Career Academy Visit to Westminster

Posting by Ranjit Hayer, Career Academy Manager and Business teacher

Perseverance was the name of the game with the Business Career Academy last week. We had organised a trip to London to visit the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, but the fates seemed to be conspiring against us!

First, we had to contend with not one, but two broken down trains. The third train did get us to London, but not without some problems with the brakes! You might think it would have been better to turn round and go home, but not the Business Career Academy.

This was a trip for the Year 13 students and, now into their second year of the Career Academy, they are veterans of these sorts of trips.

The Career Academy is a national programme that raises the employability of young people. Visits such as this one, form an important part of the programme, with mentoring, guru lectures and paid internships also making up the experience for students.

This visit saw the students take in the sights of Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral and the London Eye, but primarily we were there for a tour of the Houses of Parliament.

During this tour, the students were told about how an Act of Parliament goes through the House of Lords and the House of Commons before it is passed as law. The guide also explained how the MPs address each other when they are sitting in Parliament and gave the students an insight into the aspect of theatre involved, such as when MPs shout ‘order’ when Parliament is sitting.

The tour included information about how the Queen officially opens Parliament each year and the different customs that have been set many years ago and which are still followed today. The students were also given a short history lesson about how past kings and queens have tried to change the way Parliament is run.

It was an eventful day, but enjoyable too. Getting to London proved to be quite an ordeal, but we managed it and it was worth it, because the visit gave the students a really valuable insight into the workings of government. This is important because legislation affects every aspect of business and seeing Britain’s seat of power for themselves will have helped them to understand that.