Women in Economics Day at Cambridge
Gonville & Caius College at Cambridge University held their 2nd Annual ‘Women in Economics’ Day on the 22nd September 2016.
To our fortune, four female A-level students were invited to spend the day listening, discussing and gaining a greater insight in Economics as a degree and career. This year’s seminar was focused on the economic consequences of a post-Brexit economy. The day was hosted by Dr Victoria Bateman, Director of Studies in Economics at Gonville & Caius College; she shared her experiences as a former Cambridge alumni and gave a thought-provoking lecture on how increased female empowerment within our economy would reduce inequality and boost growth.
The guest speaker of the day was Yvette Cooper, former Shadow Home Secretary, her passion for Politics and Economics was inspirational; especially as studying Economics wasn’t the norm for a young woman at her time of education. It was only when she learnt that gaining an education in Economics would benefit her financial and political career that she began to pursue a greater understanding of the subject.
A variety of discussions were chaired by Dr Bateman and involved Senior Economists, Head Lecturers and Political, Feminist authors. The day was filled with a range of ideas and perspectives to expand the field of Economics to young women such as myself. “We all thoroughly enjoyed our day at Cambridge and came back feeling inspired and determined to succeed in a career in Economics”.
Careers Fair 2016
Parmiter’s was privileged to have such a wide array of professionals at the Careers Fair on 17th November 2016, many of whom were ex-students who returned to share their valuable experiences and career paths with our current students. We are grateful for all the expertise offered by the participants, and look forward to welcoming back those who return to every event, new companies and more ex-students to our next careers fair on 15th November 2018.
In the meantime the Careers Day for Year 11 and Universities Fair on 19th September 2017 will offer students a chance to gain information about different career paths, degree courses and apprenticeship routes.
Dragon’s Challenge 2017
For the fifth year running two teams from Parmiter’s took part in the dragon’s challenge 2017. The teams were chosen from Year 12 and took part in fundraising for their charities, Charlie’s Gift, and Signpost, both supporting young people locally with physical and emotional needs.
The teams, Legacy and Negotium, were led by Anna Liddelow and Conor Browne and together they organised a wide range of activities to raise money which included:
Bag packing Refreshments at Parmiter’s Events Online fashion sales Cake sales Easter Quiz Christmas craft fair Collection at Christmas Pantomime Valentines Surprises Hot Chocolate Stall Disco
Our thanks go to all of the team members and to David Hawes, the mentor for Team Legacy, who gave so much of his time supporting and inspiring the team. They raised nearly £5,000 between them for their charities and gained skills which employers look for along the way such as communication, leadership and management, teamwork, resilience, creativity, problem solving, negotiation and decision making.
Two Year 12 teams from Parmiter’s took part in the ICAEW BASE National Business and Accounting Competition 2016. They competed against 12 other teams taking on the role of Chartered Accountants for the day in which they were given a business issue to provide recommendations for. They were observed on how well they worked as a team, how effectively they communicated and how they managed their time under tight deadlines. After working through the business challenge they presented their recommendations to a panel of highly respected judges. One of our teams reached the semi-finals and presented their talk a second time to all the judges. They all agreed it was a very worthwhile experience which challenged them and honed their business, finance, marketing and teamwork skills.
Explore Law
This was delivered by the University of Law on 8th March, giving valuable information to our students who have an interest in law. They learnt about legal education and training and were given the chance to find out if law is for them – both at university and beyond. The programme included taster workshops giving students an insight into several different areas of law and how it works in study and the professional world.
Year 10 Enterprise Day
The Army arrived on a blustery spring day in March. Students were put in teams and given the job of completing 9 command tasks during the morning. The tasks included ‘Avoiding the mines’; strong communication skills were needed here, a bridge building task; problem solving and working closely as a team were the skills needed here.
They were also shown ‘Basher’. This involved examples of how to camp out, put camouflage paint on and trying some Army rations. They also saw what is contained in Army webbing and back packs. The cannon run proved hard work, students having to dismantle and reassemble a mock up cannon over a distance under the command of a PTI soldier.
The day ended with the whole year group coming together in the hall for the afternoon session. An informative talk was given regarding career pathways in the Army. Many students were surprised at the varied careers the Army had to offer including Sporting, Medical and Engineering to name but a few.
Taking part in the day gave the students the opportunity to show leadership and support for each other in many different ways in the activities presented to them. Developing these skills and having fun was evident throughout the day.
