Year 10 pupils at Barnhill Community High School shared their career aspirations with an important guest this week.
Alex Chisholm, Permanent Secretary for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), visited Barnhill as one of the schools in the Enterprise Advisers Network.
This network was set up by The Careers & Enterprise Company to link senior business volunteers with schools and help them develop an inspirational and realistic careers education programme.
By engaging with business, young people get a unique opportunity to talk to real people in real careers and prepare them for the world of work.
Inspiring young people
Alex chatted with pupils about his own career path and spoke about the many career opportunities in the civil service. He also shared just how important it is to gain quality experiences with employers to help students prepare for the fast-changing jobs market.
It was a pleasure to meet Barnhill’s Year 10s and hear first-hand how they are preparing for exciting careers in business and industry…
“Having seen today the work that the Careers & Enterprise Company does with schools and employers to create opportunities for young people, I would encourage more businesses to get involved and play a pivotal role in nurturing the country’s future talent.
Ismail, a Year 10 pupil at the school, said:
It has helped me to open up my views on different pathways for the future. Visiting and speaking to employers in school and out, gives me something to aspire to... I can see how to make my dreams a reality.
Alex then held a workshop with Year 12 economists, where they all took on roles of different state secretaries and debated the budget spend for their departments.
The students felt they got a lot out of the afternoon and it was a great to opportunity to showcase the fantastic work done by the London Enterprise Adviser school.
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Get involved
Did you know that a young person is 86% less likely to be out of employment, education or training, if they have four or more encounters with an employer? They can also earn up to 18% more during their career.
If you are a self-driven and passionate individual, committed to supporting London’s young people, then you can make a difference by joining the network.