Business role models visited our Academy to help Year 11 students learn about different career paths.

The Academy joined forces with Connexions, a service which provides young people with careers advice, to put on two workshops where students could learn about apprenticeships and talk to business leaders about their careers and lives and how they overcame barriers to enter employment.

The event was called Barriers to Progression and was attended by about 40 students.

Senior Assistant Principal Andrea Callender said: “The event targeted 40 Year 11 students who we felt needed some career guidance and motivation.

 “The speakers talked to them about their options and gave them a better understanding of what opportunities are out there.

“They also spoke to them about the qualities that employers are looking for and how it is important to have the right attitude and to be confident and well spoken.

“One of our speakers was a former council director and he told us that he thought our students were really focused and were good communicators.

“Afterwards the students said they thought the event had given them a better idea about the career paths they wanted to take and some of them are now considering apprenticeships.”

Among the speakers at the event was David Halford (pictured) from Connexions.

He said: “I’d like to thank all the Year 11 students who asked interesting and relevant questions.

“It was a pleasure to meet the students and I’d like to thank the Academy for its positive feedback.”

Janine Hendry from apprenticeship company NITAL also took part in the event.

She said: “I’d also like to thank the Year 11 group for their interest and politeness.

“They approached each question very well and were so well behaved.

“I’d like to thank them for making me feel welcome.”

In February , Year 9 will receive a talk about careers in the NHS and in March, Year 10 students will receive a talk from a solicitor about legal careers.