Career Event inspires Sixth Formers

At the end of November, Lancing’s Sixth Form students spent a Saturday morning meeting OLs and parents to hear about a wide range of seminars focused on seven different sectors. This is the third year in which 'Careers in Depth' has been run and it has become a popular part of the My Future programme.

The objective of ‘Careers in Depth’ is to bring experts from across each of the seven sectors which were identified as being of greatest interest. This year we covered Law, Engineering, Financial Services, Medicine, Biosciences, Arts & Media and Business & Management.

Each year we receive feedback from the event which helps its continued development; for example, based on last year’s feedback, Arts & Media was introduced as a new sector in 2021. In each session a hosted panel of experts shared information about their role and anticipated changes in their sector. Many experts are also in positions where they are recruiting graduates and therefore their knowledge of what recruiters are looking for is of considerable value. Pupils heard from OLs ranging from some who are at university, others in their first/second jobs and many more in senior positions. Following the sessions, panellists enjoyed catching up with their teachers and having lunch in the Dining Hall.

In this year’s survey, our pupils told us that the event is really appreciated; the quality and expertise of speakers is excellent, and the sessions are very informative; the opportunity to ask questions in an interactive forum was particularly enjoyed. Pupils were clearly inspired by the event: 46% said the sessions had given them new ideas to investigate, and 45% had been enthused to spend more time investigating certain careers.

Various themes came from discussions held at the sessions, for example that it is important not being too anxious about what the future might be, but to use these opportunities to keep learning about different options. Equally important was the message about building up work experience before and during their time at university.

Commenting on the event, Diana Cree, Executive Director of External Communications, said:
'We continue to strive to make this event and the wider three-year programme the absolute best that we can for our students. At a time when 31% of graduates do not start their working life in graduate level jobs, it is our ambition for events like this to encourage our pupils to develop and explore the areas that they interested in as future careers. We are extremely grateful to our OLs and parents for their support, they continue to inspire pupils with their experiences and advice.'