As a school we work hard on our careers and aspirations work and have now been identified as a lead school in Staffordshire by the Careers & Enterprise Council (CEC).
As well as out school model, we also seek to sue the business partnerships we have made to arrange individual an bespoke work and professional experiences for students so they are as well equipped as possible as they prepare for university and the workplace.
Isabel Ainsworth (Y12) recently had a week’s work experience at Pinnegar Hayward as a support to her university and career aspirations related to potentially becoming an architect. Pinnegar Hayward are a well-respected architect and project management service based in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham and Isabel outlined her experience working there:
“I completed a week of work experience at Pinnegar Hayward Design, Birmingham. Through this experience I was able to gain an insight into the daily working life of an architect; the types of projects they work on, the people they work with, the software they use and the skills they need. The week was invaluable both in helping me prepare for university applications and in reaffirming my career choice.
The main point I took from that week was that architecture as a job is very different to what is presented in a university talk. The drawing elements and design are, of course, integral but what isn’t advertised is the people skills needed when talking to clients or the patience and attention to detail required when compiling all of the necessary documents and plans needed. Therefore, my work experience gave me a more realistic view of the profession. While I was there, I was able to attend team meetings and a Continuing Professional Development Seminar which were both very engaging. The practice that I was in specialised in commercial and healthcare buildings and while this is not the vein of architecture I want to pursue it did give me an idea of other opportunities.
Meeting other people already working in the field was very important to me. I heard about their education and the projects that they were working on. They were also able to give me more information about alternative jobs still inside the construction industry. Some of the employees were Part One or Two students working and being paid until they qualified and became Architects. This gave me an idea of what I could be doing during my years in placement at university. The architect that oversaw my work experience also took me to a furniture store nearby to show the professional, working relationships that businesses like these form.
One of my favourite parts of the week was getting the chance to use industry standard software to bring a design I developed (based on the brief they gave me) to life. The architects there helped me to learn Revit and Enscape in order to show my ideas. I created plans, elevations, sections and renders that will all be going in my university portfolio.
On a practical level, my work experience also meant I learnt how to commute, manage my own time better and work in a professional environment.”
Helen Barratt, Assistant Headteacher and Careers Lead, said: “We are very grateful to Pinnegar Hayward who pulled together a great package for Isabel and we know she got a lot out of it. We have a strong suite of careers and aspirations sessions for all Year groups but we are a school well-ready to go the extra mile for every student and in this case we arranged this bespoke experience for Isabel. If we can help provide the individual spark for any student then we always will.”
