Careers Department Careers Department News
CAREERS DEPARTMENT NEWS The Careers Department is always
grateful to OBs for the support and advice given to current pupils. Whether it
is coming into School for events, sharing experience, offering opportunities, or just simply letting us know about the latest news in your workplace or industry, it’s always wonderful to hear from you.
OBs’ Careers Event Thank you to all OBs who had offered to join us on Friday 1 February. We were very much looking forward to welcoming you back into School to share your experiences, insights and stories with our Lower Sixth. A slight change in format was planned which included some broader sessions exploring on being employable and how OBs actually got their jobs, and we were excited about our quick-fire ‘speed dating’ session! Unfortunately, the sudden heavy snowfall the night before put paid to all of our plans as, with the best interests of all concerned, the decision was made to close the School on the Friday morning. Trying to find space in a busy academic calendar to re-schedule the whole event was very challenging, and we hope that all OBs understand the need to prioritise the academic focus of our pupils. Nevertheless, we are delighted
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instead to be able to include a ‘mini OBs’ event’ as part of the Lower Sixth Next Steps Conference. This day will see pupils learn about personal statements and university applications, as well as attend a variety of workshops in the morning focusing on increasing their knowledge of pathways they are keen to explore: interview skills, degree apprenticeships, student finance, gap years, and studying abroad. We then welcome OBs in the afternoon to share what a ‘typical day’ is like for them and network with pupils at a ‘drinks party’. As always, we are grateful to all the OBs who are giving up their time to join us, and to those who got in touch but are unable to make it. We hope that you can come back to BGS at one of our future events.
Career Teas – A New Initiative In the next academic year the Careers Department plan to hold a series of career-specific events for pupils. The aim of these is to focus on a particular industry or sector each time and hold an informal ‘afternoon tea’ with a small number of guests. Interested pupils from Year 10 to Upper Sixth will be welcome to come along and learn more about such areas of work. We anticipate that the first of these will take place mid-October, with the intention of having two or three per term. Please keep an
eye on social media for further information.
Work Experience Opportunities We are always grateful to OBs who are able to offer some kind of work experience or work shadowing opportunity for current pupils. However, both safeguarding guidance and GDPR mean that
arranging such opportunities is not always straightforward. The Careers Department has been reviewing different approaches to manage this, and will soon look to put new systems in to place. Further announcements will be
made through the relevant OB channels in due course, and we look forward to OBs being able to offer a vast range of opportunities and experiences.
David Ruck
Head of Higher Education and Careers.
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