We have had our first careers ambassadors meeting of the term.  The new students have all been introduced to the role and they are all looking forward to assisting during careers fair. 

As you are aware our Career’s program at Etone is an extensive package. Starting in Year 7 pupils are given the opportunities to develop their key employability skills, in the process earning their rewards and badges and begin to consider what they might like to do for their career.

Then throughout their time at Etone they will get the chance to explore those careers through; external visits, guest speakers, careers and enrichment days, workshops, performances to name just a few. During this time new interests and hobbies may arise as they engage with our extracurricular program, and this means even more careers are explored.

This was exactly the case on Friday 17th March as our pupils experienced the 2023 Careers Day. This day, held annually, complements our Careers Fair earlier on in the year during the Autumn term. As part of this day we were thrilled to welcome over 65 employers, speakers and advocates to run sessions across the school and provide pupils with an insight into some of the most exciting careers out there.

From midwifery to engineering pupils were enlightened to what kind of careers were in store across all different sectors, how to enter those careers and where they can access information.  The employers included 3M, Willmott Dixon, Severn Trent water, WBA, Crown, Department for Transport, Aspire in Arts, Ambulance service and other NHS departments, All of the armed forces, accountancy, lawyers and many more 

Trips to DeMontfort University in Leicester and the University of Birmingham took place where Year 10 and 11 pupils got the chance to explore university life, sit in a live lecture and explore living accommodation. Year 9 had the opportunity to get to learn more about their own families' and friends' careers with “Work Experience day” day.  Most of the year group gained a placement including businesses such as local primary schools, retail and admin work to name but a few. 

Over in the Sixth Form our Year 12 students enjoyed a visit to Loughborough University where they got to consider the very real prospect of university life in the not so distant future. Year 13 were suited and booted as they took part in mock interviews. Having previously been given the job briefs they had been preparing for the sessions individually. Running through the interviews with experts from those businesses applied for the pupils got a real chance to feel what an interview would be like and receive feedback on how to be even better.

Overall, the event was another resounding success for Mrs Barlow and Miss Sweet. We would like to thank all of our guests and universities who have supported us in our vision to provide the high-quality careers education all pupils deserve.

Students in Years 8-11 had the opportunity to visit Coventry University on Thursday as they explored what the organisation had to offer in terms of Engineering. Across the day pupils had the chance to sit in lectures, tour the facilities and even had the chance to fly the simulators and go into a Harrier Jump-Jet.  They also took part in an engineering master class and viewed the accommodation as the explored what life might be like for a student in engineering. As always our pupils were complimented on the way they conducted themselves and throughout enjoyed the day. Thank you to Coventry University for their time .  A great day was had by all.

On Wednesday 23^rd November we hosted our second Parent Workshop of the year. This time the focus was on Supporting Pupils with Work Experience in Year 10 and 12. Once again we had fantastic turnout for our first virtual event of the year. 

The session aimed to focus on how we as a collective (home and school) can support pupils in securing high quality placements, the logistics and guidelines for placements and considering how we can best support the placements to ensure they have a meaningful impact.

All those who attended found it incredibly interesting and helpful and we are once again bowelled over by the words of support from you regarding Etone College as a whole.

At Etone we are extremely proud of the hard work our team, headed by Mrs Barlow, put into ensuring we have an extremely high quality package of careers support. We are sure you will remember our award of the Quality in Careers Standard, achieved in February this year which highlights the high quality of the programme in place for pupils. As we are the only school currently in Nuneaton and the 2^nd in the Warwickshire area to receive this standard, it makes the achievement even more prestigious.

If you were unable to attend lasts nights session please do not be disheartened. You can find all of the materials  including letters and guidance for work experience here: https://matrixacademytrust.co.uk/careers/etone-college/

Additionally we would like to invite you to watch the recorded session here: https://vimeo.com/776938283

Just a reminder that for all Year 10 and 12 pupils work experience will take place during 17^th-21^st July 2023.

Our students attended a university experience day at Coventry University.  Whilst there they participated in various interactive workshops including, Engineering, building a spaghetti structure Biology, extracting DNATravel and Tourism, selecting products and a design task Policing, looking at the course and equipment used by the police Computing, examining different platforms for web development Early years education, educational games and play The feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive and they really enjoyed the experience.

Each year at Etone during the Autumn term we hold our Careers Fair. This is an opportunity for local and national employers to descend on our campus and show our pupils what the world of work has to offer them.

It is clear that in the times we live, strong prospects are important to ensure our pupils are competitive and go onto the prestigious destinations they seek. Therefore, it is never too early to start thinking about the future. This is something we were particularly impressed with when it came to our Year 7 pupils. Despite not having the experience of the fair before they conducted themselves with the utmost respect and decorum which really impressed our visitors.

For our Year 11 pupils there was food for thought when considering the next steps. With local colleges and apprenticeship programmes there was a chance to explore what these would have to offer. Of course, it was fantastic to see the high level of interest from our pupils for our own Sixth Form and Football Academy.

Across the fair, our pupils had the opportunity to talk to organisations and employers from a vast spectrum of industries including:

Whilst it might not be possible to put each individual we would like to thank all of the organisations for attending and the kind words regarding our school and pupils. Without your involvement each year it would be hard to make the event the success it is.

Finally, a big congratulations to Mrs Barlow and Miss Moore for putting on such a great event. You have excelled yourself this year!

On Thursday 17^th March we were overjoyed to welcome over 20 local employers, colleges and universities to the first post-pandemic careers fair at Etone College. Across the day all of our pupils had an opportunity to go around the stalls and gather information, ideas and of course the occasional freebie in order to support them in considering their next steps when they move on from Etone College.

All year groups from our Year 7’s at the start of their Etone journey to the Year 13’s who are nearing the end, engaged in the festivities as they found out about careers and paths in a wide variety of industries and subjects including:

• RAF
• Careers Hub
• Etone College Sixth Form
• Army
• Nuneaton Fire Service
• Domino’s Pizza
• Royal Navy
• Coventry University
• Birmingham City University

It was especially good to see one of our Etone alumni in Sam Evans, who returned to host the Careers Hub stall during the event. Sam who completed his GCSE’s in 2019 has shown resilience, despite the pandemic, as he nears the end of his apprenticeship and is on his way to becoming a qualified radiographer with the NHS. It just shows that hard work, dedication and self-belief have led to Sam being able to achieve his dreams. Sam was also kind enough to reflect on his own experiences as a pupil at Etone. “The advice that I got from the school was really good. It helped me understand the path I wanted to take, what decisions I had to make and have a clear focus moving forward. I knew exactly where I was going to go and when to make sure I get the career I want.” We wish him all of the luck Etone has to offer and a very successful career.

Finally it was great to have a returning visit from NCS (National Citizen Service) who hosted a stall to showcase what they do. Nearly 50 Etone pupils have already signed up for their summer residential programme with more to follow in the coming days.

As always we see the value in guiding pupils towards the careers as early as possible to ensure they remain strong in a competitive job market. If you would like to find out more about our career support at Etone check out this link: https://matrixacademytrust.co.uk/careers/etone-college/