Our National Careers Week built on our on-going activities through the school year – including parent sessions, surveys, employer visits and employability workshops – and saw a wide range of activities including guest speakers from ASK Apprenticeships and GE Next Engineers, as well as a visit to a Careers Fair at Lichfield’s Guildhall.
ASK Apprenticeships delivered an apprenticeship awareness assembly to Year 10 students giving them vital information on what an apprenticeship is and what they entail. Going into detail about the varying levels of apprenticeships and identifying large employers that offer apprenticeship opportunities as an alternative route to further and higher education career pathway routes. They uncovered the amount of exciting apprenticeship opportunities available in the local area. Students were given information on how to find apprenticeships and search different sectors to embark on exciting careers. Later on in the week students from all year groups had the opportunity to visit our apprenticeship and careers stand in school to gather more information about this route.
After last year’s success we were again joined by Liam, an ambassador from GE Next Engineers. A selection of Year 9 and 10 students were informed about engineering careers, alongside an incredible summer school experience which is a week-long free programme for students interested in engineering. Throughout the summer school students get involved in designing, building, finding solutions to everyday problems and getting hands-on with tasks. Engineering skills and interests have led people into the multitudes of career paths around engineering. The Engineering Experience invites students to explore and imagine themselves in different engineering fields while teaching them various skills, including design thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.
For more information on this engineering project click here.
Elsewhere, selection of Year 12 students visited the Guildhall in Lichfield to visit a careers fair. Students were presented with an abundance of information exhibits from universities, employers and apprenticeship providers to help them with the decisions they are facing with their post-18 options. There were many questions from students to the providers about course options, requirements and the application process. The careers fair was in partnership with Lichfield Cathedral School and was a well-organised and informative local event.
More broadly, we had assemblies targeted at specific Year groups so that our PSHE provision matched to age and stage, there were break-time drop in stalls, a poster campaign to raise awareness, as well as tutor time activities too.
Helen Barratt, Assistant Headteacher & Careers Leader, said; “National Careers Week is a great countrywide event but for us it is just part of our on-going careers and aspirations package which drive sour students to aim high and make the most of everything that life has to offer. Recent weeks have seen employability workshops, parental talks on gap years, ex-students dropping back to describe post-school experiences, and employers coming in to meet with student specially hoping to follow in their footsteps. By harnessing ambition we can encourage pour students to do their very best, and this week has only added to the overall climate on this.”
To review the external judgements on our schools careers provision click here.
