City & Guilds supports Career Academy programme
Monday 24 October
Kathryn Kirkpatrick from City & Guilds shares their story........
As the UK’s leading vocational education organisation, City & Guilds wants to inspire individuals to discover their potential, unlock their talent and believe they can achieve their dreams.
The Career Academy programme aims to raise the aspirations and opportunities of young people by exposing them to real working environments. Because of our aligned visions, City & Guilds was keen to take up the opportunity to be involved in the Career Academies UK’s annual Capital Experience event. All first year Career Academy students from around the UK benefit from a morning visit to a London based employer, followed by a student convention in the afternoon.
We’ve supported this event for the past three years, with staff from around the organisation coming together to put on a programme of activity and host a lunch in our head office, near St Paul’s Cathedral. However, to make sure it wasn’t just the London staff benefiting from this opportunity, teams from our local offices were also able to get involved and commit to a variety of volunteering activities with Career Academies UK, their centres and learners.
Our team in the Belfast Office has led the way through their work with Belfast Metropolitan College, which offers workplace experiences to young people. The team have been involved in one-to-one mentoring through the Partners in Business programme, and we provided boardroom facilities for Belfast Metropolitan College students to use. The students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to get away from the classroom, and experience a real working environment. A few of the students also joined in the Belfast Regional Medals for Excellence Ceremony – part of City & Guilds’ annual awards programme. They were introduced to stakeholders in our organisation as well as our medallists, allowing them to participate in the celebrations.
Elaine Shaw, Career Academy Coordinator and Curriculum Centre Manager at Belfast Metropolitan College commented, ‘Your facilities are fantastic and it definitely made the lesson on meetings more meaningful and real. Thank you also for the refreshments and extras that you gave to our students’. Going on to talk about the partnership she said, ‘I am delighted with the engagement, enthusiasm and dedication already demonstrated by Myrtle, Sharon and Dympna and look forward to working with them over the forthcoming period. I am positive they will be excellent role models and mentors for our students.’
Across the UK other staff members have recognised the benefits of working with Career Academies UK for their own personal development and to support the education system within their own communities. Many have volunteered on their Local Advisory Boards to help champion and raise the profile of their local Career Academy, as well as assisting in moving the programme forward.
‘This is one of the most rewarding and personally fulfilling things I’ve ever done in my working life. It gives me the opportunity to find out more about education today, whilst practising and developing skills and behaviours that are of professional use at the workplace.’ Agatha White-Dowe, Product Coordinator - City & Guilds
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