Careers 4 All

When the words Careers 4 All were mentioned to me recently, soul destroying memories of my careers adviser at High School came back flooding back.

Careers 4 All Frankly the memory is not a good one and my disliking of careers advisers has remained with me every since.

But that might just be about to be cured.

Next week, there is a Careers 4 All event taking place at Isle of Wight Leisure Centre and Theatre. Reading through the activities and services offered during the day, I’m pretty relieved to hear that things have moved since my young and impressionable days.

This free event has got tons of interesting things packed into it including members of the Invent Theatre Group who will be performing some improvised street theatre.

Here’s the rest …

The Creative Village: an arts based, active exhibition at which everything from film and DVD production to leather craft and ceramics will be represented and craft demonstrations will continue throughout the day. There will be live music, theatre performances, a retro fashion show – even an illusionist, all adding to the fun.

Competitions: over 20 prize competitions will be running throughout the day – top prizes include a tour of the Power FM studio, iPods, £100 music voucher, etc.

Platform One Music Workshops: in the theatre, a programme covering guitar workshops (led by Jim Davies of ‘The Prodigy’), sound engineering (with Steve Colley, Sound Engineer for ‘The Coral’ and ‘The Bees’), MC Workshops and DJ Scratch techniques from DJ Krooks and MC $pyda (MC $pyda’s ‘Black Tarantula’ is one of the biggest selling drum ‘n’ bass singles of recent years).

WRITE BITES: a full creative writing conference led by industry professionals like Beverley Birch, Senior Editor for Hodder Children’s Books and prize winning author in her own right, and Sam North, Programme Leader for the MA in Creative Writing at the University of Portsmouth.

Small Workshops: a programme of small workshops will run throughout the day, covering Floristry, Photography, Sailing Careers and Enterprise Awareness, essential for anyone considering starting their own business.

Careers Convention: the biggest careers convention on the Island will include all local universities, Oxford Uni, a number of key employers like Marks & Spencer, UKSA, Waterstone’s and GCap Media Hampshire (with Power FM Thunders from 12.00 noon – 3.00 p.m). Also present will be a range of other exhibitors offering positive activities and advice – from KIDZ FILMZ to the British Horse Society and, of course, Connexions, Jobcentre Plus and NextStep.

CAREERS 4 ALL is part funded by the Local Skills for Productivity Alliance and is being staged by a steering group including Connexions, Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Industry, The Isle of Wight College, Jobcentre Plus, Carisbrooke High School, Medina High School, NextStep and Young Chamber.