FEATURED STORY

Careers Day

More than 50 local business people spent a day helping young people prepare for the world of work recently.

A magician, accountant, personal shopper and lawyer were amongst the variety of working people who took part in the Careers Day at The Milton Keynes Academy.

Around 180 Year 10 students had an action-packed time experiencing career ‘speed-dating', taking part in mock job interviews and attending a Bright Futures workshop aimed at improving their employability skills.

The speed-dating part of the day was organised by Milton Keynes Countec EBP, with each student spending six minutes grilling 30 different local employers.   

Countec Director of Employer Engagement Michael Sandison said the session was very successful: "Students will eventually spend a lot of time at work so it's really important that they find out about different types of career to determine what they want to do."

Employers taking part in the event were diverse and included the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Dunham Law, MK Dons Sports and Education Trust, Santander, Q Pit Ltd, Mars Horsecare UK Ltd, Thames Valley Police and the Volkswagen Group.

The Mayor of Milton Keynes Debbie Brock, also attended the event and coached teenagers on interview techniques. She said: "I was really pleased to be involved in this great initiative which gave young people more experience of work.  It was good for grownups to be in contact with young people too, and was a fascinating process."