Ron Dearing UTC students were offered a glimpse of their potential future career paths at an expo supported by almost 20 of the region’s leading businesses and organisations.
The employer-led school organised the Careers Expo in its conference centre on July 5th for existing Year 10 and Year 12 students, Year 10s joining the UTC in September, prospective Year 12 students and their parents.
They found out more about apprenticeships and future career prospects while asking questions of those who work in industry and former Ron Dearing students who have taken up apprenticeships with the school’s Employer Partners.
Representatives from the University of Hull, the UTC’s lead education partner, the Army and Royal Navy also attended to share potential opportunities with the students.
Year 10 student Kieran Stockton, 15, said: “The Careers Expo was great and I really enjoyed it. I’d like to be an electrician in the future and it was good to meet the Employer Partners to talk about that. The fact they’re willing to take time out to speak to us is amazing.”
Year 12 student Joe Green, 17, who is studying triple engineering in Ron Dearing UTC’s sixth form, said: “I’m interested in the mechanical side of engineering and I’m 95% certain I’d like an apprenticeship rather than going to university because I prefer hands-on learning.
“It’s helpful that Ron Dearing UTC organises events like this for us because we can meet the Employer Partners and it will hopefully help us get a foot in the door when we leave sixth form.”
Fellow Year 12 student Maisie Smith-Sainsbury, 17, who is also studying triple engineering at the UTC, said: “It’s great to gain wider knowledge about what the businesses do and shows us what careers we could pursue in the future. I found the expo really interesting.”
Louise Babych, Community and Employee Impact Partner at KCOM, a Founding Partner of Ron Dearing UTC, attended the event with colleagues IT Delivery Manager Paul Moon and Product Architect Richard Tyas.
She said: “We’re really proud of our founding partnership with the UTC and we want to open the students’ minds to the many career opportunities we have at KCOM and what a great place it is to work.
“It’s important the students are aware of opportunities as early as possible and the more they can meet colleagues who are doing the job, the better. Talking to them is inspiring and hopefully helps them choose the right career path.”
Sauce, one of Ron Dearing UTC’s Major Partners, is based at Hull’s Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) tech hub, and specialises in working with large, traditional companies as their digital partners, creating solutions to key business challenges to keep them ahead of the technology curve.
Technical Support Manager Mel Brooker, who attended the expo alongside several Sauce colleagues, said: “We all come from different backgrounds in our team and you don’t have to go to university to be successful.
“It’s fantastic that Ron Dearing UTC organises events like this and it was great to see the students interacting with so many businesses.”
Ron Dearing UTC caters for students aged between 14 and 19, offering a specialist focus on digital technology, creative digital, art and design and digital engineering.
Mark Ollerenshaw, Vice Principal for Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “Last year’s Careers Expo was held on a smaller scale following Covid restrictions, so it was brilliant to be able to bring it back in all its glory. The expo is part of the furniture at Ron Dearing UTC and is a firm favourite in our calendar each year.
“It was really well supported by our Founding and Employer Partners, who are equally as passionate about careers and skills as we are. The expo gives students chance to talk to representatives about career pathways and businesses linked to our specialisms.
“They can find out more about job opportunities and employers can meet our students too, so it works both ways.”