Category: secondary news

blog post about graduate apprenticeships from glasgow uni

Graduate Apprenticeships – a potential route to university for all 

by Dr Matthew Barr, Programme Director for the Graduate Apprenticeship in Software Engineering at the University of Glasgow

 

Last week, my colleague Anna and I were in a school on the south side of Glasgow to talk to pupils about our Graduate Apprenticeship in Software Engineering. Many of the young people we met were confident in articulating their plans for life after school, and several were already considering university or college. Others were less certain. Was university for them? What does it mean to go to university? Shouldn’t they get a job instead? 

In some schools, pursuing a university degree is understood to be an option for many pupils. That is not always the case, however, which is why we’re visiting schools in areas of multiple deprivation across the west of Scotland. We’re talking to pupils who might be the first in their family to attend university, or those for whom getting a job when they leave school is the first and only priority.  

 

A Graduate Apprenticeship – where students earn a living wage while working towards their degree – seems an obvious solution for pupils who find themselves in such circumstances. The problem, though, is that many pupils are unaware of university-level apprenticeships. This isn’t surprising, given that GAs are a relatively new offering in Scotland, but it’s essential that we get the word out to the young people that might benefit from these opportunities the most. 

There are many bright, brilliant young people in Scotland with a passion for tech. And our tech sector desperately needs them! There are plenty of well-paid and hugely rewarding jobs out there for young people with Software Engineering skills, and an apprenticeship is an ideal route to securing such a job. Indeed, the job starts right away: by the time an apprentice graduates, they will already have accrued four years of work experience.  

But we don’t want our apprentices to miss out on the university experience, either. That’s why our GA programme includes eight-week blocks of on-campus learning in years one and two, allowing apprentices to bond as a cohort while taking advantage of all that university life has to offer. The block-based structure of our GA programme also means that we are able to frontload a lot of our teaching, making sure that our apprentices get all of the basics down as early as possible – making them productive in the workplace as quickly as possible.  

This is an opportunity that I would have seized upon, had it been an option 25 years ago. And, when I talk to pupils, parents, or teachers about the possibilities offered by a Graduate Apprenticeship, the advantages quickly become obvious: a good salary, four years’ work experience, and a University of Glasgow degree – where do I sign up?! But we need to get the message out there, which is why I was delighted to be given the opportunity to write this blog. 

 

There is more information on our website, including our entry requirements. It’s worth noting that Higher Computing is absolutely not a requirement – we’re looking for four B grades at Higher, including a B in Maths. We also have a number of alternative routes on to the programme, which take into account certain HNC and HND qualifications, and we offer support with CV and cover letter writing when it comes to applying to employers. 

The website also lists the opportunities currently on offer. This year, for example, we’re offering places with top multinational corporations like Barclays and Morgan Stanley, dynamic public sector companies including the BBC and Student Loans Company, and cutting-edge tech firms like Smarter Grid Solutions and VeryConnect.  

 

We’re also more than happy to come and talk to pupils – please do get in touch with me directly at Matthew.Barr@glasgow.ac.uk to arrange a visit, or for more information. The Graduate Apprenticeship in Software Engineering is such a fantastic opportunity, and we don’t want anyone to miss out! 

 

Running an Esports Club – British Esports Association

Esports (or electronic sports) is a term used to describe competitive video gaming. With 81% of children playing video games online nowadays, games are arguably a larger part of their lives than ever before.

The British Esports Association (BEA) is a not-for-profit national body established in 2016 to promote esports in the UK, increase its level of awareness, improve standards and inspire future talent. As a national body, their aims are to support esports and provide expertise and advice.

They help to educate parents, teachers, media, policy makers and government around what esports is and what its benefits are. BEA aim to:

 

  • Promote esports in the UK and increase its level of awareness
  • Improve the standard of UK esports
  • Inspire future talent

There has been lots of work with colleges in Scotland so far but the BEA are keen to support more schools setup, deliver and develop esports clubs for children and young people. Running an esports club is about more than playing games, there is the setup of equipment, recruitment of friends and peers, and all the digital literacy required to produce videos of their games. In fact, capturing gameplay can become a whole production with sounds, graphics and video editing going on to showcase their gaming skills.

