Bringing careers to life: Royal Marines inspire young people across three Inverness schools
What happens when you combine a careers conversation with cooking, real-life stories and a little bit of Royal Marines discipline? Young people at Culloden Academy, Charleston Academy and Millburn Academy found out when DYW Inverness & Central Highland brought the Royal Marine Education Awareness Team into their schools.
Bringing careers to life
With limited exposure to the Royal Marines within the Highlands, DYWICH identified an opportunity to give young people a meaningful insight into the Armed Forces while also exploring the wider skills and qualities that can help them succeed in life and work. Rather than a traditional careers presentation, the sessions gave pupils the chance to get involved, ask questions and learn directly from serving Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel.
At Culloden Academy, around 50 S5 and S6 pupils from Higher PE, S5 Cake Craft and Uniformed & Emergency Services took part in an interactive workshop led by Royal Marine Commando Chef Mike Beaton and Royal Navy helicopter pilot Sam. Through preparing a healthy fajita dish, pupils developed practical skills including safe food preparation, teamwork and following instructions, while hearing honest stories about the highs and lows of working life.
More than a careers talk
The practical approach created opportunities to talk about resilience, motivation, determination, discipline and courage – skills that are valuable far beyond the Armed Forces. Pupils were able to see these qualities demonstrated through Mike and Sam’s own experiences, while putting some of them into practice themselves as they worked together, followed instructions and took responsibility for their workspace.
The sessions also helped challenge some of the stereotypes young people may have about Armed Forces careers, showing the breadth of opportunities available. Pupils heard about careers in areas including catering and aviation, while exploring how their own interests, experiences and skills could connect to future pathways.
For Soraya Macdonald, DYWICH School Coordinator, the sessions demonstrated the difference that authentic employer encounters can make when young people are given the opportunity to experience something for themselves.
“These sessions were a fantastic example of how bringing employers into schools can open young people’s eyes to opportunities they may not have considered before. Across all three schools, pupils were able to step outside the traditional classroom environment, try something practical and hear honest experiences from people working in very different roles. Seeing their engagement throughout the sessions really highlighted the impact that authentic employer encounters can have – not just in raising awareness of careers, but in helping young people recognise the resilience, teamwork and confidence they already have and can continue to develop.”
A positive response from pupils
The response from pupils and staff at Culloden Academy reflected the success of the approach, with teachers describing the event as “brilliant” and noting that pupils were “fully engaged from start to finish”. One pupil summed up the experience as “Good fun and interesting.”
The Royal Marines also recognised the positive response across the three schools. Mike Beaton said, “The students in all three schools were highly motivated, respectful and with humour – outstanding. I will return….”
Opening up new possibilities
For DYWICH, the sessions demonstrate the value of connecting young people with employers and organisations beyond their immediate local area. By bringing new experiences directly into schools, the programme can help young people broaden their horizons, challenge assumptions and understand that there is no single route into the world of work.
For the Royal Marines and Royal Navy, the sessions provided an opportunity to connect directly with young people across Inverness and Central Highland, while opening their eyes to career opportunities they may previously have had little opportunity to explore.
The sessions at Culloden, Charleston and Millburn Academies show what can happen when employer engagement is practical, authentic and designed around young people. By creating opportunities to meet people from different careers, try new things and hear honest experiences of working life, DYWICH is helping young people build the skills, confidence and awareness they need to take their next steps.