Eight Year 9 students had the opportunity to take part in a three day Hounslow Council Careers Cluster Kickstart employability programme.

Day 1- A range of workshops led by Spark, focusing on employability skills and career pathways. 

The focus was for students to develop knowledge about different job sectors and roles. Looking at what employability skills are the most useful in the workplace and the importance of professionalism. Representatives from BP and the Environment Agency came into school to talk about opportunities and the skills needed for roles at the organisation.  Students took part in interactive activities  throughout the day.

 

   

Day 2- Industry insight day at Kier.

Students took part in interactive workshops and met with a range of employees. Employees spoke to the students about their roles and the services they provide. Students took part in a straw challenge, to work on a brief set by the employer. The students had to present their designs to a panel of employers, using persuasive skills to pitch their ideas.

 

         

Day 3- Workshops delivered  by Spark to reflect on the insight day.

Students had the opportunity to practice interview questions with support from employers.

Student feedback

I enjoyed the 3 day workshop so much. I did lots of games and activities and I learnt a lot about Kier. I enjoyed the school trip. I enjoyed when we were inside the office with computers to see about computer work. I enjoyed the last day of the workshop. We were pretending to be in a meeting. Adam Khalif [9W]

It was brilliant because we got to meet new people and we went on a trip to Kier. We did lots of activities and at the end, we got to see the office. The next day, we played games and spoke about jobs which we want to do in the future. I enjoyed the workshop. Ayush Busawah [9W]

The workshop was nice as it showed me what real work looks like in life and the experience of working in an office. I also liked how we got to talk to the people at work and how people came in to talk to us about how they went to university and their experiences while doing their jobs. Soma Salam [9P]

They taught us about different job sectors and gave us information about how to make applications and prepare for interviews. It was very educational and I learnt about some jobs in which I might be interested in the future. The trip to a construction place was interesting and I learnt about working in an office or a big corporate company. Daisy Collier [9P]