Career inspiration for Felpham Community College students

Year Seven students with two Galliford Try employees. Dean Lancaster, on the right, is an ex-student who is now working as a quantity surveyor with Galliford Try

The secondary school hosted a range of activities in support of National Careers Week.

A programme of talks and workshops ran throughout the week with students from all year groups encouraged to attend.

Speakers from a variety of businesses presented, including John Wiley Ltd, Bell Phillips Architects, Hyde Foundation, Galliford Try and Pinks Vintage Ice Cream Vans and Tricycles.

Most speakers were alumni of the school and included a current school governor discussing banking technology, and a journalist from the Bognor Observer.

As well as presentations, Felpham Community College ran a number of marine engineering workshops for selected students across years seven to nine.

Gill Woodman, Careers co-ordinator at Felpham said: “Students had to take the initiative this week with the talks and sign up themselves to what interested them.

“It was good to see such a cross selection of careers being discussed over the week.

“We want to give students as much information and advice on life post ‘school’ as possible.

“We organise a number of trips for groups of students in different years throughout the school year from trips to universities, colleges, local businesses and multinational companies as well as a large number of career workshops run in school led by external companies and organisations.

“If there is an event or opportunity taking place which can encourage our students and give them career direction, we always try and ensure Felpham Community College is taking part.”

Isabelle Isitt, a Year Seven student, said: “I went to the Galliford Try presentation on professional careers in construction on Wednesday and it was really interesting; they are building the new Chichester University technology park just down the road near the school so it is a local project which I can see daily taking place.

“I want to be an architect when I leave school so this was ideal for me.”

Felpham Community College is a mixed comprehensive secondary school.

It is a community school which means that it is run by the local authority, which employs the staff; owns the land and buildings and decides which ‘admissions criteria’ to use (these are used to allocate places if the school has more applicants than places).

For more information, visit www.felpham.com.