national careers week launches at ugs

It's National Careers Week and as part of their ongoing provision our Careers department have organised a week's programme of events for students.

It launched today with two events for Year 8, and in-lesson visits for Year 7, that saw us host visiting representatives from the following extensive range of professions and companies:

Senior Programming & Partnership Officer: National Trust

Recruitment Consultant

Landscape Architect: Randall Thorp

Mechanical Aircraft Engineer: RAF

Quantity Surveyor

CEO: Odd Arts

Financial Advisor

Social Worker

Operations Director Waste & Environmental Services

Product Manager: ITV

App Developer: Apadmi

Senior Associate Architect: Pozzoni

Veterinary Surgeon: DEFRA

Marketing Consultant

Clinical Researcher

Mechanical Engineer: Jacobs

Performance Coach: Business

Sustainability Engineer: NHS

Software Engineer: Apadmi

Production Manager Aseptic Services: NHS

Studio Director: BBC Radio

HR Manager: Apadmi

Front Desk Manager: Motel One

Year 8 Live events

Year 8 rotated between two separate events: the first was Careers Networking, pictured above and below in our Main Hall, that presented the students with an invaluable opportunity to move around the space meeting and asking questions of working professionals from the above-listed fields.

This provided a great opportunity for Year 8 to find out more about this plethora of careers, and to field their own specific questions about relevant paths of study, work experience, and the day-to-day realities and experiences of working in sectors that they are, or may be, inspired to be interested in.

Far more interactive than the simple delivery of a Careers talk, this presented the students with an amazing opportunity to engage directly with professionals, and the value of the experience to all was clear to see.

The second event in our Auditorium, and pictured below, was `Guess my Job`:

This informative and fun event gave Year 8 the opportunity to quiz visiting professionals in a bid to work out the sector that they worked in. Again, another great chance for our students to be inspired and motivated first-hand about careers that they may be contemplating, or that they could be inspired to pursue.

Professional representatives visit subject-related Year 7 lessons

Several of the visiting representatives also dropped in to Year 7 lessons in Science and Maths in order to give our students a valuable insight into how these subject areas can both lead to, and contribute towards, career specialisms in: Environmental Services, Architecture, Veterinary Science, and Production Management. 

And they are pictured below engaging our Year 7s in class:

Whole school Careers Quiz

As well as these live events for Year 8 and Year 7, the department also launched a prize draw Careers Quiz to be conducted in form throughout the week by all year groups. The premise is to get students thinking about Careers data, about employment skills, the Xello Careers platform available in school, the pathways pursued by our alumni, and the many options available to take up including undergraduate study, Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships, and Gap years. The quiz is also an enriching and fun opportunity to learn about the academic and working routes taken by staff prior to their careers here at UGS.

Additionally, the department have arranged for many of our students to discuss careers during their lessons this week, and to engage in the National Careers Week Virtual Fair also launching today, that provides many opportunities for students to explore.

As shared in letters emailed to parents and carers last week, this can be accessed at ncw2024.co.uk  and the Parents’ Guide to National Careers Week provides parents with the information that they need to help their teenage children make the right choices to create successful futures after GCSE and Sixth Form.

As the department observes:

Urmston Grammar School is committed to ensuring that all students are informed about their future pathways and career options. We hope that you are finding the weekly Careers Newsletters informative and useful, and that they help you support your child. 

With huge thanks to all the visiting representatives who made the launch of National Careers Week so stimulating for our students, and to our fantastic Careers department for arranging today's activities and those that will be taking place throughout the week.