Northampton Academy welcomed a number of business organisations and education mentors to run careers workshops and mock interviews with Year 10 students as part of the school’s annual ‘Maximise Your Potential’ day.
‘Maximise Your Potential’ is a careers programme designed to develop students’ understanding of the world of work, to encourage them to think about how they would perform in an interview situation and to help create their first professional CV. Over the past six months, students have received assemblies and presentations outlining what ‘good’ interview technique involves, as well as gaining the opportunity to consider their own personal skills and qualities to include on their C.V.
Students came to school smartly dressed in business clothes, ready for the day and enjoyed the chance to practice a range of professional skills, which will be critical for impressing prospective universities, employers, colleagues and clients.
Over 70 industry volunteers generously gave their time, ensuring that each student received the opportunity to practise their newly discovered interview techniques. Students also attended workshops throughout the day, aimed at exploring everything from researching the right job to making sure they are employment ready. The workshops covered topics such as personal development, interview skills, negotiation, team-building and confidence in careers, led by top local, regional and national businesses and higher educational establishments University of Northampton and Bedford University.
Students relished the opportunity to fine-tune their interview skills with business and educational establishments such as Travis Perkins, Opus Energy, Barclaycard, and many more.
Year 10 student Nathan said:
“I want to be a football coach when I’m older and one of the mentors gave me an insight into coaching methods, drawing on her own experience, to command respect and get the best out of those I’m coaching. She advised me that, if during an interview, there is an awkward silence, that I should not be hasty and jump in to say something, as this can show impatience to the interviewer. Having patience is a valuable asset when working with children. I intend to stay at Northampton Academy Sixth Form after Year 11 to study triple PE and English and then go on to study football coaching and management course at UFCB, Manchester. This day has really helped me and inspired me to achieve this goal”.
Ms Coles, Careers and Enterprise manager and event organiser said:
“We were delighted to see so many business volunteers sharing their career expertise and pathways knowledge to guide students towards the important decisions they will make Post-16. On behalf of everyone at the academy, I would like to thank all the visitors for giving their time to this event, which was well received by all involved and an amazing learning experience for our students. We could not offer opportunities such as these without their continuous and generous support.”