This week has been Green Careers week. Students had the opportunity to discover more about Green careers opportunities in their registration time. They discussed definitions of Green careers and using our online platform Unifrog were able to explore possible study options and career routes. Students were given the opportunity to request specific job roles that they would like to discover more about. Interest was expressed in sustainable architecture, recycling projects and conservation and wildlife. We would be delighted to hear from any parents or friends of the school who would be willing to give a short talk on any of these areas as part of either our Careers registration programme or lunchtime lectures. Please email Ms Casson at vcasson@shsg.org if you feel you could support us with this. More information on Green Careers can be found here Organisations 2023 - Green Careers Week

Michael gave a fascinating talk where he went into more depth about the array of opportunities the Navy offers. We learned about the different levels of entry, it is possible to express an interest in Apprenticeships from the age of 15 years and 9 months for example. Michael explained that the biggest reason for candidates failing to be accepted is down to their fitness and directed students to check out the 'Get fit to apply' webpage that explains the different standards required.https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/joining-process/get-fit-to-join

Michael explained that the Navy can help with funding for degrees in medicine and engineering but that it is very competitive and students would need to check the specifics of suitable engineering qualifications. 

Our students impressed Michael with the high quality of their questions such as how the Navy supports with humanitarian efforts. Michael was kind enough to talk to some individuals at the end about their ambitions.

A well spent lunchtime and of course everyone loves a free pen! We hope that Michael will return to SHSG for more careers events in 2024. 

We would like to offer more of these lunchtime lectures in the future. If students have specific requests for career areas they would like to learn more about or if parents/guardians would like to offer their expertise to talk to our students we would be pleased to hear from you. 

Please email vcasson@shsg.org. 

Emily kindly offered to share her Linked in profile for students and provided an extensive motivational reading list.

Predictably Irrational (Dan A) - is about how the human brain is often irrational in its decision making and in predictable ways, he has a few books and they are all worth a read.

Atomic Habits - how to develop good habit by breaking them down in smaller commitments.

The Psychology of Money - insight into how money messes with people and 12 little stories to help explain.

Never Split the Difference - book on negotiation, people try to get to yes but getting to no is actually more helpful sometimes.

Surrounded by Idiots - book on personality types and why groups often conflict.

Utopia for Realist - a book about the fact that we often are not communicating with the real facts.

Quirkology - similar to predictability irrational but nice little insights.

The Art of Thinking Clearly - a book about giving you insight on where your brain trips you up each day.

Students watched a back stage tour of the new Sky Studios in Hertfordshire. It is the size of four football pitches! All of the different ways to get into the different Sky apprenticeship and training schemes were outlined.

Students were able to interact with the presenters and posed the following questions. There are some really useful links included in the responses.

How hard is it to get the apprenticeship for Sky ?

I think this depends on the apprenticeship. All apprenticeships are competitive in the media industry – but I would encourage you to apply as you could be the right person for the role!

How much do you get paid on an apprenticeship?

Again, this depends on the apprenticeship and the level of the programme. Don’t forget your employer also pays for your education as well! A lot of apprenticeships also lead on to permanent roles with the company.

How long are apprenticeships and what is being a freelancer?

The length of the apprenticeship will be different depending on the level but at Sky they range from 12 months to 5 years. For more information about our apprenticeships – please go to https://earlycareers.sky.com/. If you are looking for wider information about apprenticeships have a look at https://amazingapprenticeships.com/.

The internship at Sky Studios Elstree is 12 months.

A freelancer is someone who works for themselves – so if you were looking to work on a film or TV show as a crew member you would most likely work as a freelancer.

For more information about what life is like as a Freelancer – please see this free e-learning module from ScreenSkills. There are also lots of other learning modules on how to get into the industry, what the different roles are and how to start your career.

 Do you offer runner roles in production?

Our Future Talent internship at Sky Studios Elstree offers studio runner positions with the aim that you would work on site with the productions, this can lead to opportunities to work on set with the productions, but this does depend on the productions themselves.

There are lots of other runner roles out there as this tends to be the most common entry level role – for more information about how to get runner work have a look at the ScreenSkills Job Profile for Runner.

Bonnie left SHSG in 2019 after studying A levels in Media Studies, Spanish and English Language and Literature. Bonnie started on the Level 6 Business Management Degree Apprenticeship at the BBC and is now a Marketing Executive for BBC TV Channels working on Marketing Campaigns such as; The Traitors, Planet Earth III and The Apprentice. 

