The Monster is Back!!

After kicking off at HI-SGIL, The Inverness Monster Science Festival returns to the Highlands again this year with the tasty theme of FOOD!

From the 18th to 24th of June there will be activities, workshops, lectures and so much more for everyone to get involved in. 

The Family Day will take place on Saturday the 23rd of June at the Midmills campus of Inverness College, and this years STAR EVENT will take place on the Sunday at the Ironworks - you definitely don't want to miss your chance to explore the Horrible Science Show with best-selling author Nick Arnold. 

We want to thank the Monster Science Festival for supporting our event at Eden Court early this month and we can't wait to take part in the exciting programme of events! 

For more information visit their website and don't forget to book your place at the popular events!!

Graduate Opportunties

Nearly a quarter of those who attended HI-SGIL did so in the hope of finding out more about graduate opportunities in the Highland - and from the feedback we received they were extremely happy with the advice and support offered by both Adopt an Intern and Talent Scotland. 

"Adopt an Intern were friendly and very informative. It was great to make these connections as I will soon be looking for graduate opportunities." Female 16-25

"Talent Scotland were very informative and were able to give me information on careers relevant to my interests." Female 25-40

Adopt an Intern are quite new to the Highlands but they are already offering some graduate placements in the area! They are an ambitious team and came to HI-SGIL with an infectious enthusiasm. 

The free graduate service is Government-funded and part of the bigger 'Think Tank' the Centre for Scottish Public Policy (CSPP). The team work hard to source talented and motivated graduates to match the requirements of cross-sector organisations throughout Scotland, generally to carry out short-term, vital projects for the given business. 

They offer hands on support for graduates with one-to-one advice, feedback, workshops and they continue to track individual career progress. 

For more details check out their website: http://www.adoptanintern.org.uk or contact: adoptanintern@cspp.org.uk"  

Talent Scotland are different from Adopt an Intern in that they do not simply focus on opportunities for graduates. They offer information on working, studying and hiring in Scotland and support people through all three areas. However, at HI-SGIL we focused on their Graduate Placement Programme (which I am currently part of).

Like Adopt an Intern, Talent Scotland placements are short-term with the purpose of carrying out a vital project that the company otherwise might not have been able to fulfil. Talent Scotland placements offer a minimum salary of £14,000 with a £1,500 supplement for placements in the Highlands and Islands. The placement also includes a great residential training programme to develop key business skills and build on innovative thinking. 

To find out more visit their website: http://www.talentscotland.com/Students/Graduate-placement.aspx and for information on placements in the Highlands and Islands contact placements@hient.co.uk

From personal experience I would highly recommend a graduate placement through a body like Adopt an Intern or Talent Scotland - the experience has been invaluable, almost like a 5th year at Uni! 

High Tech Highlands

HI-SGIL 2012 came and went in a flash! At 10am on Saturday 2nd of June the doors of Eden Court opened to the public; at 10.01am our first attendee walked through the door and that was it, the day passed before my eyes in a blur of enthusiastic, excited exhibitors and visitors. 

The day was a great success with age ranges reaching from 2 to 72! We have received excellent feedback from attendees and exhibitors, with many stating that there was something for everyone and calling for HI-SGIL to become an annual event! Our aim was to demonstrate the importance of lifelong learning and,  with activities that engaged children, young people, parents and grandparents, we appear to have been successful.  

Here's just some of the wonderful feedback we, and our exhibitors, received:

"All of the stands were very informative and engaging. As a mature person I found them all very interesting." 


"It was great to find out more about Fujitsu and see how an international company works in a local environment."

"Eden Court were friendly, helpful and informative."

"Grey-man Software were entertaining and informative - we loved the QR Code hunt!"

"LifeScan and Glasgow School of Art were both interactive, fun and informative." 

"GSA and UHI were great at interacting with the kids; both were engaging and fun."

"LEGO and Microsoft were really interactive and fun - great for children, patient, intelligent exhibitors." 


"The Fujitsu challenge was really engaging and the representatives were welcoming, helpful and informative." 

"Very impressed with HI-SGIL - interesting and fun challenges and lots of information. Great for youngsters, teenagers and adults!"

"Great day - kids loved it, we loved it - excellent!"

"Everyone was passionate about their area and there was loads of energy in the rooms - great day, now I'm off to download the apps..."

Congratulations!

HI-SGIL was a great success at Eden Court on Saturday - a blog post with pictures from the day will follow but right now we'd like to say a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our competition winners! 

Margaret Robertson from White's Electronics in Inverness is the proud new owner of an iPad 2 courtesy of the new Stormfront store in the Eastgate Centre.

~ "I am delighted to have won the iPad, my eldest son is going to university in September so it will come in very useful! Both my sons and I thoroughly enjoyed HI-SGIL, there was something for everyone."

Stephen Hay, an Inverness pupil, came up with our favourite answer to the question "What would you do with the world's fastest Supercomputer?" in our mini My Kinda Crowd challenge and has won a £25 iTunes voucher courtesy of Fujitsu! 
~ "With the world's fastest Supercomputer I would track the world's criminals to reduce crime." We loved the CSI aspect of Stephen's idea!

Duke of Edinburgh Award

I am currently in the process of  completing my DoE Gold Award and I would wholeheartedly encourage young people to take part in the scheme. DoE gives all young people the opportunity to develop essential skills for work and life; realise and reach their full potential; and visualise a better future. 

Completion of the Award requires you to undertake several expeditions, volunteer roles and a new hobby or learning a new skill. The dedication required to complete the Award will set you on a steady path for your future in the workplace and life in general. You'll be constantly challenging yourself, gaining new skills and growing in confidence - these are traits that everyone values, from colleges and universities to employers. 

Above all, it's really great fun!

At HI-SGIL on Saturday 2nd of June, the Highland Council and High Life Highland will have loads of information on completing your DoE in the region - come along to find out more!

In the meantime check out the DoE website. 


Find out more about completeing your Duke of Edinburgh in the Highlands through the Highland Council website.

Endless Possibilities...

"Things are just falling apart, you can’t believe the possibilities, it’s like anything is possible, but you never realized you’re going to have to dread it so much. It’s like a leap into the unknown. You’re falling toward earth at nine hundred kilometres an hour and then you realize there’s no earth there."

Bruce Sterling, Reboot 2011

Spotting Futurists Along the Freeway - Adam Rothstein

OECD Skills Strategy

"So what is actually being done to ensure that our workforce is skilled for 21st century success and  to ensure that students are skilled, ready to work and contribute to society?"

HI-SGIL may just be a small piece of the puzzle but it's a start. The OECD is looking to move away from academic achievements measured over years in formal education and focus on the increasingly important skills that everyone gain, enhance and nurture during their natural lifetime - skills that were previously left ignored by the academic world. 

According to the OECD there are 4 areas that education needs to readdress: Knowledge, Skills, Character and Meta-Layer. There are insurmountable questions to be answered, but at least the questions are being asked and recognised. 

Today the OECD launched their  Skills Strategy  in response to the growing need to better prepare students for success in learning, work and life. 


Join their Facebook campaign to have your say!