Blueprint for All wants to congratulate everybody on the completion of their GCSE’s and/or A-Level/BTEC! The exam period can be a particularly stressful time and we applaud everybody who put in the effort and time to achieve their goals. If you didn’t get the result you were aiming for, you’re not alone, and we’re here to help.

Statistically, over the last 3 years since the Coronavirus Pandemic, a large percentage of grades for both GCSE’s and A-Levels have been based on previous coursework and predicted grades; wavering the grading system to acknowledge the effect the pandemic has significantly had on young people their mental health.

However, it has been reported that examination boards are gradually returning to their pre-pandemic grading systems and that Universities have become significantly more competitive; resulting in young people having to attend their second or third choice of educational institutes.

Returning to the pre-pandemic grading system does not acknowledge that some young people are, in fact, better at coursework and perform well in written/research tasks, as opposed to memory related examinations. This can further anxiety in young people as they feel they haven’t performed their ‘best’ in a controlled environment. Nevertheless, young people not achieving the grades they hoped for is an opportunity to feel empowered and contemplate the importance and value of alternative pathways.

Since April 2021, Apprenticeships have seen an increase in young people who decide to pursue an alternative route to traditional education. Apprenticeships have increased by 13.1% with young people choosing to work, adapting their professional skills into transferable ones. Transferable skills are important, both professionally and personally, as they allow you to diversify the type of career you envision yourself for the future. Transferable skills help you understand that you do not have to pigeonhole yourself to just one career or study option; but you can allow yourself the freedom to try and succeed in a few different career industries.

At Blueprint for All there are an array of Careers Programmes that are suitable for you, that will expand upon a host of professional and personal skills to propel you onto the next stage in your life. Whether you fancy yourself as a natural creative or as somebody who would like to learn about alternative educational pathways; there is a programme that will fit your needs at Blueprint for All:

Our Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) programme is not only based online, making this programme accessible and inclusive to all learning styles; but it is specifically designed to support ethnically diverse young people (16-25) from London, Manchester, and Birmingham, to understand the basics of what it takes to build their own business and overcome practical barriers, such as branding your business.

Participants take part in array of different workshops delivered by experts from a range of different businesses, professionals, and inspirational entrepreneurs. Alongside the workshops, participants will engage in weekly peer mentoring group sessions, where you will be given the opportunity to network and share ideas. The E&I programme has an amazing opportunity up for grabs in the shape of £2,300! This money will go towards somebody’s business idea and the participant will receive 10 hours of mentoring after completing the workshop, which further supports their career journey. Our next cohort starts in January 2023, so sign up now!

Another programme we offer is the Building Futures: The Building Futures programme supports young people aged 17 – 30 of diverse ethnic heritage to pursue careers in architecture and the built environment. We work with approximately 50 architecture practices and others in the Built Environment to provide students with the financial support, skills and experience they need to succeed.

For young people that do not receive the grades they hoped for, there are still many opportunities and career routes available to them to pursue a career in Architecture. Apprenticeships are a great route for students to learn and study whilst also gaining experience working in the industry. There are also opportunities to do foundation course, BTEC’s and courses related to the built environment to help build your skills and experiences.

Alongside our E&I and Built Environment programme, another amazing opportunity is to apply for a Mentor! Our mentoring programme offers 10 hours of online mentoring for 6-12 months (when applying, you can state what your preference would be) and sessions can be flexible. The sessions with your mentor can work around both of your schedules, to ensure that you are getting the most out of your sessions. From supporting you with a business idea to building upon your soft transferable skills; your mentor can provide you with the advice and skills to succeed.

Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not.

As evidenced, exam results do not define who you are, your potential or your goals! There are still so many options for you and please be sure that you discuss these options with your parents and/or guardian(s), sibling(s), friend(s) and teacher(s).

At Blueprint for All we believe that talent is everywhere, and opportunity is not; so, do ensure that you enrol yourself onto one of our programmes, as our opportunistic programmes are unmissable!

Please click here to have a look through our programmes. If you need any more help or have a question you would like to ask, then please do not hesitate to contact our programmes team, at: programmes@blueprintforall.org