Pupils at Duke’s secondary school in Northumberland have been gaining an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at some of the region’s biggest employers as part of an ‘Industry Insight’ event.
Pupils in Year 11 and 12 visited employers such as AkzoNobel, Bernicia, ORE Catapult, Northumberland Fire and Rescue and the Centre for Life to help them broaden their understanding of the range of career paths available to them in the local area.
The event follows a pilot programme led by the school and in partnership with North East house builder Bellway, which also has its roots in helping pupils to raise their aspirations and explore career opportunities in sectors they might not otherwise have considered.
Danielle Towers, Head of Sixth Form and Careers at Duke’s Secondary School, explained:
“The pupils of today are the workforce of tomorrow, so it’s absolutely vital that while children and young people are still at school that they have the opportunity to explore as many different employment opportunities as possible, to help them make informed decisions about their futures.
“As part of the Industry Insight event, all of our Year 11 pupils had the opportunity to visit an employer which specialises in a subject area which was relevant to their current studies ahead of their exams in the summer.
“We were incredibly fortunate to gain support from so many fantastic local businesses so a big thank you goes out to everyone who got involved. The pupils all thoroughly enjoyed their experiences and took a lot away from them.”
A cohort of Year 11 and 12 students who had expressed an interest in careers that involve helping others took part in a full day’s work experience at Smart Works’ headquarters in Newcastle, supporting staff and volunteers with tasks such as stock taking, styling and dressing mannequins.
As part of the day, the students also got to participate in some career coaching and enjoyed a ‘working lunch’ with employees from the charity who shared their own experiences and varying routes into working in the sector.
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East said:
“This is a fantastic example of creative careers provision in North East schools. Our region’s schools have led the way in careers education for a number of years now and this needs greater national recognition. Strong links with employers are especially important as the job market is now incredibly competitive and effective careers education is imperative.”
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