One of the aims of Dallam’s whole-school and Sixth Form careers guidance programme is to raise awareness in our students of the range of employment opportunities out there. What better way than introducing them to the NHS, the single biggest employer in Europe offering 350 different roles within the same organisation!
Everyone knows about the NHS and how valued they are, but our Year 8 and 9 students gained a greater insight into the NHS through an engaging careers session which introduced them to the huge range of jobs the NHS offers such as: surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives, speech therapists and paramedics, to name just a few.
Having to think about what job you want to aim for in Year 8 may seem a little premature, but the NHS session also helped students become more aware of the skills which employers look for and how students might build examples of these skills in what they do both in and out of school which will be useful to them later on when making applications.
On the same day, our Year 8 and 9s also benefited from sessions with Kendal and Lancaster & Morecambe Colleges.
Having both major colleges in school together is a rarity. This allowed students to think about post-16 options in a meaningful way. Albeit that the students are in Years 8 and 9, decisions about GCSE options and post 16-choices about education come round really quickly so it’s valuable for them to have as full a picture of what’s out there as possible. – Mr Blyth, Head of Careers
The colleges outlined to students what courses are available at college – including apprenticeships – and what the main differences are to what students are used to from their school experience so far.
Additionally, the college presentations also covered issues related to how advances in technology and automation as well as the impact of green technology will influence the job market that they will be part of.
This was a great opportunity for students to think about not only the direct careers opportunities out there now, but also the whole wider environmental impact and jobs that are going to be created as a consequence. This is the future playing out, right here in our school. – Mr Blyth
To read tailored information for parents about careers guidance at Dallam and useful resources to help you understand and guide your child’s careers journey – click here.
Find out more about working in the NHS here – https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/
Find out more about Kendal College – kendal.ac.uk/ and Lancaster & Morecambe College – www.lmc.ac.uk/