After the October break our very own credit union – TARGET - will open for business. This is the first credit union to operate in a secondary school in Dundee and we hope that as many pupils as possible will take advantage of this opportunity to get into the habit of saving for their own ‘TARGET’.

Initially the credit union will be available for S6 pupils to encourage them to save for all the expenditure they will have, including Leavers Hoodies, Year Book and of course the Final Fling. However, before Christmas other year groups will have the opportunity to join the Credit Union and get into the saving habit!

The Credit Union is completely flexible and savers can choose to save as much or as little as they can afford. Collections will take place weekly but there is no obligation to deposit money every week. Also, when an individual leaves school they can transfer their account to Dundee Credit Union and continue to save for the future.

Pupils in S6 have been given the opportunity to apply for the position of Teller which will help them develop important life and employment skills.

GROVE ACADEMY PUPILS GAIN A REAL INSIGHT INTO THE BUSINESS WORLD

A two-day Business Dynamics Programme was held at the Michelin Training Facility for Business Studies pupils in S6 on Thursday 19^th and Friday 20^th September.

The Programme is a registered educational charity that aims to bring business to life for students. Over the two days, business people led seminars in the areas of human resources, marketing, town planning, production and engineering. Speakers who gave time out of their busy work schedules were Gillian Kemp from NHS Tayside, Marc Cant from P&G, Mel Shepherd from Construction Skills, Colin Campbell from Campbell Constructions and Bill Hutchison from Adam Smith College. Working in groups the pupils were required to solve real-life problems and to report their findings.

The pupils involved are currently studying Higher or Int 2 Business Management, Higher Administration and Higher Accounting. The event not only allows pupils an insight into the world of business but also develops the Core Skills of working with others, problem solving and communication – skills essential in whatever career a pupil might follow.

Further information regarding the Business Dynamics conference can be obtained from Nicholas Kidd, Programme Manager: nicholaskydd@eventfull.biz or 0845 2020143.

On Monday 25th March, 12 S4 pupils were given the opportunity to visit the board room of FourM Accountancy. This was an excellent opportunity for pupils studying Standard Grade Accounts and Finance to find out more about the world of accountancy and put their learning into a real life context. Pupils were given a short introduction by John McLaren, a partner at Four-M Accountancy about his role and pursuing a career in accountancy.

Shona Bryce, Accounts Manager, then put pupils accounting skills to the test by presenting them with a pack of financial information relating to a company and pupils had to use their problem solving and analysing skills to work out a number of key financial indicators as well as suggesting reasons for fluctuations in the figures between financial quarters and give an indication as to how the business was performing and what financial advise they would give to this business.

Many thanks to Shona and John for giving up their time to share their expertise and knowledge!

On Wednesday, November 14, during Talking Tayside Contact Centre Week, 

a group of business studies pupils from Grove Academy visited the Jobcentre Plus contact centre in Dundee.  Talking Tayside (www.talkingtayside.co.uk) was initiated by Dundee City Council in 2000. The forum is a public private partnership, established to develop the contact centre industry in Tayside and to promote a positive image of the industry in the community.

 “We’ve been arranging for school pupils to visit the contact centres in Dundee, Angus and Perth for several years,” said Susan Sidey, chair of Talking Tayside, the public private partnership initiated by Dundee City Council to develop and promote the local contact centre industry. “Spending time in a contact centre is an excellent way to dispel misconceptions about working in this industry, and to highlight the excellent career opportunities it can provide.”

During their visit to the Jobcentre Plus contact centre, the fifth and sixth year pupils found out more about what goes on in a contact centre and the career opportunities available in this dynamic and innovative industry. “They had the opportunity to see the theories, technologies and skills they’re learning about in the classroom in the context of a modern working environment,” said Mrs Fiona Rae, Grove Academy Business Studies teacher, who accompanied the pupils on their visit.

 “The contact centre industry is a significant employer in the Tayside area,” added Talking Tayside’s Susan Sidey. “With many high profile companies and public sector organisations having major contact centres here, including SSE, Tesco and Jobcentre Plus, it’s important to let local young people know what working in a  contact centre is about, which is why school visits are a key element of Talking Tayside Contact Centre Week.”