More than 20 leading businesses met hundreds of Ron Dearing UTC students at a Careers Expo organised to help them plan their futures.
The expo was attended by current Year 10 and Year 12 students, as well as new Year 10 and Year 12 students who are joining the UTC in September and their families.
They met staff from 24 employer partners and other outstanding companies, finding out more about careers, potential job opportunities, work experience, required skills and more.
Lisa Regan, Assistant Principal – Horizons Professionalism at Ron Dearing UTC, said: “The aim is to increase students’ knowledge of potential future pathways while building on their networking skills and confidence when speaking to employers.
“This is the highest number of companies we’ve ever had involved in the expo and the response and feedback has been amazing.
“This event has opened our students’ eyes to potential jobs and careers they may not have considered and they’ve been able to understand more about the breadth of what the individual businesses offer.”
“One of the best aspects of this year’s expo was welcoming back so many former Ron Dearing UTC students who are now working for our employer partners.”
Staff from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, a Major Partner of Ron Dearing UTC, were among those who attended the Careers Expo, which was held at the UTC.
Watch Manager Ben Thomas said: “None of the students are old enough to join the fire and rescue service yet but you can see the interest is already there. They’re considering what skills they have and how that aligns with particular roles.
“It’s not about being fit and strong. It’s about behaviours and people with integrity and leadership skills who put communities first. We can teach people to be firefighters but we can’t teach people to be decent people.”
Wendy Hiley, HR and Talent Acquisition Business Partner at specialist rural broadband provider Quickline, also met students at the expo.
She said: “It’s really important that we provide students with opportunities for the future, giving back to our communities.
“We love to see new talent and new technologies coming through because they can change our thinking for the future.”
Year 11 student Alfie Lansdell, 16, is currently studying photography at Ron Dearing UTC and said he was pleased to attend the expo.
He said: “Ron Dearing UTC is an amazing school and the Careers Expo is the best opportunity I’ve ever had. It was a really good experience and I met people from the Army, Royal Air Force and other great companies.”
Fellow Year 11 student Hayden Taylor, also 16, said: “Everyone at the expo was really easy to talk to and it’s nice to be able to look at so many career options in one place.
“It’s better than looking online and searching for jobs and careers on the internet because you can speak to people in person and find out more.”