It was that time of year again when we welcomed nearly 50 employers onto our school site to conduct interviews with our students as part of the Year 11 Mock Interview Day. We are very lucky as a school that we have such a wide network of external support, and that is a testament to our students as each year we see many of our employers wanting to return and take part in this event which is always a highlight in the school's calendar and never fails to deliver! Students have been preparing for this event since December when we launched, and they received the job profile they were being interviewed for. Students worked on their CV as well as attending interview skills sessions with tips and advice to help them prepare. We ourselves know that interviews can be a daunting part of the career process, so our aim is to give the students a ‘real-life’ experience of what an interview entails so that when they attend their first interview in the world of work, it may not feel as scary, and they will have gained some useful feedback from the employer to help them moving forward. As well as this, there is also the competition element to the event as five students are interviewed for each role and one winner selected ‘for the job’. Again, this is what happens in real life and it’s good to have a bit of healthy competition. It’s always a heart-warming moment to see how proud and supportive the students are during the Celebration Seminar. Each year we have a wide range of roles to interview for based off the questionnaire students completed at the start of the year, take a look at this year's list: 

Royal Marine	Electrical Engineer	Nurse	Social Worker
Electrician	Therapist	Aerospace Engineer	Photographer
Construction Worker	Police Officer	Physiotherapist	Senior Sports Coach
Tattoo Artist	Beauty Therapist	Accountant	Cabin Crew
Midwife	Journalist	Eating Disorder Therapist	Bricklayer
Hairdresser	Primary Teacher	Personal Trainer	Software Developer
Wind Engineer	Sports Coach	Estate Agent	Football Coach
Mechanic	Army Recruit	Customer Service Administrator	Actor
Founders Assistant	Paramedic	Secondary Teacher	Legal Assistant
Animal Care Assistant	Solicitor

…and this is why we put on the event: 

Student responses

97% students enjoyed the experience

96% students found the event useful

98% enjoyed their encounter with the employer

99% found the feedback received by the employer useful and will use this in the future

Some comments

I enjoyed telling people about myself and being put out of my comfort zone

Good to talk to someone with experience in the job role I’m interested in

The interviewer was lovely and made me feel calm

It was good to see how an interview would work and be set out

Enjoyed seeing how I would do in the situation and helped me to improve for future

Good feedback – personal to me and will help me in the future

A new experience (in a good way)

My interviewer was lovely and incredibly helpful. The full experience was great!

An eight-week half-term was a slight shock to the system for many following a six-week summer holiday break, but it certainly meant we could hit the ground running and fit in a variety of careers activities and events to start of the new academic year! We said goodbye to our Year 11 and 13 leavers but welcomed our new Year 7 students and our current students moving up into the next year of their education journey. 

I began the year by delivering a careers assembly to each year group, focussing on the Careers Programme and highlighting the different events and activities we have in store for the students over the next year. I talked about the importance of CEIAG (Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance) and how their time in school and involvement in these events and activities can prepare them for the decisions they will make in the future. My Year 9 assembly was teamed up with Miss Moore who coordinates and delivers the Duke of Edinburgh programme, which has proven to be very popular amongst students over the years. Demand continues to be higher than ever with nearly 100 students signing up to take part this year. 

It is particularly a busy time for our Year 11 students, and full of mixed emotions as they prepare for their GCSE exams and the transition from school life to their post-16 destination! An exciting time for many as students can really start to take some ownership on their life. The ‘Careers Info’ group on TEAM’s is up and running and open events have been shared for a wide range of Colleges, Sixth Form and Training Providers so that students can move forward with this process. It is hugely beneficial for students to look around, get a feel for a place and ask questions in order to help them make the right decision for them. Students can now begin completing their post-16 applications whether that be for the Consortium Sixth Form College, other sixth form and college providers, apprenticeships, Armed Forces, employment with training etc. and as a school we provide information, advice and guidance (IAG) on all the different options available to students so they can make a well-informed decision. 

The Careers Programme for 2023/24 can be found here. 