 

Find out more about esports and the British Esports Association with these links:
British Esports Student Champs
Student Champs Resources
Esports in Education Conference
Glasgow Clyde Case Study
British Esports Champs 2021 Aftermovie
Forth Valley College Division 2 Rocket League Interview
Scottish College Cup
Diversity and Inclusion of Esports

Computing Science and Digital Learning and Teaching Calendar 2021

We’ve created this calendar of events to support termly planning for learning and training. We’ll update it as required and we’ll also add extra events to this page too.

  • Back to School CRIS insets – wb 09 August
  • Scottish Learning Festival – 21-23 September
  • Maths Week Scotland – wb 27 September
  • EU Code Week – 09-24 October
  • European Cybersecurity Month – October 
  • Ada Lovelace Day – 12 October
  • Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge – 08-19 November
  • Book Week Scotland – wb 15 November
  • Computing Science Education Week – wb 06 December

 

Bridging the Digital Gender Divide – OECD

This post is based on a report published in 2018 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The report aims to further strengthen the evidence base in support of the equitable participation of women in the digital economy. As the OECD report runs to more than 150 pages, I have written this post to share what I believe are the key messages, most relevant to educators in Scotland, and some of the guidance we are putting, or can put, in place to improve gender balance in computing and digital skills. 

 

We are all well aware of the increasing gender wage gap, which is especially so in digital careers, and if we don’t engage girls, they’ll be further behind in terms of earnings and career progression. In terms of digital literacy, the report suggests that the ‘generalist wins out over the specialist’ – this is useful to consider when we plan our learning and teaching: do we need children and young people who are very good at one area or skill, let’s say coding, or would be preparing them better for the world of work by allowing them to experience data, security, web development and other areas all set in cross-curricular meaningful contexts? 

 

Regarding gender balance in Computing Science, the report recognises that ‘girls perform better in collaborative tasks yet we celebrate completion/accuracy of tasks (think exams!) which don’t reward or mention the collaborative process’ – this made me reflect on my own practice, and while I would recognise good teamwork or effort that would probably be second to task accuracy or completion. So, do we need to upskill ourselves in supporting and developing collaborative learning – how to recognise when this is effective and how to feedback effectively on it – so that we can design learning and environments that foster, promote and celebrate collaboration? 

 

It might seem like common sense to promote girls-only or girl-centred lessons, classes and clubs to engage more girls – and yet the research does not support this! The OECD points to the need for ‘girls and boys working together breaks down barriers and biases’ and ‘awareness raising of digital as a cultural norm for girls and women’, while ‘showcasing female leadership in digital’. So, next time you think of setting up girls-only clubs, is it worth thinking how you can ensure mixed-gender activities that promote the skills, abilities and characters of girls alongside those of boys? 

 

In addition to the potential ‘barrier’ of gender to accessing computing and digital skills, how many of use consider the possibility of cultural and language barriers? Are our computing lessons relatable and meaningful to learners who speak English as an additional language? Does it fit their cultural capital – or that of their family? The ‘most exciting’ computing lesson (if such a thing existed) might be that for just one group while being less accessible to others. So, how do we ensure our lessons and activities excite and engage more learners, and not just more girls. 

 

The DigiLearn team have been working with our Improving Gender Balance colleagues to ensure we implement as much of this in our support as possible. We are proud to say that we will ensure that our support for educators will: 

  • support engagement in extracurricular activities 
  • bear in mind gender-related considerations for teaching – this will be built-in to our webinars and web content 
  • raise awareness of women who lead in computing and digital skills – in and out of education 
  • support applications for funding that can be accessed to support or enhance female participation 

 

Read the paper