Realise

Are you due to leave school soon and wondering ‘what next?’ Don’t worry, Jack Holden, recent school leaver and current apprentice has got you covered. Here’s his top tips for school leavers to get you ready for life outside of the school gates . . .

1. Get advice

Gone are the days where ‘chatting’ is looked down on. Whilst the ultimate decision is yours, it’s good to get as much advice as possible, so I’d recommend speaking to some experts. Reach out to your local job centre, training companies or school career advisor. It’s free to talk to all of them and they can provide you with lots of information. Here at Realise, we have dedicated Information, Advice and Guidance Advisors who are specially trained to support school leavers. They are a friendly bunch and really do know their stuff when it comes to planning for the future.

2. Find out what you like

When thinking what to do next, it can be helpful to start with something you know you’ll like. Why not spend some time writing down areas you have an interest in and go from there? Once you have that down, you can share it with an advisor or training provider so that they can help match you with opportunities to suit your interests. There are tons of choices out there including over 600 apprenticeship standards, one might just match your interests perfectly!

Information is power, or so they say. In the search for knowledge, Google can be a lot of help. So don’t be afraid to have a browse around and read about the experiences of others. You never know, you might just get inspired to try something you never thought of before. If you’re stuck for ideas on where to start, why not check out some of our recent apprentice stories.

4. Contact training providers

Training providers know their stuff. Developing people is what they do, it’s their bread and butter and that comes with a lot of experience. Pick up your phone, reach out on social media or drop them a text. Whatever method you pick, it’s worth seeing what they can offer you. Have a look below at the different ways you can reach out to us.

5. Be yourself

It’s important to be yourself! People like people who are true to themselves. So always respect the rules, but don’t be afraid to let your personality shine and be your authentic self.

Best of luck to the school leavers of 2019. If my top tips for school leavers have helped you or if you would like to share any of your own, I’d love to hear from you.

Written by

Realise