Welcome 2013...

Things have been hectic at the DiVA HQ, I’ve starred in my first movie (lol), organized and attended several events, our team has grown, new apprentices have joined and we’re on the hunt for a new office! Though I enjoyed my Christmas break it’s nice to get back to work. 

So, important things first – my acting debut. I starred in a video showcasing the experiences of apprentices.  The video was commissioned by the National Apprenticeship Service and has gone viral. There was a write up in the Evening Standard and my local press is interested in doing a piece on me, their local star!  You can view the video here. 

Team DiVA have grown. Annette Telesford has joined as our Apprenticeship Training Coordinator. We've also helped four young people secure apprenticeships in Design and Creative and Digital Media. It's lovely to see new faces and watch the team and business expand. Though our newfound numbers have us playing musical chairs in the office. We need to find a bigger office, sharpish. Get on it Bryony :). 

Moving on, the lead DiVA (Arit Eminue) has been sharing her words of wisdom this month. She spoke at an event called 'Be Your Own Boss' where she gave her top tips on building your business and dispelled the myths of multi-tasking. The turn out was great; her talk was really informative and engaging. I had made an awesome slideshow to go with it; unfortunately due to technical difficulties no one saw it. :( I'll save it for next time. 

Doug Richards, Arit Eminue and Benedict Hazan

We had another event, slightly different to the previous, called 'The Apprentice' open to start-ups interested in taking on apprentices or interns. Chaired by Doug Richards (ex-Dragon's Den judge, serious moneymaker& Founder of School for Start-Ups) Arit was joined by Benedict Hazan (Head of Innovation, Inspiring Interns) Bryony also said a few words. All  speakers thoroughly explained what apprenticeships and internships were, how they could benefit a start up business and shared their opinions (this time my slideshow was seen :). It was held at The Hospital club in Covent Garden; it was a brilliant venue. 


On to other news, I represented DiVA at a meeting at BAFTA along with a line up of senior executives across film and TV at BAFTA. The aim of the meeting was to brainstorm innovative ways to let young people know about the different job roles in films so they can make informed decisions about the education route they wish to take.  Other topics included ideas on helping graduates secure employment that did not necessarily include working for free. 

I found this meeting interesting, being someone currently going through the process of deciding which career path to take. It was a brilliant opportunity to network and be involved in a discussion that has great relevance to myself. 

So what’s next? 

Well, we have an event next week for businesses in Hackney looking to take on apprentices.  We’re also planning events for National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) which takes place on the 11th-15th March. The purpose is to raise the profile of apprenticeships with employers and young people. 

So far I’ll be flying the DiVA flag at the Woolwich Job Centre Apprenticeship Day.  Most likely we’ll be doing a live Q&A on twitter – so if there’s a topic you’re interested in discussing let me know. 

I’ve got a fair bit of training lined up to.  Arit encouraged me to attend two marketing courses one of which focuses purely on Social Media Marketing.  I'm really looking forward to it; it will give me the opportunity to build on the skills I have been developing over the past months. I’m also back at College during the week of 18^th Feb.  Yay! I really enjoy the learning aspect of my apprenticeship. There's always some fresh and exciting element being added, making it a lot more interactive and engaging. Last time we visited IPC media who publish magazines such as Marie Claire and Look (my favourite). The Marketing Director from Revolver Entertainment also came to see us and delivered a masterclass on the Marketing Campaign for Plan B’s directorial debut 'Ill Manner's'. 

Finally, I’m DESPERATELY trying to get Arit to let me attend London Fashion Week. I can go in so far as I can get an interview with a designer for our DiVA Inspire brand.  Any advice or contacts – please send my way! 

4 months into my apprenticeship, I love it, I’m learning something new everyday and building vital skills that will help me prosper in the future.

Can't really complain can I? 

Follow me on twitter - @SeleneShaw_Diva

FaceBook - Selene Shaw (Selene Diva)

For the latest apprenticeships visit our website

Time to catch up...

