On the evening of the 12th June at the Armourers’ and Brasiers’ Hall the BCS (Chartered Institute for IT) and WCIT (Worshipful Company of IT) will be hosting an Oxford Union style debate entitled “This House believes that academic education will never meet the skills’ needs of the IT profession”. Movers and shakers from industry and education will go toe –to-toe in impassioned but highly civilised argument on one of today’s great issues that impacts the UK’s historically leading role in defining and designing technological solutions for the future. 'Universities are failing to educate graduates with the skills we need' - this is the oft heard complaint by employers of IT graduates. Does the problem start in school with the dire state of ICT teaching and assessment at GCSE and A Level? Should academia be trying to produce graduates with only 'employable skills' that have a shelf life of at best a couple of years? Are employers really expecting universities to produce a mature, rounded professional with 20 years experience straight out of university? Is it reasonable to expect academia to bridge the skills gap when employers are not prepared to provide a robust career path for IT professionals?

Academia and the IT profession seem to be out of alignment in a way that other more mature professional career paths are not. Medicine, law, accountancy and the teaching profession provide a clear path from university to the highest levels of those careers - not so in IT. The IT profession's skills framework (SFIA) is only a decade old, and IT is neither a regulated nor statutory profession - perhaps employers ask and expect too much of academia, when the IT profession is still in its infancy.

Livery Schools Link (LSL) is supporting this one-off event and believes that it is imperative that, in addition to industry and further/higher education, schools are effectively represented in order to ensure a proper balance and that the right voices are heard! LSL wholly endorses this Livery sponsored event as appropriate for schools’ IT or careers staff being consistent with the requirements for their Continuing Professional Development .

An information sheet for the debate can be found here and the event can be booked directly on the BCS website.

This event is certain to be fully booked and therefore LSL would encourage you to book your place as soon as possible.

If you require further information please contact Phil Jones (LSL committee) at pjones@japec-solutions.com

Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership and Old Palace School in Bow have developed an exciting project which they have called the Food Journey. The aim of the project is for year 1 and year 6 pupils to work together to find out more about where food comes from and how it is prepared and then to develop their own ideas for healthy meals and actually prepare one to share with their families. Incorporated in this will be a visit to Pie in the Sky cafe, Billingsgate Fish Market, St Hilda's food co-op, Bore Place dairy farm in Kent and a Livery Hall. These visits will be backed up by activities in school such as writing a Glog for the school website, researching and developing recipes, producing a recipe book and taking part in demonstrations about food preparation.

Volunteers are needed to help out with these sessions which are listed below. I would be delighted to hear from anyone who would be interested in being involved in this programme which promises interesting, stimulating and rather different to our usual projects.

Tuesday 30 April
Thursday 9 May
Thursday 16 May
W/B 10 June (1 or 2 days)
W/B 17 June (1 or 2 days)
W/B 24 June (1 or 2 days)
W/B 1 July (1 day)

All sessions will be approximately 2 hours with the exception of the first day which is in Kent and will therefore be an all day visit. Please contact Alison Truphet on alisontruphetlsl@gmail.com to sign up.

Livery Schools Link is strongly encouraging primary schools to get involved in the recently launched e-skills UK Make IT Happy competition. The Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation (UK reg charity no 1150351) has, for the past 27 years, been giving disadvantaged young people from inner city areas and children with special needs, new horizons and a sense of self-worth. Thousands of youngsters have benefited from the Foundation’s activities and, although it is difficult to measure success, teachers and carers tell us that behaviour in the class-room is improved and health issues, such as obesity, become easier to tackle. Some of the children return home to join youth groups and cricket clubs but, for the majority, cricket is simply the medium with which we are able to introduce the youngsters to the fun of ball games, teamwork and developing friendships. We have excellent facilities at Arundel, a magnificent ground, a well-equipped indoor school and expert coaches. Add to the mix, trips to Arundel Castle and its gardens, the seaside at Littlehampton and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and it is not surprising that many come back year after year. A chance to spend a night away from home, to play on grass, to collect shells or paddle in the sea, these are precious experiences for so many inner city children. Your support for the Foundation will help us to continue helping them. Thank you.

www.arundelcastlecricketfoundation.co.uk
John Barclay DL, Director of Cricket & Coaching (01903 882602)

