Talented employees of the future graduate from the Career Academy programme
Wednesday 5 May
Over 500 work-wise young people graduated from the Career Academy Programme, last Thursday (29 April), during two events held at the Institute of Education, London.
At a time when getting on the career ladder is harder than ever, these students have proved they are already ahead of the game by completing the two year employer-backed programme, which includes a six-week summer internship and one-to-one mentoring.
Graduating students donned their finest attire and took to the stage before an audience of proud friends, family, teachers and employee volunteers, as they were presented with certificates by Sir Win Bischoff, Chair of Lloyds Banking Group and Career Academies UK, Sarah MacKenzie, Head of HR at the McGraw Hill Group of Companies (2pm ceremony), and Henrietta Royle, Chief Operating Officer at City University London and Frederic Drevon, Senior Managing Director at Moodys Investor's Services (5.30pm ceremony).
The Career Academy programme has grown so rapidly that this year three ceremonies had to be put in place instead of just one. The first London graduation ceremony celebrated the achievements of Career Academy students from outside of London, while the second recognised the work of London-based students. The third ceremony will be held in Leeds on 12 May.
The ceremonies were hosted seamlessly by Career Academy Alumni Agne Griauslyte, Joshua Ogunji and Mosleh Chowdhury. James McCreary, Career Academies UK's Chief Executive, and charismatic motivational speaker ‘Action Jackson', also offered words of encouragement and top tips on how young people can achieve future career success, while in between presentations, students shared their testimonies of how the programme has changed their career outlook.
During the first ceremony, Conor Walker, who is studying at Belfast Metropolitan College, talked about how his internship at Prime Care Services Ltd and relationship with his Partner in Business at Penna improved his workplace skills. He said: "I have definitely improved my skills for the world of work, especially teamworking. The course has helped with my studies and I have built up some fantastic friendships with my class peers and tutors. I have also made some excellent contacts in the business field and finally I believe I am now much more confident as a person."
Honorary Alumni were also recognised for their support of Career Academies UK. Among them was Helen Rickett, Career Academy Coordinator at John Kitto Community College in Plymouth and Debbie Farrell, Financial Support Manager at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, who has headed up the work that the law firm has done over the past few years to raise the aspirations of 16-19 year olds.
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