Hey guys :) it's been a while since my last post, boy do we have some catching up to do.

I had been planning for Skills London (largest UK skills and Careers event), and it's stressful keeping everything organised. My budget was £2K to cover all costs, it seems a lot but you'd be surprised. I chose and ordered DiVAs promotional merchandise for the event. It's surprising all the ways to promote your company, from mugs to fuzzy logo bugs, you name it, they can brand it. In preparation for the event I was also coordinating our stand at a careers event at Anglo European School. As you can imagine, I've been a busy busy bee.

After all my preparation it was just my luck to contract the plague the week of the events. Okay, I didn't have the plague but I felt pretty awful. I missed our school event :( but had no time to feel sad, Skills London was 2 days away and I needed to get better QUICK.

After digesting every Caribbean medicinal concoction you can imagine, I dragged myself to work and got down to business. I like to forward plan so with not much to do I focused on the finishing touches.

I redesigned our student flyers; they arrived and looked awesome, as did our new branded carrier bags and
oyster card wallets. Someone at Skills London said the oyster cards were 'SWAG', I was well chuffed.

Skills London is a brilliant event, both to exhibit at and attend. There was a huge footfall and our flyers flew like hotcakes. It was a great networking opportunity; so many companies were interested in us.

We've also been invited to a careers event at a school in Croydon and I have meetings in my diary with potential new clients and partners. Check me out; I need to get a Filofax. I'm attending these meetings on my own so you can imagine, I'm feeling very grown up these days. Overall, Skills London was a major success. I was relieved to be rid of the pressure of organising my first event that didn't end up in flames.

Previously, A New Direction asked us to speak to some young unemployed people in search of job opportunities. There were around 6 people in the room. I can't stand public speaking, so was a tad anxious. Strangely once I started, I couldn't stop rambling on. I found it easy as I was talking about my experiences, to people in a position I was in, not too long ago. I wanted to inspire and advise them. In the end I really enjoyed it and would like to do something similar in the future.

I finally had my first week at college . My first workshop was Video Production. I've been looking forward to it. Throughout the week we covered all the process's involved in a production including, pre-production, filming and post-production.

We filmed vox pops in Edgware Road Market, which I loved. It was exciting talking to different types of people and anticipating their answers and reactions to our questions: "Can you define love?" "Do you have a pet?". I filmed the majority of the vox pops which gave me a chance to work on my camera skills.

My favourite part was the post-production; I've been dying to get my hand on some Final Cut Pro (FCP) software. I've never used it so had a little explore whilst editing my footage. I felt quiet intimidated using FCP in the past but it wasn't as tough as I thought it would be.

I will definitely purchase the software to continue practising. Come the end of the week I was really proud with my final product. Now I'm even more enthusiastic about filming and editing creative footage.

In more current news, I recently conducted a live Q&A about apprenticeships on Twitter. I thought it would be a creative way to get people interacting with DiVA's Twitter while answering FAQ's. It went pretty well and we got a load of followers out of it.

More events on the horizon in January; I'm organising a talk for entrepreneurs and start-up companies supported by School for Start-ups, founded by Doug Richards. FYI Doug Richards is an ex-Dragons Den judge in case you didn't realise how major this is. Plus, another event bubbling away for employers in Hackney....

I've got a meeting with my assessor Mark Gurney who's helping me secure some interviews with some pretty amazing people for our new DiVA Inspire segment launching soon. I could tell you the names of who we'll be interviewing but that will spoil the surprise. I guess you'll have to stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out the interview I did with our apprentice Mulenga Kasoma who has been offered a job by her employer.

Well it's the end of 2012 and DiVA are closing up for the Christmas Holidays. So I'll see you all on the other side. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Toodles :)

Follow me on twitter - @SeleneShaw_Diva

FaceBook - Selene Shaw (Selene Diva)

For the latest apprenticeships visit our website