Exploring Careers

Half Term is a great opportunity to relax but for those who think a change is as good as a rest work experience can be an interesting and productive use of the holiday. Roisin (Upper Sixth) successfully gained a place on the three-day Cisco online work experience programme, ‘Pathway to Your Future’ for February Long Leave. The programme is specifically designed to share information about careers with Cisco and to encourage young women to consider careers in IT. In addition to networking, Roisin will be taking on a business challenge as a member of a group and practising employability skills such as interviewing and CVs.

Head of Careers at Leighton Park, Sally Saunders, enthused, “There are some fantastic opportunities in this sector and not just the stereotypical roles of programming and coding. You have the opportunity to look at the different aspects of the Cisco business and this may be of interest to those studying Business and Economics  as well as those who are looking to pursue a career where you work with others and as part of a team.”

“We are proud of the relationships that Leighton Park has with local businesses and many provide fantastic opportunities for our students” continued Sally. “Under normal circumstances, students would be attending careers fairs and we would be welcoming representatives to the Park to speak to them. However, we have adapted, and students have not let the current situation get in the way of pursuing careers related opportunities.”

Jack (Year 10) is another student who has proactively pursued his dreams for the future with a Music Production course through InvestIn. Leighton Park is a partner school for InvestIn who offer online work experience across a variety of sectors including law, business, finance and medicine. Having recently expanded their courses to include more creative offerings, Jack was attracted to the Music Production programme which included two days of dedicated training from industry professionals.

“The programme appealed to me as something that would really lift my skill and interest in Music Production, a hobby I have had for many years now.” explained Jack. “My favourite part of the experience was a segment called ‘You become the Producer part 2’. This was the main creative part of the course as it was the part where we were making our own music. I would definitely recommend it to other aspiring musicians as it really highlights parts of the music industry that wouldn’t otherwise be known and it teaches you the skills to turn a mediocre piece of music into something great.Once I leave school my goal is to become a stage guitarist in a band.”