Withernsea High School’s careers evening and futures fair aimed to promote different routes into employment including pathways through further and higher education, or through training and apprenticeship opportunities. It also brought together employers from a diverse range of sectors including finance, legal, media, engineering, renewable energy and healthcare to help highlight a broad selection of potential careers.

Among those in attendance were representatives from Smailes Goldie Accountants, RWE Renewable Energy, Rollits Solicitors, Centrica Storage, Holderness Health, Martin Williams Hull (Ltd) and Cranswick Country Foods (Preston). Public services including Humberside Fire and Rescue, Humberside Police and the British Army were also present.   

Helping to promote further learning opportunities were representatives from colleges including Wilberforce, Wyke, Bishop Burton, East Riding and Hull, and the sixth forms at Hornsea School and St Mary’s Secondary School.

In addition, independent careers advice providers including Skills Hull and East Riding, Log on Move on, and Women into Manufacturing and Engineering (WiME) were also in attendance. Dr Kirsty Clode, chairwoman of WiME, said: “We enjoyed a lot of varied and positive conversations with young people and their parents/carers. It was a very worthwhile event.”

Purposely held in the evening to enable parents and carers to attend alongside their children, this year’s event attracted approximately 150 families who took advantage of the opportunity to access first-hand information in the community about the availability of further learning and employment opportunities across the county and beyond.

School careers leader, Viki Foster, said: “We are delighted to provide an opportunity for parents, carers and their children to access information, advice and guidance from a variety of sources in the heart of their own community. Last year, we made the decision to move our careers fair to an evening timeslot and we are delighted to have built on the success of this for a second year. It is a move that has not only boosted engagement from employers and education providers, it has also proven popular with the members of our school community – providing a platform for meaningful careers conversations and interactions.

“I would like to thank the many companies and organisations who supported the event for their contribution towards making it such a great success. These events simply couldn’t happen without them. I would also like to thank all the students and their families who joined us to explore their futures.”

Reflecting on the importance of the careers evening as a platform to promote opportunities, Viki continued: “For our year 9 students, the timing of the event coincided with them beginning the selection process for the GCSE subjects that will begin to shape their pathways for post-16 study and employment. For our year 10 students, who have already begun thinking about their formal progression to post-16 destinations, the event provided an opportunity for direct interaction with education and training providers as they explore their next steps.

“Meanwhile, for our year 11 students, the event came just twelve weeks before the start of the summer examination period. While many of the cohort will already have a clear idea of their post-16 plans, we hope that the careers fair has helped to reinforce existing decisions for some, while helping to promote and inspire new opportunities for others who remain unsure.”

This year’s event fell within National Apprenticeship Week - a collaboration between businesses and apprentices across the country to celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

Helping to promote apprenticeship routes at the careers fair were representatives from HETA (Humberside Engineering Training Association) and Catch Apprenticeships. Yvonne Kershaw, outreach and engagement coordinator with Catch, said: “It was a great event and a great opportunity to network with other companies and providers. The students I met had a good understanding of engineering and had done some prior research on the six specialised engineering and operations-based apprenticeship programmes, encompassing mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, process operations, welder, metal fabricator and pipefitting specialisms, that Catch can offer.

“We work with over 300 employers in sectors such as chemicals, oil and gas, cosmetics, food and drink, energy and pharmaceuticals and our apprenticeships align directly with industry requirements and will provide a pathway to fantastic career opportunities in exciting and innovative companies.”

Viki Foster added: “Apprenticeships are a fantastic way for students to gain hands-on experience of work, whilst earning money and securing vital qualifications. Students can either find their own placement with an employer, who will then work with a college to provide the necessary training and qualification, or the students can go through a college or independent training provider to be placed with one of their available apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships are great for students who know what career path they want to follow. They will gain vital skills for employment and experience of the workplace - something which is highly desired by employers. Students can also enter degree-level apprenticeships, usually after A Levels or BTEC Level 3 or advanced level apprenticeships, and can gain relevant degree level qualifications whilst earning and gaining work experience.”

ABOVE: Withernsea High School’s Careers Evening and Futures Fair returned for a second year, attracting over 250 visitors throughout the course of the evening. 

ABOVE: Among those in attendance were representatives from the City Health Care Partnership who were on-hand to promote careers in the healthcare sector.

ABOVE: Humberside Fire and Rescue were among the public services that were represented at the event, with the crew from Withernsea Fire Station in attendance. 

ABOVE: Renewable energy providers, RWE, brought a virtual reality experience to the event. 

ABOVE: Hull College were among the colleges and further education providers who booked a stall at the event.

ABOVE: Local businesses were also in attendance, with the Holderness Gazette’s Zoe Broom and Sam Hawcroft helping to promote media opportunities and the town’s Blue Light Weekend. 

ABOVE: Community Officer, Vicky Pennington, attended the event alongside Officer Darren Bainton to promote the role of the police. 

ABOVE: Skills Hull and East Yorkshire were among the impartial careers advice providers who attended. Through their website they provide labour market information and promote emerging job opportunities. 

ABOVE: The event attracted over 35 stall holders from the world of business and education.

ABOVE: The event fell within National Apprenticeship Week. Helping to promote apprenticeship opportunities in a variety of specialisms were Catch Apprenticeships.