Year 11, 12 and 13 students at Friesland School and Sixth Form were given the opportunity to gain an invaluable insight into potential next steps in the world of work, further and higher education and training on Thursday 14th October 2021. Friesland’s Performing Arts Centre and Sixth Form building were the venues for a marketplace careers fair with participation from the following organisations: Lubrizol, Microlise, Confetti College, ASK Apprenticeships, GXO Logistics, Prostart, Royal Navy, Webs Furniture Training, Derby County Community Trust, Joined Up Careers , WSP Engineering, Confetti College, EMA Apprenticeships, DANCOP, White Rose Academy, Nottingham Trent University, Loughborough University, University of Derby and the University of Lincoln.
The day started with an aspirational talk in the hall from Liam Jackson – a regional adviser at the Careers and Enterprise Company. The key message to students was to ask questions and look at the many opportunities available in the region and beyond whilst keeping an open mind. He underlined the need for a strong work ethic and resilience.
Students then had time to visit the Market Place and were able to ask questions and receive advice on potential future pathways. Students opted to attend presentations, which focused upon particular career strands and training opportunities, including: DANCOP focussing upon routes into Higher Education and Employability, Creative Careers ,including Confetti College, Derby County Community Trust, with whom Friesland already work in partnership, on careers in sport, Construction – DEBP, Health and Social Care -Joined Up Careers, WSP – Engineering with Will Hempell, another member of Friesland’s alumni, and Lubrizol who delivered an informative session about careers in science. Careers in ICT/Computing and Logistics were also explored, including a talk from Microlise, based in Eastwood who regularly seek to recruit from Friesland and GXO Logistics who proved to be very popular, not least for their Ted Baker gifts and kitchen aprons !
At a time of year when year 11,12 and 13 students are seriously considering their future options, this event was scheduled to offer as much independent and impartial guidance as possible. Clare Hodgson, Careers Adviser, was able to support students in making applications for courses during the event and Unifrog was used extensively to help students with careers research and CV development.
Craig Patterson, Headteacher, expressed his thanks to the wide range of participants who contributed to this productive event and reminded local and national training organisations and businesses that Friesland welcomes links with them. He commented: ‘This has become an integral part of our careers provision and links strongly with our ambition and aspiration agenda for all students. We want our students to have as many contacts with the world of work as possible. For our students, we see it as an aspirational activity and believe that it will help to inspire them to achieve the best possible outcomes in the summer 2022 examinations.’
Mat Puddy, Leader of Sixth Form and Careers Lead, stated how good it was to be able to return to face to face networking and careers guidance for Friesland students and thanked all contributors for their support in this invaluable event. In total, over 40 visitors attended the event, alongside nearly 350 students, who decided to take advantage of this opportunity.
If you are interesting in supporting careers provision and guidance at Friesland please contact Matthew.Puddy@friesland.ttct.co.uk