The online delivery at Pathway CTM continues into week 6 of lockdown and schools not being (properly) open. Our webinar workshops are consistently being uploaded to our YouTube channel and we now have in place a podcast to showcase the most relevant podcast for teachers and parents, to listen to. This week we have uploaded the interview we had with Olympian Gail Emms, who has jumped the queue somewhat, but we wanted to get this one out asap, as lots of the messaging from this is about resilience, a strong attitude and never giving up; which is good narrative for our current situation I feel.

I was really pleased to see our Alumni Board step into action with an Instagram-live Q&A, where Abbie Truman (Chair) and Tom Culley spoke about their journeys through the Pathway CTM Programme into PwC and BT respectively. We will be doing more of these with our alumni and other interesting speakers, in a more informal setting perhaps to our regular webinars. A nice mix for our students to engage with and I was pleased by the access they had to Abbie and Tom who are both really great and can share excellent insights for budding apprentices! ????

This week saw us wrap up our April content with Cancer Research, Cappfinity and The Co-op completing their month of content with us. There have been excellent insights shared throughout the month and I have been delighted by the breadth of interest from our student audience. Many students now understanding how different career routes can work with different sectors and organisations. It is these themes that we will continue into May, with next week showcasing the NHS, HSBC and Allen & Overy. Not to mention we have the MD of Taylor Wimpey speaking to students about his route into home building and the construction industry. On that note I must shout out to Berkey Homes and their amazing apprentices for the session this week. It was really inspiring to hear of how some of them get up at the break of dawn, to travel a long way to get into work for 7am.

I have noticed the drive and determination of many apprentices in home building this year and it really is something to aspire to for students who want to roll their sleeves up and work hard + be rewarded. Well done to our home building students, you do deserve a special shout out! I hope you can continue to gain knowledge, inspiration and insights out of the sessions this week too; of which is a nice 4 day week for us all, and I am mega excited for the sessions we have coming up this week!

Good luck to our students at final stage interviews this week, hopefully our assessment and selection sessions, plus strengths sessions, will help you nail the (virtual) interview! For those students looking for (paid) work experience in the community over this period and hopefully beyond, here is the link to see if a volunteering role at Co-op is available for you to apply to near your home. Do also keep an eye out on our Instagram profile over the coming weeks for competitions and further opportunities with some of our employer partners!

Stay safe, Chris.

YouTube webinar link: Pathway CTM YouTube
Podcast link: Pathway CTM Podcasts
Student sign up link: Sign Up And Information
To sign up for our events this week: Pathway CTM Events