Our External Careers Advisor, Graeme Peart and I have attended the Year 10 and 11 Parents’ Information Evenings, offering support and information to students and their parents so that the work we do in school can continue at home. Graeme works in school typically on Mondays and Wednesdays conducting careers guidance interviews. All Year 11 and 13 students have had their initial careers interview, and we are now working through the follow up appointments for those who require. Please contact hayley.lawes@hessleacademy.com should your child require another appointment. 

In my last blog before the summer, you may remember I mentioned a key development to our careers programme this academic year... we are delighted to announce the re-introduction of Work Experience for Year 10 students. This is an opportunity for students to take part in a short-term placement with an employer, gaining an insight into the world of work and develop valuable employability skills. Students are responsible for finding their own placement for three days between Wednesday 3 July and Friday 5 July 2024. The Launch for students and parents took place in October, and completed forms must be returned to their Tutor by the following deadlines: 

• Parental Consent/Medical Form – no later than Thursday 21 December 2023 

• Placement Form – no later than Friday 23 February 2024 

Year 10 students have also completed a pre/post Interview Questionnaire in preparation for their initial careers guidance interviews which will commence from the end of November up until the summer term. Students included information about their initial post-16 plans and ideas; where they are thinking of applying, the types of jobs they’re interested in and there was also an opportunity to rank their priority which will help to determine the order in which the students will be seen across the year.   

Following a successful event last year, we delivered our newly integrated Year 9 Inspiration Day. The aim of this event is to prepare students for decisions they will be make as they choose their KS4 study options for years 10 and 11. The workshops aimed to motivate and inspire students, as well as prepare for life beyond school, and 92% of students agreed the event was useful in supporting with this.  

Workshops included: 

• Careers with STEM subjects – Reckitt's 

• Careers Advisor – Finance & Budgeting  

• Choosing your Key Stage 4 Options (to study in Y10 & 11)  

• Post-16 Pathways (after Y11)  

• Log On Move On & Employability Passport – ESP Team 

• Apprenticeships & T-Levels – Hull College 

• Modeshift – Recruiting Active Travel Ambassadors 

• Post-14 Transitions and Preparations 

An important part of my role is to network with external providers, employers and businesses as they play a vital role in supporting our careers events and providing information to our students. At the start of the academic year, I met with a wide range of people to plan for the year ahead and book into our careers calendar of events. We are very lucky to have a strong and supportive network of professionals who engage with the school! 

Over the last half term, we have been fortunate to take groups of students on visits to the WiME exhibition (Women into Manufacturing and Engineering) at the Guildhall, Hull and Foundations Live Construction Event at Bishop Burton College. Both events had a wide variety of local employers, apprenticeship and training providers for students to explore and find out more about the opportunities available to them.  

The annual Restart a Heart Day took place on Monday 16th October. Our Year 7 students met some of our local NHS heroes as they learned vital lifesaving CPR skills as well as hearing about different roles within the health sector. This event has been running for ten years and sees thousands of people across the UK and many more worldwide, come together to increase the public awareness of cardiac arrests and increase the number of people trained in life saving CPR and defibrillator use. Anyone would agree a very important day in the calendar. 

Finally, our Year 13 students took part in their firs Pathways Event of the year. As with previous years, the sessions included interview skills, personal statements, revision & motivation techniques and post-18 plans including apprenticeships, and we saw several providers and businesses attend the event to discuss the opportunities available including BAE Systems, HETA, Siemens, McArthur Dean, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation. 

Last year, two of our Year 13 students were selected to represent The Hessle Academy by taking part in a Student Voice Careers Panel with the Hull & East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (HEY LEP). This has continued into its second year with a new cohort of students involved and we are proud to have two of our Year 13 students involved again this year, sharing student opinions, suggestions and ideas relating to careers guidance within schools and colleges. 

Upcoming Events: 

• Y7 All About Me Day – Wednesday 15 November 2023 

• Sixth Form Taster Day – Tuesday 14 November 2023 

• Y11 Careers Week – w/c 18 December 2023 

• Advanced notice: Year 11 Mock Interview Day – Friday 2 February 2024 

Please click the links below for local training provider upcoming events: 

• HETA Open Evenings and Taster Days  

• Hull College Open Events 

• Bishop Burton Open Events 

• Wyke College Open Events 

• East Riding College Open Events 

Miss Lawes 

Careers Leader 

To view Blogs from 2021/2022 click here.