Following the Army Day 16 Year 10 continued their interest by taking part in the week’s residential work experience at the Army’s Crowborough Camp in Sussex with students from another East London school. The students were given a real taste of Army life, and dressed in uniform, even camouflaged for some tasks, and camping out into the night. They undertook various activities which were designed to inform them of the opportunities within the Army, and motivate them to apply. They came back to school with improved skills, confidence and independence.
An account from a parent of one of the students who took part:
“She came back saying it was ‘the best holiday that she has ever had’. She found the event both enjoyable and stimulating. She said that at some stages it was very tough both physically and mentally. For example, sleeping under a sheet outside, being woke up at 1am to be told that you were under enemy attack – wading through rivers in the pitch black, dropping to the ground upon command (finding that you are in a bed of stinging nettles and having to be silent with the threat of ‘enemy’ capture etc etc).
It sounds as though the children are pushed to the extent of their physical and mental abilities – as a result, I think she has gained in confidence and resilience. It has helped her to understand that if she pushes herself then she can achieve more than she thought herself capable of – and the self-pride that comes with that. There was also the positives of bonding with others / teamwork that came out of the event.
The Parmiter’s children were teamed with a boys school from East London – a totally different social economic group than the typical ‘Parmiter’s student’. This was also advantageous as it hopefully opened their eyes to some extent of how fortunate their circumstances are.
In conclusion, it is a very worth while work experience and takes children outside of the ‘safe’ environment of family and school life that many at Parmiter’s enjoy. It helps build confidence, resilience and determination.
It is certainly worth while taking up these opportunities that the Army offer and I would like to thank you for arranging this for my daughter”
Work Experience 2017
From 15th to 19th May, the Year 10 students went on their work experience placements. This was a fantastic opportunity for them to gain knowledge about the workplace, as well as independence and some useful employability skills.
Ayo Awe, an old Parmiterian came in to kindly deliver relevant and informative sessions to prepare them all for the week. On placement they were given an insight into the ways of different organisations and areas of work they might be interested in as a future career.
Here are accounts from some of the Year 10 who took part:
SA Law
“My work experience placement was at SA Law in St Albans. I learnt a lot about the different departments of law and now I have a much better understanding of how vast the profession really is. I thoroughly enjoyed my week at SA Law and I am currently pursuing further opportunities to volunteer.” Charlie Martindale 10KME
Crown Prosecution Service
“I was able to shadow a Senior Crown Prosecutor. It was a great experience for me and I got to learn a lot more about the CPS and how to get into that kind of legal career. I was able to make a few contacts which will most likely be useful in the future. I spent a lot of time in the court and the entire experience just confirmed how much I really want to pursue a career with the CPS and I’m really glad I had the opportunity.” Toluwa Adedoyin 10KME
Imagination Technologies
“This work experience has been very valuable to me; I have learnt many things while I was there. I have become more independent, confident and organised over the week while I was working there and I have really enjoyed my time there”. Dylan Moss 10NDO
The Abbey CE VA Primary School
“My work experience at has definitely been valuable to me! During my time, I’ve learned how to control and handle a class of 25 – 30 children. I have been part of a class, helping the children with reading and writing when they need help as well as other thing.” Olivia Eames-Illingworth 10NDO
David Puttnam Media Centre, St Peter’s Campus, University of Sunderland
My work experience has been so valuable to me! I’ve learnt all about how a job in the media can have its ups and downs but the most important thing is to enjoy every second of it. I feel more confident as a result of this time I spent at Sunderland University and I’m so pleased to have learnt, first hand, what jobs in the media and as an academic tutor entails. If anything, work experience has made me more eager to journey into the world of work!” Juliet Hollerton 10NDO
Overall I think I can say for the whole year that the effort put into getting the placements was worthwhile and the whole experience was very valuable. We are very grateful for getting the opportunity for this and would recommend it to everyone. Ed Marriott, 10NDO
The employers gave excellent feedback including the following:
“We were very impressed with the level of dedication and professionalism he showed. He has proven to be a very fast and keen learner. We wish him every success with furthering his education towards becoming a product designer.”
“He was a very well presented young man who was clearly very comfortable in a working environment. He got on very well with the staff and had an excellent no nonsense approach to all tasks that were set for him. He is a real credit to the school.”
“He helped us a lot. He did most of his given tasks without the need for much help. He was very eager to learn to do new tasks and learn about the company and its products. It was great having him here.”
“Edward was brilliant to have working with our team. He completed each task we set in an efficient and professional manner came with willingness to learn.”
“He has been a very keen and enthusiastic learner and grasped a lot of information, skills and techniques in a limited time period. He has a very bright future.”
