Monday, 8 December 2014

Keane's Song - Please Download!




Pupils at Liberton High School have worked hard to produce a song in memory of their friend Keane Wallis-Bennett who died in tragic circumstances in April. 
You might have seen some of the news coverage this week.  It has been really helpful as commercial radio are extremely reluctant to play the song so we are reliant on news stories, social media and word of mouth to raise awareness of it.

All the money raised will go towards additional funds for the memorial garden at Liberton High School.  Please support them by downloading the song and asking others to do the same!  
The song is available to download from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id943240698 and Google Play http://tinyurl.com/KeanesSongGplay
It's only 99p so you are welcome to download it from both!  Many thanks for your support.

Monday, 17 November 2014

Skills Scotland Visit





On Thursday 13th November an enthusiastic group of senior phase pupils from GHS attended the biggest skills and careers event in Scotland for 14-19 year olds. Held at the Royal Highland exhibition centre, Ingilston the event was mainly interactive with the pupils given the chance to touch, touch, feel and experience first-hand a huge range of careers across many different sectors.
The event which was visited by over 2500 pupils on the day, was run in partnership with My World of Work from Skills Development Scotland and showcased over 35 exhibitors including employers, colleges, universities, training providers and industry advisers.


The GHS group were a credit to the school and came away from the event excited about the courses, training and careers opportunities available to them when they eventually leave school.  Some pictures of the event can be viewed below.
 


S Rodger
Pupil Support Leader






Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Parliament announces 20 new apprenticeship positions





5 November 2014

Parliament announces 20 new apprenticeship positions

An apprenticeship scheme to employ 20 young people in the Scottish Parliament has been launched today by the Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick.
Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work in a range of areas including Visitor Services, Events, Security, HR and IT.
An Open Day for young people interested in hearing more about the available opportunities will be held in the Parliament on 21 November. 
Presiding Officer the Rt HonTricia Marwick MSP said:
“The Scottish Parliament is an employer in its own right and we hope to lead by example.  This apprenticeship scheme will provide opportunities for young people to build the skills to help them in their future careers.  We will offer a range of positions to help build skills and to develop confidence.
“From today, through a dedicated website, young people aged between 16-24 can access details of these opportunities and next month we will be hosting an Open Day at which I hope to welcome young people from across Scotland.”
Clerk and Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament Paul Grice said:
“The Scottish Parliament is a vibrant and modern workplace and we want a workforce that reflects the diversity of Scotland’s population.  We know the talent is out there – and we want to see it in the Parliament.
“This scheme provides a great opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to use their different abilities and to develop new skills to help build a successful career.  We are always looking for people with initiative to inject different ideas and fresh thinking and, in return, we offer a great organisation where young people can begin their career.    
 “Young people have much to offer the Parliament and we have much to offer them – a supportive work environment and the first steps on a career path.”   
The Parliament piloted a Modern Apprenticeship programme in 2012 and one of the successful applicants, Lynsey Mackay, backed the scheme.  She said:
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I applied to the Parliament.  But I quickly realised there were lots of different roles here and I was encouraged to experience them.
“Nearly two years on, I now have a vocational qualification and can compete for full-time posts within the Parliament – all thanks to the apprenticeship programme.” 
Another apprentice, Tess Schmigylski, said:
“Some people might assume that the Parliament is a very dry, boring place to work.  Well I can safely say that I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time here – my colleagues have been very supportive and there is always so much going on.
“I feel far more confident now about my life and my career than when I first started and I would encourage any young person who is unsure what they want to do with their life, to find out more about the Parliament’s apprenticeship programme.” 

Background
  1. A dedicated website about the Parliament’s apprenticeship programme is now live at www.scottish.parliament.uk/apprenticeships .  The website features video interviews with existing apprentices, the Parliament Chief Executive Paul Grice, and members of staff.
  2. An Open Day about the apprenticeship programme is being held at Holyrood on 21 November.  For more details on the day and how to book go to www.scottish.parliament.uk/apprenticeships or email us at apprenticeships@scottish.parliament.uk  
  3. Applications for apprenticeship posts will open on Friday 21 November and will close at midnight on Sunday 7 December.
  4. The Parliament aims to recruit 20 apprentices through two separate tranches, taking on 11 apprentices in the first tranche (2015) and nine apprentices in the second tranche (2017).
  5. The apprenticeships will run for a maximum of 24 months with each apprentice working towards a high quality vocational qualification in areas such as IT, Security and general administration posts in Chamber and Clerking and Finance.
  6. Follow @scotparl and #SPApprentices on Twitter for all the latest news in the run up to the Open Day and up to date information about the scheme. 



Media information
Murray Meikle: 0131 348 5389
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Committee information
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Public information
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  • Textphone users can contact us on 0800 092 7100
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  • sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk

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Friday, 31 October 2014

WOW Class and Focus Fortnight Update



WOW Class
The winner of the October draw is: Mr Gregor’s S4vCore PE (Wed P6) class. Well done!
Keep those tickets coming!

FOCUS FORTNIGHT
Congratulations to:
Bradley Bryce – nominated by Mrs Towers
Chris McKeller – nominated by Mr Gregor
Richard Nye – nominated by Miss Barry
Jay Watson – nominated by Ms Kennedy