Preparing for the future World of Work
6 March 2023
S3 Pupils from Glen Urquhart High School took part in a full “Week of Work” during February 2023 exploring the nature & future of work and highlighting jobs and industries available to them across the Highland region as well as understanding the steps and choices to achieve their ambitions.
Highlights included:
- A visit to the Clansman Hotel (Cobbs) for a look behind the scenes of a busy hotel including some role-playing in Housekeeping, the Kitchen & Restaurant and Front of House
- A trip to SSE Fasnakyle Power Station and dam with an Apprenticeship flavour
- A whole day visit to Inverness Airport courtesy of Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd with group sessions in a show & tell careers extravaganza!
- Uniform Services coming together to do a road traffic scenario and using the pupils as actors, decision-makers and observers including the cutting up of a car!
- A Careers Fayre for young people and their parents with over 30 employers in attendance
Back at school, pupils also got to learn more about how to complete a job application, how to write a standout CV, how to prepare for an interview and the ACD (Audience, Content, Delivery) of presenting yourself with confidence.
Ashley Woodhouse, Developing the Young Workforce Co-ordinator at Glen Urquhart High School said:
“It’s been a fantastic week for the pupils to kick start their journey into the World of Work. The immersive nature of the week and the support of the local and regional employers has provided inspiration, awareness and motivation for them to take responsibility for their own career aspirations. Pupils demonstrated a genuine interest and willingness to learn in everything that was available to them and were a credit to their school. The success of the event is very much down to the generosity and genuine enthusiasm of the employers and their staff and I would like to say a massive thank you to all who took part. Talent is undoubtedly within our schools and through school engagements like these, the future of our workforce looks secured.”
David Humphris, Guidance Teacher at Glen Urquhart High School said:
“There is no doubt that as our S3 pupils prepare to move into the senior phase of their education in Glen Urquhart High School, having the opportunity to step out of their normal classes for a week and experience the world of work is really worthwhile. For a few years now, we have prioritised this week in February to allow the pupils time to focus on the variety of careers available to them, help them develop skills in writing personal statements and taking part in mock interviews. This year the trips to the Clansman Hotel, Fasnakyle Power Station, HIAL Inverness Airport and the Drumnadrochit Fire Station allowed the pupils to have a varied and practical experience of life in different working environments. The well attended careers fayre in the school during the middle of the week only added to this positive experience for the pupils. There are so many obvious links to classroom learning when visiting different workplaces and I believe that this week of work has inspired many of our pupils to work hard in class to better prepare themselves for their future employment.”