SHELL ADVERTISING CHALLENGE
Shell pupils enjoyed a day producing a team solution to a business challenge. This challenge forms part of the College’s vision of providing an outstanding Education for Life with an emphasis on developing employability skills such as teamwork, communication and creative thinking. Teams of pupils were presented with a choice of objects and were tasked with creating a business based on their chosen item.
Once they had developed their ideas, pupils created a business plan and an advert to pitch their product. The year group had an introduction to branding and marketing as well as being challenged to think about costs, market segment, competition and targeting customers. The Horizons Department was extremely well supported by seven Shell parents who acted as both mentors and judges.
The ideas that the year group produced were creative and the innovation demonstrated when pupils were given the freedom of the College to create their marketing materials was particularly accomplished. The presentations, logos, websites, business and finance plans, marketing campaigns, social media accounts and advertisements pupils created were all of an extremely high standard. The pupils conducted themselves impeccably and appeared to have gained a huge amount from the experience; they certainly rose to the Business Challenge.
The four finalists: Xtreme Xperiences (outward bound holidays); Bee Board (sustainable surfboard wax from bees); Umbrella Holidays (bespoke holidays for mature couples) and Vigilance (a charity focused on combating knife crime), delivered excellent presentations and business ideas. The overall winners of the challenge were Bee Board, whose branding and brilliant business plan were clear winners.
LOWER SIXTH KEY TALKS
Lower Sixth pupils took part in a carousel of workshops relating to employability covering communication skills, personal brand and emphasising the importance of selling oneself in person. They also looked even further into their worlds beyond Bradfield at a workshop on personal finance, delivered by the Chartered Insurance Institute, which introduced them to loans and mortgages as well as the more immediate future as they move on from school. A final session covered careers and making the right choices as an individual.
The group also attended three key talks. Personal Statements was hosted by Jane Marshall, ex. Admissions at Imperial, and now set up on her own, who talked pupils through writing a strong personal statement, highlighting both the good and the bad in the writing of these. Having given the pupils help and guidance on how to structure their statements, Jane re-emphasised the importance of choosing the right course and then making a start over the summer on writing a first draft tailored to that chosen course.
A Gap Years talk saw Charlie McGrath discuss taking a gap year including where to go and how to stay safe. He discussed the importance of travelling with the right person who holds similar ambitions and aspirations. He also covered the main threats pupils face such as theft, illness and road traffic accidents. Another excellent tip was to record gap years so a pupil can remember what they learnt about themselves and use these examples and stories as content for future interviews and applications.
The final talk on apprenticeships was delivered by Caspar Bartington, Head of Volunteer and Education Engagement at the Association for Project Management. Caspar covered the business sectors which offer degree apprenticeships from Midwifery to Accountancy. He recommended www.gov. uk/apply-apprenticeship as a great place to search which certainly grabbed the interest of the Lower Sixth pupils who have expressed an interest in pursuing this path.
CAREERS FAIR
It was such a joy to be able to hold the University and Careers Fair again this year with a varied and interesting mix of over eighty exhibitors. A number of gap year organisations attended alongside representatives from overseas universities and advisors, businesses offering school leaver and apprentice programmes as well as the usual mix of UK universities and businesses.
Six local schools, a mix of state and independent, took up the invitation to bring their pupils and it was wonderful to share the occasion with Theale Green, The Downs, Little Heath, The Kennet, The Oratory and Pangbourne College. They made use of the opportunity, bringing in a further 300 plus pupils which helps to draw in a variety of universities and companies therefore willing to attend our fair. The feedback from attendee schools has been very positive on behalf of their pupils with all of them interested in coming again next year.
INTERVIEW PRACTICE
Having written a first draft of their CVs and submitted them to the Horizons team, pupils were allocated a one- to-one practice interview slot. Before the interview pupils were sent online practice sessions through a platform called Shortlist Me which provided an opportunity to rehearse competency style questions beforehand.
The Horizons Department was delighted to have the support of a forty-strong team of Old Bradfieldians, professionals and parents across the two interview evenings. During the competency-based interview pupils were challenged to give examples of occasions when they had demonstrated so called ‘soft’ employability skills such as collaboration and complex problem solving. Pupils received feedback directly after the interview and further feedback on both their responses to questions and their CVs after the event.