Several Year 12 students have also taken part in work experience, either in preparation for university courses or to find out about professions they might like to pursue. This is actively encouraged and they are given the first week in July out of school to take part in this. Some students were given the great opportunity to do work experience with Dr Richard Grose, a leading Cancer Cell Biologist at the Barts Cancer Cell Institute, St Mary’s, and others at Leonardo’s Aeronautical Aerospace site in Luton. We are very fortunate that our students are offered these and other fantastic placements.
Junior Enterprise Club
This has been another fun year for the junior enterprise club with students from Year 9 being particularly enthusiastic to grow plants and vegetables from seed. They enjoyed trips to the garden centre to choose what they wanted to grow and plant. Their potatoes have been delicious once again and they are waiting to harvest onions, carrots and courgettes. They have also planted up the planters at reception and look after these for visitors to admire.
Our second Medical Conference to be held at Parmiter’s on 1st July, led by Drs Soon Lim and Deborah Kemp, was another great success for aspiring medics from Parmiter’s and 14 other schools who attended. Students listened to talks about life as a doctor, applying for medicine at university, skills and qualities needed and discussion on a number of issues faced by doctors today and in the future, including ethical issues surrounding medicine.
Students attended breakout sessions which included suturing and blood taking with four of the doctors attending and a Q & A with ex-Parmiterians either studying medicine or in junior practice.
Students had a great day experiencing practical skills and learning about the real life of a doctor and were all better prepared to apply for medicine at the end of the day.
INTU/Laing O’Rourke Watford Trip
A group of Year 10 students visited the new site at INTU Watford on 22nd March, which is being designed and built by Laing O’Rourke, the international engineering company who are responsible for the design, manufacture and construction of the extension. Professionals from Laing O’Rourke will be took students through the design process to the actual construction of the site, which the students were then taken around.
Mace Construction Open Doors Event
10 students attended the Open Doors event on Thursday 30th March which enables students to visit construction sites and get a real insight into the industry. They visited the Mace residential construction project at East Village in Stratford, London. They saw Mace working as the main contractor to build the next phase of the former Olympic Athletes Village. They saw the first elements of the project which involved building two towers rising to 30 and 26 storeys containing 482 flats. They were very privileged to see this project which is very high profile for Mace as the development forms an important part of the London Olympic Legacy.
Year 8 Work Shadowing
The students in Year 8 had the opportunity to shadow a parent, friend, or relative for 6th & 7th July. Some students went to primary schools or nurseries and one student even spent her days with Radio Verulam, being given the chance to speak on air! A few students shadowed in Design & Technology and in my careers’ office. I was delighted to have Riko and Lydia with me. They were polite, helpful and enthusiastic during the two days and used their IT and creative skills to improve the careers board and help with summer school preparation.
Morrisby Testing
54 students sat this test on Tuesday 11th July. The Morrisby profile test which I deliver at Parmiter’s is an online careers support tool which allows students to gain information into their aptitudes and interests. The results are very accurate and clearly presented for students who can use them to plan their career journey. It also provides for good discussions with parents, myself, and their teachers. With so many different options now open to students this allows them to take a more considered approach to their career path, giving suggestions for suitable courses and careers to match their profile. By understanding themselves better the students are better able to make the right decisions.
Additional careers activity in 2016 – 2017
Mock interviews were offered to Year 13 Years preparing for interviews at university and for Year 11 students from employers at INTU Watford.
Speakers from varying institutions and professions have been invited in to give informative and innovative talks….
Professor Leon Freris – ‘Climate change and what can we do about it’
Dr Suzy Walton – A motivational speech to sixth form
Paul Carolan – ‘A bit about Advertising and How to Win at Life’
Laura Hallam – Interview Techniques
Education and Employers – Apprenticeships and Alternatives to HE
Ayo Awe – Preparation for work experience
Dr Richard Grose – Cancer Cell Biological research
We would like to thank them all for giving up their time to deliver such wonderful presentations.
The majority of Year 11 students and some from Years 9 & 10 have met with Lincoln, the Connexions Advisor. Every Year 9 student has met with Mrs Green or Mr Buchanan for an introductory chat about their subject choices, interests and ideas moving forward.
- We are grateful to everyone, from parents to staff to employers and volunteers, who give our students these opportunities to take part in the above experiences and enable them to find out more about the important world of work and preparing for it. Without this help we would not be able to offer such an array of insights and work related learning.
Thank you.
Parmiters Careers 