Sophie, an

Apprenticeship Ambassador, highlighted the importance of work

based training in developing the key skills for success.

The Year 10 students were also given an introduction to thewww.apprenticeships.org.uk website and found out

how they can start applying for apprenticeship

vacancies online.

Richard Nash

Documents

IAG Newsletter Spring 2013