On 4th March we welcomed 62 visitors from all over the UK to take part in our Careers Q&A event. Professionals ranging from Civil Engineers, nurses to TV Presenters visited the academy and engaged with students.
Our guests were assigned to tutor groups where they were questioned by students on how they got into their field of choice.
All Saints’ Academy’s Head of Careers, Julie Parr said “Our young people need to be able to have the right experiences, information and guidance to be able to find out what careers are best for them. Employers put exposure to work and employability skills like team working, determination, and the ability to communicate effectively, at the top of their wish list when looking to recruit. National Careers Week is an excellent opportunity to highlight the range of careers available to young people entering the workforce, the variety of qualification pathways and the skills that are at the top of the wish list for employers.”
Sixth Form student Ines Barouk, 18, said ‘TV presenter Ali was so helpful and inspired me to become a presenter even more than before!’
Year 10 student Magdalena Kroliczak,15, commented ‘I found it very interesting and educational. I’ve learnt a lot more about career paths. We had a lot of questions to ask the people that came in.’
Ruth Hall from Prospect Training Services said ‘I think the event was well organised. It was a really good platform for meaningful engagement with learners, not people talking at them but with them. This is something you don’t get to do at careers fairs.’
Tonya Meers from Little Creative Days said ‘Thank you for inviting me to your careers week it was a pleasure to be involved. I know it can be quite daunting for students these days wondering what they might like to do for a career and I think it’s useful for them to hear how other people’s careers have developed and the variety of jobs that are out there.’
Ali Defoy, Jewellery Maker TV Presenter said ‘I had a lovely time, it was a pleasure and great to meet so many fantastic students!’
At All Saints’ Academy we embrace National Careers Week with a full program of events aimed at raising aspirations and broadening horizons. We will bring together students, local employers and advisers through careers events and activities throughout the week.
National Careers Week is a celebration of careers guidance and employment opportunities across the UK. The aim is to provide a focus for careers guidance activity at an important stage in the academic calendar to help support young people when leaving education. At a time of high youth unemployment there has never been a bigger need for careers guidance to be promoted and celebrated in education. National Careers Week is our platform to advise and inspire our next generation as they enter the world of work.
We are also offering 3 further events:
9th March "Working Lunch" – Employers from a variety of industries are joining us for lunch, students can sign up to come along to meet employers and gather information.
11th March Skillsfest at Growth Hub, Oxstalls Campus – 50 year 9 students attending this event, an opportunity for career exploration with "have a go" sessions.
14th March Apprenticeship "speed dating" – A range of employers offering apprenticeship opportunities spend approximately 5 minutes talking to small groups of students about how their organisation and apprenticeship scheme. Employers rotate to next group, so students will meet a wide range of people.