Organised by Stockport Council and Stockport Jobs Match, the week-long Virtual Careers Fair proved invaluable to the borough’s students to help them navigate their way through the choices available to them from age16+.
This year’s theme was ‘Brighter Futures’ – with the aim of helping to raise aspirations and inspire young people about the fantastic range of careers available now and in the future.
A total of 27 secondary schools, colleges, sixth forms and further and higher education providers, as well as around 6,000 students in years 10 and 11 were able to take advantage of a number of interactive sessions. This included a series of short, live events which provided invaluable insight into the future world of work and what a career in different sectors could offer, with over 20 local employers taking part. Two live Q&A sessions for students, parents and carers provided useful information about heading off to sixth form, FE or HE college, university or starting an apprenticeship, with educational institutions such as Stockport College, The University of Manchester and Liverpool John Moores University taking part.
A digital prospectus also proved to be extremely popular with over 1,000 downloads to date, and specially produced videos shown in classrooms and canteens to further engage with students.
Feedback after the event has been extremely positive, some highlights include:
“Really opened up the ideas of different routes post 16 and got students thinking about the future.” Cheadle Hulme High School
“As a year 10 parent it was a great evening giving us lots of information about opportunities ahead. Thanks for your time in presenting, excellent presentation.” Carol
“Thank you for having us and it was a pleasure to be involved. It was extremely well organised.” University of Manchester
Councillor Wendy Meikle, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Stockport Council, said: “As a council we are committed to helping improve the future prospects of our young people and give them the tools they need to make informed decisions about their future. The Careers Fair proved to be a huge success with both students and education providers alike and I wish all those who took part all the best in their future endeavours.”
Caroline Patten, Programme Delivery Manager at Stockport Jobs Match, said: “Switching to an online, digitally-accessible event for Post-16 Careers Week helps us to reach the maximum number of students possible and showcase all that Stockport has to offer – from raising awareness of employers and career pathways, to the diverse range of FE and HE study options at 16 and 18 (going far beyond the traditional A-Level and Uni routes!)
“We had fantastic levels of engagement and uptake from teachers, students and parents this year, and all the content – from videos and factsheets to free lesson plans and activities – will be available on Stockport Jobs Match for the rest of the academic year to continue to spark ideas that inspire our future talent.”
Find out more about Stockport Jobs Match and how they can help with employment or training opportunities and advice.
