A-level results day webinars – Recordings and top tips for young people!

Watch our Results Day webinar for top tips from experts and young people who share their own journeys after getting their results.

Results day is an exciting and emotional experience for many.  It marks the start of a new chapter in life. It can feel like a big time for decision making, and this can be daunting. Our webinar which you can watch below offers you insights from education professionals, employers and young people who have recently been through the journey and come out the other side smiling!

Here are some of the key messages the guest speakers had during the webinar. These are helpful and can help you to breathe, take a second, and move into making decisions that suit you and not what other people want from you.

You don’t have to rush into taking the first available option

Jo Saward – Enterprise Coordinator – Milton Keynes

You can appeal if things have not gone to plan, you don’t have to accept it if things have not gone as you think they deserved to. This does cost money, and is not a guarantee, but if things are close in terms of grade boundaries then you have every right to ask for a second opinion.

Don’t rush into decisions, it can be tempting to take the first available option to you, but take a breath, find some quiet time to process your thoughts (and not everybody else’s!) and decide exactly what it is you want to do.

You have lots of support available, use it!

You have lots of options, whatever the results there are always multiple options for you to consider even if it is not your plan A.

Apprenticeships are for everyone.

Apprenticeships ARE a path to a degree, if that’s what you want.

Sharon Blyfield – Head of Early Careers -Coca Cola Europacific Partners

Apprenticeships are not about getting away from learning and education! They are a route to lifelong learning! They are the beginning of a journey of development and learning. This might not be a normal education setting but you certainly won’t stop learning!

Apprenticeships are for EVERYONE! The old tired cliches of apprenticeships being for those who are ‘not academic’ are simply not true. It is an exciting option and the number and variety of Apprenticeships is growing all the time.

Apprenticeships can still be a path to a degree, and without the rising costs of being a student. Consider this option and look at your options by doing research on what’s out there, you might be surprised at just how many fields now have apprenticeship options.

The two key exams you really need are your GCSE Maths and English. Once you have achieved these two your options open up enormously, ‘you can pretty much go on to do most apprenticeships.<’

Apprenticeships are a balance, you will be studying and working (not to mention maintaining a social life!) This takes some resilience and needs to be factored into your decision making process. It is not an easy option taking an apprenticeship!

Results Day isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning. Be kind to yourself

Craig Phillips – Employability Lead Northampton Saints Foundation 

Try and take the pressure off yourself on the day!

Self awareness and self confidence are important factors. Get support if these things are suffering under the pressure.

Results day (and the results you achieve) are not as important as you may think. It is not the end of anything, it might change your plans, it might feel like a failure, but it really doesn’t stop you doing anything.

Avoidance is not a solution to managing your feelings. If things feel like they have gone badly it is easy to hide or avoid others. This won’t help in the long run and actually being around your peers can even help you to put it all into perspective and start considering your options.

Avoid comparing yourself to others, and most of all falling into the comparisons on social media. You are you, your story is your own, be kind to yourself.

YOU dictate your next steps! You will get lots of advice, lots of opinions, and even those who are closest to you don’t fully understand how you feel and what you want to do. Make sure you are making the decisions for yourself. Take some time to reflect before running down any paths.

Break things down into small manageable smart goals.  Take the first step and just focus on that. You will amaze yourself with what you can do by just building forward momentum.

Don’t let anyone stick a label on you. Feel free to explore options your way.

Kelsey – Youth Ambassador and Global BITSc Assessor 

Congratulations on all your achievements, Whatever the results, you have achieved so much just getting to this point, and there is so much more to come!

The picture perfect life is not real! If you are feeling the pressure to live up to others just remember you are only seeing a tiny part of anyone’s story.

Be careful of labels that have been put on you, by others but also by your own thinking. You are not an ‘academic’ person or a ‘practical’ person, you are a blend of both, or if you don’t feel you are now that doesnt mean you can’t be if you decide that’s what you want to be, nothing is final and you can always grow and change.

Take opportunities when they come up, they may surprise you. Kelsey took a job in the NHS during the Covid-19 outbreak as little more than a way to be allowed out of her house in Lockdown, and it has led to a career she never considered for a second but loves!

External pressures are normal when making choices for yourself. Gauging how happy you are is the perfect barometer to judge things against.  Is it making you happy, is it something you want to do or are doing it to meet other people’s expectations of you. Always take the route that makes YOU happy, not others.

There is nothing wrong with taking a detour! Dreams do change, keep assessing how you feel and don’t think changing plans is a failure.

Take chances! Dive into opportunities with an open mind, things may help you in ways you never imagined and give you tools that you use in ways you never even thought of.

For more on this watch the webinar…and why not register for the free Young Professional programme and continue to develop your skills through the interactive module?