During her Apprenticeship Bonnie completed various placements in Audience Research for TV, TV Business Systems, BBC Global News, Radio 1 Marketing and Live Events. 

She also gained a Degree in Business Management and a Chartered Management qualification. 

Bonnie gave a clear outline of the different kinds of apprenticeships that the BBC offer.

Bonnie has kindly agreed to come into school in person at lunchtime on Friday 16^th February to talk further to interested students about her experience and how to apply for the BBC Apprenticeship scheme. 

Students should sign up here.

We were also lucky enough to hear from almuni who have completed the BBC Apprenticeship scheme. Old girl Bonnie will be returning to school to offer an in person lunchtime workshop on Friday 16th February.

•  missing out on the social life of university- there is a lot of networking and fun between all the apprenticeships, what could be more fun than working backstage at The Big Weekend?

•  how to juggle studying and working- Bonnie was given plenty of time and support from her managers to study and what better information than learning on the job?

• what happens after the apprenticeship ends? -Bonnie is now a fully fledged 'marketing executive' at the BBC.

Bonnie has very kindly agreed to support SHSG students if they wish to apply for the scheme. Students can get in contact via Ms Casson. 

Each department area shared the wide variety of opportunities their subjects can offer for the future. Many also shared successes of past students with our current cohorts to inspire them. The students found it really fascinating and were surprised by the wide variety of careers ex SHSG's have found themselves in. 

KS3 had assemblies on the impact AI will have on future careers. 

All year groups had the opportunity to explore the definition of a career and their own career aspirations in registration time. 

MFL

RS

Physics 

Classics

English

Business and Economics

Sociology

This half term our Careers talk was from alumna Sam Goldring. Sam left SHSG in 2007 after studying A levels in Geography, Media Studies and Business. Sam completed a Bsc in Marketing and Communications at Newcastle university which included a year in industry with Glaxo Smith Kline. After graduation Sam worked her way up the corporate ladder and is now Head of Social Media at Barclays bank. In her 'spare' time Sam set up the running wear company.

If you have seen anyone running round in snazzy shorts they will probably have been from Sam's company!HappyStride recently celebrated their 20,000 order!

Sam is an inspirational speaker and left our current students with this advice that has helped her get to the top of her career field;

•Everything you do from now on can be used as examples in future uni applications or interviews. Take every opportunity!

•Get LinkedIn and use it to your advantage

•Find a mentor or someone in your chosen field who can help you

•Explore internships and work experience opportunities – try before you buy!

•Choose a career that you’re passionate about

If you have an idea, act on it! You never know where it might go.

Sam has kindly agreed to support us in July when she will be taking part in the Careers Carousel with Year 8 and explaining 'Why I love my job'.

The LFB is a huge employer and offers careers in diverse sectors such as education, finance, HR all the way to the technicians who maintain the fire hydrants, it is about more than 'just' fighting fires. 

The Cadets meet weekly and take part in activities such as drills, using hoses, games, and learning from presentations. Uniform is provided. The Cadet scheme culminates in a passing out ceremony where family and friends can see the cadets riding the engines and taking part in activities. They are often called upon for big events and some of the London cohorts recently took part in Trooping of the Colour and the Kings Coronation. It is possible for young people to become an Officer Cadet which would be a fantastic opportunity.

We invited in a wide range of speakers from our alumni.

Emily Moreton Smith, Senior Product Manager at the Stepstone Group.

Sam Goldring, Digital Brand Manager, Barclays.

Kirsteen Housten, A&E doctor.

We also invited speakers from our local community,

Parent and barrister Jeremy Scott-Joynt.

IPECO a local aviation company and community nurse, Kate from the NHS.

Year 8 had been prepared for the experience in their Lifeskills lessons where they were able to research the different careers areas.

They spent 30 minutes with each speaker who explained their career path, qualifications and skills required, what an average day is like for them and most importantly, why they love their job.

Students were able to ask questions of the speakers. 8 Hermes particularly impressed barrister, Jeremy with their inquisitive cross examination of him!

IPECO gave the students an engineering task to demonstrate how they problem solve. Our A&E doctor had the students finding their heartbeats with stethoscopes and the NHS nurse provided another hands on task where ultra violet light showed up the germs on their hands.

