STUDENTS from 43 schools across Cheshire and Warrington are set to attend first online Careers Festival following success of Learn Live @11am.
Young people have been using their time in lockdown to gain careers inspiration, meet employers and learn more about the different career pathways open to them as part of an initiative led by Cheshire an Warrington LEP’s Pledge team.
The successful launch of the innovative Pledge Learn Live at 11am broadcasts has seen over 15,000 young people join so far. This success was quickly harnessed with the team delivering a careers day with Penketh High School, where 1,571 students attended the one-day event on May 6.
Now the Cheshire and Warrington Pledge has launched an online careers festival called ‘Paving the Way’ which will open online next Tuesday, May 19.
A total of 43 secondary schools, special schools and colleges from across Cheshire and Warrington have already signed up for the festival and more expected, which will run for four days. In addition to schools, any young person, parents and carers, as well as teachers can join the Festival which will have over 50 employers taking part. Attendees, who will join online, will experience a day in the life of industries ranging from food and agriculture to law and finance and can join sessions giving top tips for a successful university application; becoming an apprentice; and what is college life really like, alongside a wide range of activities to develop industry knowledge and skills.
Clare Hayward MBE DL, Chair of Cheshire and Warrington LEP said: “I’m delighted that our online careers support has been so well received. Our aim is to help students feel informed and confident in making learning and careers decisions. Businesses and schools have really embraced the opportunity to provide careers inspiration, with young people engaging with the Learn Live sessions in their thousands. It’s fantastic to see what can be achieved, and look forward to coming together for our first online careers festival next week.”
Pave the Way Careers Festival has been developed in response to the huge success of the Learn Live @ 11am broadcasts, taking place every Tuesday and Thursday. Over 15,000 young people have joined the sessions to hear from businesses including Network Rail, Driveworks and United Utilities. Attendees have heard the latest industry news from a range of sectors, found out more about pathways into business and are challenged to conduct further research or skills development after the live session has finished. They can also ask questions directly to the employers. The Learn Live @ 11am sessions will continue to run through to July, even as lockdown restrictions are eased.
Ian Musgrove, Futures Coordinator at Penketh High School commented: “At Penketh High School we have clear aspirations for all our students. We are driving for academic success, whilst ensuring student’s also have opportunities to develop holistically and therefore increasing the life chances of our students beyond Penketh High School. The virtual careers day, supported by the pledge, enabled our young people to have the opportunity to engage with employers, experts and further education institutions. The platform made it possible to connect to our students during this difficult time, and also create a safe interactive experience via the chat function on Learn Live. The virtual careers day will feed into our wider package of CIAG opportunities based around our career cluster programme and has been a springboard for discussions with young people taking ownership of their future”
Pledge Lead, Trevor Langston added: “The success of the Learn Live at 11am has led The Pledge team to continue to look at new ways of delivering careers inspiration. We’re working on a Pledge Covid-19 response week, starting on 1st June, which will be a week-long event to learn more about the way in which businesses have operated during the crisis, giving insights in to how employees have adapted and roles have changed, and how local companies have supported the national effort to beat the virus.”
To find out more about Pledge Learn Live @ 11.00 or Covid-19 response week, get in touch with [email protected] or follow the link https://learnliveuk.com/partner/cheshire-and-warrington-lep/
