The Stephen Longfellow Academy held a Careers Fair to raise awareness of post 16 options, raise aspirations and connect students with real world employers. We wanted all our students to develop a range of skills, such as good eye contact and positive body language as well as helping them to increase their confidence and self-esteem in speaking to new people.
Students were prepared for the event through form time presentations, making them aware of the value of the Careers Fair and its relevance to their future. Emphasis was also placed on how students need to come across to employers. Prior to the event, letters were sent home to all students in our Secondary phase to raise awareness of the event. By undertaking the Careers Fair, we are also working towards meeting the Gatsby benchmarks for good CIAG practice and made sure our students are being provided with a variety of careers interventions and contact with different post 16 and 18 providers.
The Careers Fair took place on 05 December 2024, over 22 external providers attended the event. Students had direct contact with providers such as: Vallely Tankers, HSS Tool Hire, Civil Service, Leeds City College, Leeds College of Building, Kirklees College, Bradford College, Elliott Hudson College, Jet2, Learning Curve, The University of Bradford, Leeds University Centre, NHS, Pro Elite Sport, The Leeds Apprenticeship Hub, Askham Bryan College, The British Army, Abbey House Vets, just to name a few!
Students learned about a variety of job areas, some of which they had never considered before e.g. Pump Engineering or learning about the different departments within the civil service or NHS. Colleges and universities were present to raise awareness of routes into FE, HE and what qualifications are required and what students could study and much more. The event was a whole school approach with all school years being involved from Year 7 to 11.Teaching staff supported the students to engage with providers. Students were further supported by using a tailored worksheet, which would help them ask relevant questions and record responses.
Before students left the event, they completed a student feedback form. The main question asked was: How useful did you find the Careers Fair in helping you think about the options that you have in the future?
Students were asked to circle a Score 1-5, with 5 = Very useful and 1 = Not Useful at all.
Overall, 73% of students said they found the Careers Fair Very Useful or Useful in helping them think about their future options. 20% Said Some Parts of the Careers Fair were useful. Only 7% of students said the Careers Fair was Not Useful at all in helping them think about their futures.
Below are some of the comments which students had written down in the other comments box on feedback forms.
“It enjoyed it.” Year 8 student
“Very Useful” Year 11 student
“Everyone was nice and gave good information” Year 11 student
“I learnt a lot about apprenticeships” Year 9 student
“I spoke to Leeds College of Building; I think I’m going to do Bricklaying” Year 8 student
Below are a few of the feedback comments from the providers:
“Very respectful and lovely to engage with… the sheet students were given really helped them get involved in the process.” ( Sarah – Civil Service)
“Some very good conversations and interest in Engineering. Some very polite students.” (Kate – Sulzer Engineering)
“Most that spoke to me were respectful and tried hard, some asked very good questions.” (Jude – NHS)
“Excellent, lots of applications from Year 11 already!” (James – Leeds City College)
Overall, the Careers Fair at The Stephen Longfellow Academy was a success in raising awareness of post 16 options but more importantly, helping Year 11 focus on their next steps and promoting access to realistic pathways.
Raj Gill (Director of Careers)
