A huge thank you to everyone who supported Sidcot’s Careers afternoon on 22 February 2024. A varied programme of speakers and guests allowed each year group to meet with representatives from the world of work, higher education and apprenticeships, gaining valuable insights into various careers and pathways that could await them in the future.
We had the return of the Year 7 NHS competition, ‘Win your Height in Easter Eggs’. To launch the afternoon, we were lucky to hear about the varied opportunities in nursing with thanks to Libby for sharing her insight into working in the NHS. We look forward to announcing the winner of the Year 7 Competition.
Year 8 were given a lovely virtual tour of The Eden Project followed by an enterprise project designing something for their shop, meeting the Quaker ethos of sustainability and protecting our planet. Again, watch this space for the winners of this project!
A wide range of careers were represented by so many fantastic businesses for our Year 10 and 11 speed networking. This was extremely popular and we were incredibly fortunate with the support we received from parents, local businesses and alumni. The range was broad and inspiring, from Blue Sky Physio to an amazing choice of animal options in veterinary medicine, consulting, deaf teaching and more. It allowed students to hear first-hand about a range of career opportunities from architecture, Norland Nanny, and the food industry, to civil engineering and creating Hinkley Point. We always love the props and discussions that take place, bringing the world of work into our school day, and enabling students to make connections to very real futures.
This was followed by a growth mindset talk in The Meeting House from Inspired Education's Junior Saunders. It was lively and informative, and answered some excellent questions from the students.
Year 11 had a carousel of choices available to them. They were introduced to the different tasks of a forensic psychologist in a session delivered by Newcastle University; it looked at witness statements, interview techniques and more besides. There was a very lovely and lively trip to the Pony and Trap where they tried some delicious food and learnt about the realities of growing and owning a business. The low ropes at Mendip also produced some great skill development, all ready for assessment centres and working together – despite a really wet and windy week! Plymouth Arts University came all the way in the rain to introduce those with creative interests to the digital world of film and game art. Introducing students to the opportunity of studying at a higher level meant their skills were stretched into a new creative area. Last, but by no means least, the other students learnt of the Secrets of the Dark Web, a workshop delivered by Cardiff Metropolitan University.
There is plenty of research into the subject of school students lacking work-ready skills. To enable our Year 12 students to gain a headstart in developing their brand and profile they were introduced to the skills and opportunities of networking via one of our partners Future Smart. This was followed by our Digital Marketing Executive, Georgie Bower, who talked about the professional networking opportunities available on Linkedin. We were really excited to see the students put their skills in action in an informal networking session with our employers, parents and Sidcotians.
A highlight of the afternoon was the return of alumni to share insights with Year 13 students on life beyond Sidcot. We were treated to many different perspectives and the feedback from the Sixth Form students was that it was really positive and interesting hearing from older, more experienced Sidcotians who had already made a move into the world of work. Year 13 were also able to engage in a talk about the transition to University life from the University of Sheffield or a leadership workshop from Glion La Roche School of Hospitality.
Thank you to all who came to the event and all who helped facilitate a busy, productive afternoon.
Find out more about Sidcot Careers here: