March and April have been very busy months in the Careers department. Students have been given access to a variety of opportunities to increase their awareness and experiences of the world of work, contact with employers, employees, and apprentices, all to prepare them for their futures.

Department of Work and Pensions (Employability) 20 March 2024:

Janet Clark (Schools Link Adviser) from the Department of Work and Pensions delivered a session to all Year 10 students on Employability. The aim of the session was to show students what makes a good employee, and she discussed the main skills and qualities in demand in the Labour Market. Students were informed of the key skills and qualities they needed to be successful in the job market and how they could develop those skills both inside and outside of school.

Balfour Beatty (Construction) 5 & 6 March & 26 April:

Students in Key stage 3 and Key stage 4 were given an assembly from Balfour Beatty (construction) to raise awareness of the industry and apprenticeships on the 5th and 6th of March.

For Primary students an introduction to construction workshop was delivered on 26 April. The workshop raised the awareness of construction careers. The workshop also discussed how to be safe, covering Personal Protective Equipment. It involved an interactive presentation and reading of “Cones and building bridges”, which reinforced health and safety messages in a fun way. Students asked lots of questions and interacted well with the session.

Abbey House (Animal Care) Vets 22 March 2024:

Primary Students were given an interactive workshop by Libby Hislop (qualified Veterinary Nurse) from Abbey House Vets to inspire them about careers with animals and how to look after them. Student engagement was excellent. Students dressed in Surgical PPE, listened to their own heartbeats, and bandaged the demonstration dog.

Framework Installations (Apprenticeship interviews) 17 April 2024:

A group of year 11 students had recently been on a site visit to see the work of Framework installations (A construction company). Following the visit, Senior Director Mark Danford was impressed by the students and said he would interview 3 students for a potential apprenticeship vacancy. Interviews took place at Stephen Longfellow Academy on the 17 April and 2 students have been put through to the final interview on the 8th of May 2024 for potential apprenticeships in multi-trades.

Vallely Tankers – Site Visit (Engineering) 18 April 2024:

A group of students in Key stage 4 were given an amazing opportunity to visit the Hunslet site for Vallely Tankers, who design and build environmental and waste tankers. The visit was a follow-up to a school assembly delivered by Vallely tankers who discussed engineering, design, fabricating, welding, and administration careers.

The visit was excellent as students were given a tour of the facilities and shown the processes first-hand how tankers are put together. The visit has inspired several students to consider engineering careers.

Henley Stone (Architectural Stone Masons) Assembly 24 April:

Staff from Henley stone delivered a KS4 on Stone Masonry and Brickwork Careers. They discussed what they do, how to become an apprentice and the inspirational journey of their founder Henry Stone.

Water Treatment Centre (Green Careers) 25 April 2024:

A selection of KS3 and KS4 students were able to visit the Headingly Water Treatment Centre to learn all about who makes our water safe, where our fresh water comes from and how we can save water. On site our students attended an interactive session at the education centre and then were taken on a guided tour of the facility and were shown all the different stages used to filter water and how it finally ends up being pumped to our homes. Many of our students were interested in the engineering aspects of our trip and were able to see at first-hand how large pieces of machinery and equipment are maintained and kept running 24/7 to provide us with fresh water.

The Stephen Longfellow Academy will continue to work with employers to support its students to raise aspirations and gain experiences of the workplace.