Year 9 students from St Benedict’s Catholic High School have recently taken part in their annual World of Work Day, giving them an insight into what life will be like after their school education.
Over 180 students spent the day working with local businesses in a variety of tasks which were organised by the school working in conjunction with Inspira.
The event, saw nearly 50 ambassadors from a variety of different vocations, as well as representatives from Inspira, put the students through their paces in a bid to prepare them for the world of work.
Steve Bridgman, Acting Headteacher at St Benedict’s commented: “I am very pleased that once again we have been able to host our World of Work event here at St Benedict’s School. We have been supported again this year by so many local employers, businesses and service providers, who have given our students a real sense of what the world of work is like.”
“I would also like to thank all those staff who helped in any way to support this event, and also the students for engaging so well with the process.”
Vicky Ritson from Inspira helped to organise the event. She said: “We are delighted with how the World of Work morning has gone at St Benedict’s. This was made possible by generous volunteers from a diverse range of local businesses. Initial feedback from students has been very positive.”
The students were placed in ‘speed dating styled’ Meet and Greet situations, which saw them interviewing a variety of different employers about their chosen discipline and grilling them on the hard hitting questions about their job.
Representatives from a wide range of firms including the British Army, Specsavers, Sellafield Ltd, J Edgar & Son, and NHS were all on hand to advise students on their vocations and offer them top tips for future interviews and applications.
Vicky O’Brien, Specialist Occupational Therapist for the NHS organised over ten delegates to attend. She said: “Our Local NHS staff attend many careers events within Cumbria to showcase the wide variety of careers available within the organisation. These events are extremely valuable for students to see what careers are on offer, and they allow them to find out more about different routes into a wide variety of careers.”
The day also saw the students involved in workshops with Inspira who ran two sessions with the students: ‘Team Building and Communication Skills’ and ‘The Chocolate Box’, which raised awareness of the range and levels of jobs available to young people after education.
Nathalie Hannan, Tutor Team Leader Year 9 said that the day is key in highlighting to students what skills and attributes are needed to be successful: “We are very keen that our students gain an understanding of the world of work before choosing their GCSE options and we are committed to giving them the opportunity to meet people from a range of professions, as well as learning about training and what is on offer.”
She also acknowledged the many former students who returned to St Benedict’s now in the capacity of employee representatives: “In addition to the many different companies we welcomed, it has also been a great addition to have former students return as well. They are a fine example to our current students and show them the wide range of possibilities that are available in the local area.”
