The recent visit by the BBC to talk about careers to our students in years 7, 8 and 9 was a great success. It was presented in the form of a ‘story-telling’ interview with the BBC host interviewing people who are ‘local’ to the Wirral to talk about their stories and job roles.
The students listened to Adele Upton (Heswall), project engineer for Progressive Energy, talk about how she is working with some of the larger local companies to drastically cut their carbon emissions. Stopping climate change is the awesome number one goal for her company’s employees.
Natalie Reeves Billing (Toxteth) is a successful author of childrens’ books who also writes for the Liverpool Echo. She talked about her passion for writing and the process of how she creates the characters in her books.
Ellis Palmer (Birkenhead) is a respected journalist who works for the BBC and covers international news. Ellis, who has cerebral palsy, talked openly about his disability and how it affects his life on a daily basis. Being creative and staying positive are the ‘soft skills’ he discussed in detail.
Our students excelled in the ‘question and answer’ sessions where a ‘rugby ball microphone’ was used to allow them to ask individual questions. The presenters commented on how well our pupils engaged and a really wide range of career related topics were covered. As well as discussing qualifications and skills needed for specific jobs, areas such as motivation, dealing with anxiety, going to university and apprenticeship routes were all covered.
The encounter with these employers and employees is part of our on-going careers programme and has provoked thought amongst our students in terms of future option choices and the importance of developing ‘soft skills’ in preparation for the world of work.