Among the topics addressed have been diversity in the workplace and challenging stereotypes, both of which were explored by Year 8 students during an interactive session led by representatives from Keepmoat Homes and the City Health Care Partnership.

Designed to both engage young people and challenge employment stereotypes, the session’s activities included a diversity board game and a ‘guess who’ challenge where students were tasked with guessing the profession of a person based on looks alone. Roles such as Project Manager, IT Trainer, Physiotherapist and Community Public Health Nurse were highlighted, with students assessing dress sense and gender as they determined which face belonged to which career.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the traditional view of nursing being a role for females was revealed, while project management was assigned to a man in a suit. Students were surprised to learn that the opposite was, in fact, the case - reinforcing how important such educational opportunities are for smashing stereotypes and subsequently opening up opportunities for employment in different sectors.

Viki Foster, Careers Leader at Withernsea High School, said: “It is important for students to tackle what can be seen as a difficult topic. They asked some valid questions and began to see how stereotypical thinking can affect careers prospects in the future. We ultimately want our students to understand that all careers are open to them, from girls in engineering to boys in nursing as two obvious examples.

As Year 8 prepare to join Year 9, where they will pick their subject options for CGSE study in Key Stage 4, we want them to be aware of the many career pathways that are available. This will help them to make informed decisions about which subjects to study, which will ultimately lead them to their destinations of choice in post-16 study and future employment.”

The need to actively challenge stereotypical thinking and raise aspirations through careers education is a key element of the government’s careers strategy for schools, which is addressed by the Gatsby benchmarks – a careers guidance framework that is used to develop good practice.

The benchmarks were created by Sir John Holman, a former Headteacher and founder of the National STEM Learning Centre, as part of an independent, international review of career guidance. Funded and developed by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the benchmarks were created to help set a standard of excellence in careers education.

Recognising that students have different needs at different stages, the third of the eight benchmarks - ‘addressing the needs of each pupil’- dictates that opportunities for advice and support need to be tailored to the individual. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that this should be done by embedding equality and diversity considerations throughout.

This is also reinforced as one of the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which, supported by employers, have been adopted globally to reduce inequality by 2030 in a mission to advance the SDG imperative to ‘leave no one behind’.

Elsewhere, technological advances in the world of AI (Artificial Intelligence) were the focus for Year 9 students in an interesting and relevant look at the development of this powerful tool.

In a session led by a representative from BAE Systems, students learnt how AI technology is being trained and used in practical applications, such as search and rescue scenarios. Students also explored the pros and cons of the technology and the ethical questions that are being raised as its use becomes more commonplace. 

The in-school event was followed by a parent engagement evening, held this week at the BAE Systems site in Brough, which offered parents and their children an opportunity to tour the site, interact with current apprentices and learn about the variety of digital careers available at BAE.

The AI session and subsequent parent engagement event formed part of the ‘We Discover Careers’ project – an ongoing collaboration between the Hull & East Yorkshire Careers Hub and the Leicestershire Careers Hub which sees businesses, both local and national, working with schools and parents to provide exciting opportunities and increase awareness of potential careers in blossoming industries.

The project also aims to boost recruitment opportunities for the workforce of the future by using text messages, shared between school and home, to provide tailored engagement and support to use local Labour Market Information (LMI) to help identify potential career pathways in the digital, logistics and green sectors.

Reflecting on the benefit of such opportunities, Viki Foster added: “It was fantastic for our students to learn about the developing technology of AI and the variety of career pathways that are available to them at BAE Systems.

With the Humber area being a hub for new and developing technologies, we want our students to be in a prime position to take full advantage of the opportunities that are available to them.

Meaningful encounters with employers and employees is another staple of the Gatsby benchmarks, and we are delighted to work with multiple partners to ensure that our students have opportunities to learn about work, employment and the skills that are valued in the workplace.

Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) and the exploration of future job roles is important for students at any stage, but for our current Year 9s who are getting ready to step up to their final two years of high school, it becomes even more critical as they begin to explore post-16 options and future destinations.”

Other recent careers-related events that have benefitted Withernsea High School’s students have included an exploration of careers within the logistics sector through a parent engagement event at Craven Park, hosted by representatives from logistics experts Kuehne + Nagel, and Wincanton. This was received extremely well by those who attended and is set to be followed-up with an in-school logistics activity day in July.

Meanwhile, a recent ‘Teacher Encounter Day’ provided an opportunity for a member of high school staff to visit Cranswick PLC, where they joined careers leaders and staff from other schools across the county for an opportunity to tour the factory and learn more about the careers available within their business.

As one of the largest employers in Hull and the East Riding, employing around 5,000 people across seven sites, their role in helping to inspire the workforce of the future is invaluable.

Viki Foster added: “For companies such as Cranswick to open their doors to teaching and careers staff is really beneficial as it helps us to keep up-to-date with the most current opportunities that are available to our students. As a national company that works with international brands, their experience is invaluable to us as we plan our careers programme to meet the needs of both the learner and the workplace.”

ABOVE: Philip Willis from BAE with Withernsea High School Careers Leader, Viki Foster. 

ABOVE: BAEs Philip Willis talked through AI with Year 9 students. 

ABOVE: Year 8 students enjoyed learning about stereotypes and diversity in a ‘Challenging Stereotypes’ session. Part of this included an interactive board game.

ABOVE: Jacqui Laycock, Carol Waudby and Bradley Waters from the City Health Care Partnership tasked Year 8 students with guessing the profession of a person based on looks alone as part of a challenging stereotypes activity.