Livery Schools Link is strongly encouraging primary schools to get involved in the recently launched e-skills UK Make IT Happy competition. In partnership with PICTFOR, the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum, e-skills UK has launched the seventh annual Make IT Happy competition - Make IT Happy, Make IT Safe. The competition has been redesigned for 2013, and provides a series of lesson plans that teach children aged 9 - 11 essential skills to keep them safe online - from email protocol to password security. After working through the lesson plans, the children have the opportunity to create their competition entry - an infographic that passes on what they've learned to other people. "Starting this year, OFSTED will be monitoring schools' e-safety performance," explains e-skills UK's Schools Director, Sue Nieland. "We wanted to provide something that would actively help teachers and schools, as well as providing a fun and engaging activity for children." With MPs from every mainstream party signing up to promote the competition, e-skills UK is hoping for widespread take up of the lesson plans, and a broad range of entries from all four nations. Winners from twelve schools will visit the Houses of Parliament in June for an action packed Awards Day. Karen Price, e-skills UK CEO, said: "We want children to feel confident and excited about making use of all that the internet has to offer. Make IT Happy, Make IT Safe aims to empower children at an early age with the knowledge to safeguard themselves and their personal information - these are important skills that will be valuable throughout their lives." LSL recognises the urgent need to ensure that children are taught the skills to ensure safe-surfing and will be involved in the judging of the Make IT Happy competition. For more information, visit http://makeithappy.cc4g.net or contact Phil Jones (Livery Schools Link) at pjones@japec-solutions.com

LSL is working on a new interactive database that will provide an easy-to-use online method for matching volunteers with the needs of schools and other educational organisations. The aim is that volunteers will make known their interests and availability, educators will post their volunteering opportunities, and each will be able to search for the other. This offers the exciting prospect of making LSL even more effective in creating links. We are seeking to minimise cost by collaborating with a company that is developing a database for other purposes. We are anticipating having the new system available online by the spring of 2013.

Tower Hamlets EBP is always looking for new volunteers - you can read more about ways to support the THEBP's latest schemes in their Spring Calendar.

Last year on 21 March the first Livery Showcase Event was a huge success “The event was fantastic the location was absolutely perfect. I think there should be more of these events.” (Hillarie Langham,Lilian Bayliss Technology School)
. We are therefore delighted to announce that our second Showcase Event will be held on Tuesday 18 March 2014 at the Apothecaries’ Hall in Blackfriars’ Lane.

Last year 18 Livery Companies hosted teenagers from over 25 London schools. The LSL event offered 300 London schoolchildren aged between 13 and 14 a unique opportunity to see and experience some of the skills, trades and professions represented by the Livery Companies. Apothecaries’ Hall was buzzing with interest as Livery Companies demonstrated how their practical professions continue to play a vital role in modern society. 

 In addition to providing an enriching experience, the showcase proved very successful in developing links between the Livery Companies and London schools, reinforcing the ancient traditions of promoting skills and professions as well as supporting education in the City of London. 



 David Taylor, Chairman of the Livery Schools Link, said at the time, “Our aim is to provide support to schools in London through the Livery Companies, and I was thrilled to see how much the students got from their visit. Our hope is the children now feel inspired and have learned about skills and professions they previously knew nothing about, as well as getting a sense of their city’s rich history. We were absolutely delighted to have had the opportunity of meeting so many children, and would particularly like to thank the students from Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, who did such a wonderful job in meeting and greeting visitors.” For 18 March 2014, we are planning to extend the scope of the event to include more Livery Companies. However, space is rather limited. If your Company would like to have a stand at the event, please contact Alison Truphet on alisontruphetlsl@gmail.com who will be able to provide more details, or complete the enquiry form . 
Closing date for applications for a stand is 1 November 2013.


On 21st October three volunteers from Livery Schools Link took part in a workshop managed by the Lyndons Arts Trust at Shapla Primary School in Tower Hamlets. They worked with a class of eight year old pupils, mostly of Bangladeshi origin, to produce collages of images representing Livery Companies and their trades. This was the first time that LSL volunteers have taken part in such a workshop and all three, Chairman David Taylor, Sarah Miles and Simon O’Leary thoroughly enjoyed the day, as did the children. The programme taught them the benefits of working together and helped instil a basic understanding and interest in the traditions and history of the City and its Livery Companies.

Similar workshops are being planned for other primary schools and we would highly recommend participation from LSL volunteers. If you would like more information please contact Alison Truphet, LSL Administrator.

Envision is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to become TeamMentors and Skills Mentors and help inspire young people to make a difference.

Every year Envision supports thousands of young people in London to speak out about theissues they know are important, to take action and lead change in their communities. Volunteer as a Team Mentor or a Skills Mentor for 2 hours a week and be part of their experience. Join an Envision team in a school or college close to where you live, work or study and help young people explore local and global issues.

· Facilitate their meetings

· Support the teams with their youth-led projects

· Help build key skills and inspire confidence and ambition

Envision will provide full training in facilitation and project planning, and a chance to engage with some fantastic young people. Our volunteers have a range of skills and interests and this is a great way to gain experience in the youth or education sector. For more information about volunteering with Envision visit www.envision.org.uk/volunteers or contact julia@envision.org.uk

You can find out more about our recent projects and upcoming events in our latest bulletins:

Current Bulletin

Bulletin - August 2012
Bulletin - February 2012
Bulletin - August 2011
Bulletin - May 2011
Bulletin - February 2011
Bulletin - November 2010
 

You can also view our latest Chairman's Report. If you are a school or Livery company that would like to receive this bulletin on a regular basis, please contact us.