Career aspirations of Harris Federation Post 16

In March 2010 almost 400 visitors attended the Federation Post 16
Next Steps evening held at Harris Academy South Norwood.

The event was aimed at Year 11, 12 and 13 students and their parents/carers from our four Academies in Croydon and Merton, giving them the chance to link up with a wide range of Next Steps organisations. Exhibitors at the careers fair included employers such as Channel 4; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Mansell;
Her Majesty’s armed forces and 25 Universities from around the country including Oxford and Cambridge;
Queen Mary; Birmingham and St George’s. Careers advice and support was provided by the Connexions Service.
Throughout the evening a programme of career development sessions and talks took place, providing visitors with the chance to explore career opportunities and the various elements of graduate study in more detail. Talks included ‘writing a personal statement’, ‘student finance’, ‘what to do on a gap year’, insights into ‘careers at EDF Energy’, ‘careers within the Ministry of Justice’, ‘a day in the life of a management consultant’, ‘apprentice and training opportunities’ and so on.
A parent who expressed her satisfaction commented on the evening: “I just wanted to thank you for inviting us.
My daughter came away with a great deal of information and said she was totally inspired by her one to one discussions with firms and Universities”.
At Harris we are constantly encouraging students to be thoughtful and proactive about planning their future career and events like the Next Steps evening help them to start thinking carefully about their skills and interests and how they can build on these for a successful future. This is the first year we have done something quite so ambitious, but based on the success of the event; we look forward to next year being even bigger and better.

Sandra Miles
Principal
Harris Federation Post 16