Alumnae Sam and Emily delivered exciting presentations that really emphasised how their time at SHSG had made them realise how important it is to take up all the opportunities school offers. Emily spoke about finding ones passion and then finding the right environment to do it in and then, as she herself did, help others to grow. Sam advised students to explore internships and work experience, to try before you buy and to find a mentor who can help you.

To follow up Year 8 will have another Lifeskills lesson to give them the opportunity to reflect and log this experience to their Unifrog locker. This experience and the evaluation held on Unifrog for the rest of their school careers will stand them in good stead as they enter Year 9 and begin to consider their GCSE options.

Many of the speakers were keen to advise on work experience and the importance of networking which our alumni often offer to SHSG students. We are always pleased to add to our connections to support our careers events from parents and alumni via our Linked in profile here (25) Southend High School for Girls: Overview | LinkedIn

Year 10 will reflect on the theme of ambition in their follow up registration Career mornings and will log their experience in their online portal on Unifrog. We would like to thank our inspiring speakers for giving back to our school community and sharing their experience with our students who really enjoyed the morning.  

Julie recognised her success has stemmed from recognising the quickest most efficient way of getting things done, juggling her homework at SHSG was good training for this and she suggested students get the most difficult tasks done first.  Being a team player has helped her progress in her career and being willing to help out other departments. As she became more senior knowing when it is appropriate to delegate has been invaluable to keeping all the plates spinning. 

Julie had the following advice for SHSG students in interviews. 

1. Research the company, it’s a favourite question – ‘tell me what you know about us as a company’, ‘you sell TV’s’ is not the right answer. 

2. Be able to answer the question ‘what do you enjoy doing when you are not working’, something other than ‘going out with my mates’.

3. Be aware of what’s going on in the news

4. Tidy up your social media – companies do look, and the more senior the job the closer we look!

5. Pursue Saturday jobs, working in hospitality is always good as it teaches you how to deal with the public and how to multi task. 

Julie ended her presentation with a great motivator for a wet Monday morning;

'You are better than you think you are'.

Grateful thanks go to Julie, it is always lovely to hear from alumni. If you feel you could offer an online ten minute talk on a Monday morning please contact vcasson@shsg.org. 

Cpl Bates has promised to visit us again to help out with our Year 10 interview experiences in May and the Careers Carousel in September. 

Read the criteria carefully. 

Show your passion. 

Demonstrate transferable skills and give examples of what you have achieved. 

State why you want to work for the BBC and why you would be the best choice for the role.  

Most importantly to be yourself.  

We will be marking National Careers week on Monday 10^th March. We will be running several activities for students to get involved in. Bonnie and Marnie have kindly agreed to return to SHSG on Monday 10^th March to present an in person workshop at lunchtime in the Media Studio. Students from all year groups are welcome to attend.  

We are also holding a Women In STEM event in the meeting room at lunchtime on Monday where students will have the opportunity to engage with top tech company Airbus. This session is aimed at any student in Key Stages 3-5 who is interested in learning more about STEM careers and the early careers opportunities available at Airbus. 

In addition all year groups will have registration time activities to expand their awareness of Career paths that are available to them.  

Ms Casson will be hosting a drop in session for students on Thursday lunchtime in the Media Studio for any students who would like some Careers advice on post 16 or 18 destinations.

 Fran and Tom were really generous with their time and advice and offered an open house drop in session for our busy Year 11s. This was very well attended with over 40 members of the KS4 Oxbridge Pathway club (which is open to all students in Years 10 and 11) coming along and getting their questions answered personally.  

We were very fortunate to get Emmanuel College to come to us and we look forward to working with them in the future. For those students who were inspired by their encounter Emmanuel offer a lot of online webinars such as one coming up shortly on the importance of your post 16 choices.  

Cambridge webinar: Subject Matters: The importance of your post-16 choices. 

The subjects and qualifications you choose for post-16 study are important and this session is to help ensure you pick the ones you need for the universities, courses or other routes you might be considering 

Subject Matters: The Importance of Your Post-16 Choices | Undergraduate Study 

We had an information stand in the foyer all week. Students took part in activities during registration time. KS3 students completed a word search competition- winners to be announced after half term. Year 12  had a workshop presented by Exeter University that went through the application process and different types of degree apprenticeships available. The highlight of the week was our very well attended ‘Meet The Apprenticehip’ event where we were pleased to welcome back alumni and friends of SHSG from JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Deloittes and Legendre who told us all about their experience of degree apprenticeships and took questions from keen students in Years 10-13. Thank you to our speakers who were so generous with their time and advice.  

