We were delighted to once again be able to invite visitors to the school for our Year 13’s Careers Week (4-8 October).

Our students fully embraced a full week of activity working on personal statements and student finance. Students heard from business leaders in a range of fields, from hospitality and tourism, to veterinary, HR, marketing, and quarrying. Oliver Stacey from the University of South Wales gave helpful advice on managing student finance.

Expert guidance was also provided on apprenticeships and employability skills by Nikki Blackwell from the Apprenticeship & Skills Advisory Service (ASK) and Hugh Graham, Manager Director, at The BidCoach ran a session on interview skills and technique.

We were also joined by three student panel speakers, Laura Rossiter, Gemma Charles and Lucy Burgess. All three  are in the early stages of their careers after graduating and talked about their personal journeys including: A level choices, university choices and how their experiences influenced their career paths (i.e. being adaptable and changing route). They also gave some top tips on how to manage your career and get on.

Keynote speech from Dave Boyer, Old Sexeian and Biologist

We welcomed Dave Boyer, Old Sexeian and Biologist to present a keynote speech on working abroad, travel and adaptability for the future. The speech was well received by all the students who enjoyed hearing about his experience of working abroad and the challenges he has faced.

Mock Interviews

Our Year 13s also conducted a series of mock interviews with potential employers ranging from bankers to HR professionals. Commenting, one student said, “My highlight of the week was the mock interviews. Not as bad as I expected and now I know I can talk about myself with confidence”.

On the Wednesday the whole year group visited Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol and on Thursday visited the University of Bath.

Thank you to all our presenters

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in the planning and execution of what turned out to be a wonderful, fun and productive week!

Thank you in particular to our visiting guests and presenters:

• Mrs Nikki Blackwell, Skills Adviser from ASK Apprenticeships (who presented on Employability Skills and Apprenticeships)
• Adrian Ash, Local Higher Education Officer from Strode College
• Hugh Graham, The Bid Coach Ltd (who ran a session on interview skills and techniques)
• Oliver Stacey, from the University of South Wales (who presented on Student Finance)

Industry speakers:

• Adela Crichton, HR Manager, Sexey’s School
• Elaine Cox, NHS (Yeovil Hospital)
• Anna Sherriff – Delaware Vets
• Emily Murray, HR Officer, The Newt, Somerset
• Linnet Parsons, Director of Marketing and Relationships, Sexey’s School
• Lisa Saunders, J Wainwright & Son, Quarrying
• Dr Gill Odolphie, J Wainwright & Son, Quarrying

Student panel speakers:

• Laura Rossiter – Old Sexeian, degree in Occupational Therapy and now a Research Fellow at the University of Southampton
• Gemma Charles – Old Sexeian, degree in Biology and now working in Biodiversity and projects abroad
• Lucy Burgess – old Blue School student, degree in Textiles and Business and now working as a Stonemason and studying for a Masters in Building Surveying

Mock interviewers:

• Dave Boyer, Biologist & Environmentalist
• Richard Waller, Retired banker and Alumnus
• Nikki Blackwell, Skills Adviser, ASK Apprenticeships
• Katie Vickers, University of Reading
• Nicholas Milrose, Enterprise Adviser, Sexey’s School
• Linnet Parsons, Director or Marketing and Relationships, Sexey’s School
• Emily Murray, HR Officer, The Newt, Somerset
• Hugh Graham, Managing Director, The BidCoach

We received great feedback from all our speakers and visitors, with one commenting “Students were polite and engaged and it is always a pleasure to visit Sexey’s”.

You can learn more about careers at Sexey’s, as well as opportunities currently available for Sixth Formers here.

You can also read more on Guidance and Support at Sexey’s Sixth Form here.