This event saw a number of external visitors attending school to engage with all students in Year 8. Visitors were asked to bring along an object relating to their job role or industry in which they work, with the idea being that students would ask questions about the object to understand its purpose.

 

Students arrived at the MEC hall and split into small groups to stand with each of the visitors. A timer was set and the students asked as many questions as they could in order to find out more about what the person did for their work and where they worked. After 5 minutes, a whistle was blown and they moved on to the next visitor, once again asking questions to find out about the new person.

  

Some of the feedback from the visitors included:

‘....how well mannered, mature, focused the students were today.’

‘It was a real pleasure to do the event as the students were well behaved and engaged.’ 

‘The students were knowledgeable about careers and the work environment and this was recognised in their questions which they asked.’

‘It was a fantastic event and I was very glad to be invited, thank you! You have some lovely, polite, curious young students who it was a pleasure to meet'.

We would like to thank the following companies for their support with this event: Abingdon & Witney College; Alan Sowden Accountant; Stephen Westmore Arboriculturist; The EngineeringTrust; Sarah Warden Enterprise Adviser; Fortescue Zero; Grundon Waste Management; Hill Group; Morgan Sindell; Oxford Architects; Oxford University Hospitals; Thames Valley Police.

 

 

Whilst our Year 8 students took part in our 'Meet the Employer' event, on the same day, our Year 9 cohort was given the opportunity to explore the world of work with a parent, carer, or a nominated responsible person. This was a one-day visit to a workplace to find out what goes on, and the areas of work and industries on offer were quite amazing.

 

The students were given a booklet which asked them to investigate and find out various pieces of information whilst they were there. Students were asked to find out how many people work there, what type of business it is, and what they offer. The students were also asked to look for health & safety notices, hazard warning notices, and the fire evacuation process. Finally, they are asked to interview one or two people in the business to find out about their jobs, the tasks they do, and the qualifications and skills required.

 

We would like to thank parents and carers for their support and commitment to this process, which we feel is invaluable to our students' exploration of careers and decisions for Post 16 and Post 18 pathways, by helping them become more informed about the world of work.