On Monday 30 June,  a group of economics students had the opportunity to spend a day at J.P. Morgan. We were fortunate enough to speak with senior figures in the firm, including Malcolm Smith, the Chief Investment Officer. He stressed the importance of strong soft skills, explaining that punctuality, professionalism, and how you present yourself can significantly influence your success. He also highlighted how confidence, the ability to take calculated risks, and strong interpersonal skills are essential traits in this field. 
 
Throughout the day, we engaged with a range of employees who shared their career journeys and offered valuable advice. A recurring theme was the importance of fortitude, not fearing failure, and learning from mistakes. At J.P. Morgan, humility and honesty are key values that they have built a culture that encourages a growth mindset. One message that stood out was: “When things go right, the team gets the credit. When things go wrong, you share the blame,” reinforcing the idea that you are never alone. 
 
Another powerful takeaway was the emphasis on emotional intelligence. While finance is highly analytical, being able to connect with people and remain grounded is equally important. We also learned that having interests outside of academics shows character and humanity which are qualities the firm values just as much as technical ability. 
 
Overall, the experience was incredibly insightful and inspiring. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to spend time at such a prestigious firm and speak directly with people across different levels of the organisation. It deepened our understanding of what a career in finance truly looks like and motivated us to work even harder toward a future in the industry-and hopefully, one day, at J.P. Morgan itself.  

We were joined by @Richard Collins Agricultural Director of Müller, James Fellowes, Programme, transformation and engagement lead at PWC, Johanne Turner, Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence solicitor at BTMK, Liam King, Conservation Manager at Garon Park, Ellen Randall, Biochemistry academic, and Alicia Dieleman, Senior HR Consultant at Lighter HR.  

Speakers explained their career trajectory to date and how career paths now often take the form of a climbing frame rather than a ladder. Students learned that in 10 years time many of them will be pursuing careers that haven’t been invented yet. They explored how AI is affecting all aspects of business development and communication, the importance of conservation, how rewarding an academic path can be and met some baby chicks! This experience has opened our students’ eyes to a plethora of different career paths and perhaps most importantly made them aware of how important job satisfaction is and why our speakers love their jobs.  

We would like to thank our speakers for giving up their valuable time to inspire our Year 8 students as they begin their Careers education Southend High School for Girls.

From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed warmly and taken on a tour through the college’s stunning grounds. Walking through the peaceful courtyards, the library filled with centuries of knowledge, and the traditional dining hall, we began to understand the depth of history and academic tradition that surrounds Cambridge life, each space contains history, and deep academic tradition. We were even shown the student accommodation, which made the idea of studying there feel a little more real. Also, they even told us that they do your laundry for you, for free unlike other colleges you will have to pay.

Lunch at Emmanuel College was another highlight of the day, not only delicious but a genuine glimpse into student life. We were served a choice of roasted chicken with rice or cod loin, both beautifully cooked and accompanied by a generous selection of toppings and sides to suit every preference. For dessert, we were treated to indulgent brownies with cream or a rich caramel tart, both of which disappeared quickly! A variety of drinks were also available, adding to the sense that we were being warmly looked after throughout our visit. It was a meal that left everyone both satisfied and impressed.

One of the most impactful parts of the visit was the academic taster session. It wasn’t just a lesson; it was a completely different way of thinking. We were challenged to explore new ideas, question assumptions, and look beyond the obvious. It was exciting to experience, even briefly, what it means to think like a Cambridge student. The conversations didn’t end there, we were also guided through what A-level subjects are most useful for different courses and pathways, giving us a clearer idea of how to shape our choices now for where we hope to be in the future.

And of course, we couldn’t help but enjoy the lighter moments too, like spotting ducks practically everywhere (it’s their college, really), and the ducks as their mascot figures watching over us from the chapel.

We are truly grateful to Ms Casson and Ms Midwinter for the chance to see Cambridge up close. The visit to Emmanuel College was an unforgettable experience, one that left us all feeling inspired, informed, and excited about the possibilities ahead.