Career Academy

Posting by Ranjit Hayer, Career Academy Co-ordinator and Business teacher at The Sixth Form College, Solihull

We’ve set up a Career Academy at the College and a small group of BTEC Business students have been accepted into the programme.

The ten nervous students are waiting in anticipation of their first mentor meetings this month. These students will be making their way to blue chip businesses that they have been lucky enough to be put into contact with by successfully completing their application to the Career Academy. A representative from these firms will advise and mentor these students to ensure they get the most out of the programme.

The firms involved in this mentoring part of the Career Academy include Jaguar Land Rover, Solihull Council, Village Hotels and BT, amongst others.

All the students have already met their mentors at very animated “ice breaker” event before Christmas. Students, staff and the mentors came into College and took part in a challenge, aimed at helping everyone to get to know each other. Armed with boxes of drinking straws and put in pairs of student and mentor, the task was to make the tallest straw tower in 20 minutes! It was great fun for everyone involved and really did help to break the ice, as it was intended to.

All students will meet their mentors on a monthly basis and they will help them develop their work skills, see how a business works and most importantly learn how to use their networking skills.

This experience will put these students one step ahead of the game when thinking about what to do when they leave the College.