National Careers Week 2023

National Careers Week 6 - 11 March 2023

We would like to thank the guest speakers who have made National Careers Week at Charters such a huge success. Their involvement has enabled our students to gain valuable insights into the World of Work and the skills that are relevant and valued in the workplace.

Although National Careers Week has now drawn to a close, you can read how we  are committed to providing career guidance and insights throughout the academic year by viewing our Careers page.

Below is a summary of the encounters our students have benefited from this week:

Monday

At the start of National Careers Week our Year 7 students welcomed two guests to their assembly; one of our past students who is currently studying Modern Foreign Languages at The University of Reading and a business consultant who works in mergers and acquisitions.

Year 13 students were joined by another former student during their assembly, who despite being disappointed with her A Level results is now the Transformation Director at the British Red Cross; she was keen to stress that results day shouldn't define you. Later in the day our GCSE and A Level French students heard about our guest’s experience of studying a joint honours degree in Geography and Russian, and how her language skills have benefitted her career.

Tuesday

During the Year 8 assembly one of our Trustees spoke about her career as a Policy and Operations Project Manager in the charity sector. Students also welcomed a Chartered Accountant and Financial Director who explained that you don't need to be a genius at Maths to be an Accountant, but you do need to know how to handle numbers.

During second break, the Head of Education at Arsenal Football Club presented a hugely informative overview of the careers available within the football industry that do not include kicking a ball!

Wednesday

On International Women’s Day the Year 12 students welcomed a truly inspiring woman who started her career in criminal law, switched to film and media before developing her own technology start-up company.

Later in the day, a carpenter and joiner presented an overview of his career in the Lecture Theatre to Year 10 Maths students. He explained how he uses his understanding of mathematical concepts on a daily basis, and gave examples of calculating the surface area of a wall and using angles to help construct a staircase.

Year 10 Biology students were joined by the Head of Nursing at Heatherwood Hospital who spoke to Yr10 Biology students about the many career options available in the nursing/medical field.

Thursday

The Vice President of Human Resources at CapGemini spoke to students during the Year 10 assembly and explained that although she is responsible for 140 H.R. professionals who support 130,000 UK employees, she had no idea what career she wanted or what might lie ahead when she was their age.

Friday

On the final day of National Careers Week our Year 11 assembly welcomed a doctor who has moved into digital health services after developing an AI technology company.  Mark spoke about the risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur and encouraged the students to choose something they enjoy and take advantage of every opportunity.

Later in the day we were joined by another of our former students who is currently studying at The Royal Veterinary College. Megan spoke with Year 9 students about her interesting route into Further Education shared her experience of life as an undergraduate.

Our week of career-related events was rounded off during second break when our Sixth Form students listened to a presentation which was delivered by Liane. The Director of Sales and Customer Support for The Myers-Briggs Company told the students to ‘Find Your Why – Find Your Way’.

We would like to thank all our guests for taking the time to share their experiences with our students and share the overriding themes which featured in many of our guests’ presentations:

• Follow your heart, you need to be passionate about and enjoy whatever it is you end up doing
• Employers are employing YOU; they want to know about your values and attitude, specific skills they can teach you
• It’s ok not to know what you want to do
• Take risks and grab hold of opportunities when they come your way
• Be prepared to fail, this will undoubtedly happen but that’s often where you learn he most
• Imposter Syndrome does exist but don’t let that stop you from applying or presenting - it’s important to believe in yourself
• Remember that you may well end up in a career that doesn’t even exist yet. The jobs market and technology is changing so quickly, so be prepared to be flexible
• You’ll never regret working hard

#NCW2023

THE PARENTS' GUIDE TO NATIONAL CAREERS WEEK

The Parents’ Guide to... provides parents with the information they need to help their teenage children make the right choices to create successful futures after GCSE and Sixth Form.

Parents Guide

CAREERS INSPIRATION

We will add to the resources below as we approach National Careers Week.

Click on the images below to gain an insight into Careers related to subjects or sectors.