On Tuesday 10th November, Year 10 students took part in a virtual career mentoring event, organised by Northern Power Women. The organisation was founded by Simone Roche MBE to accelerate gender equality and promote the growth of the Northern economy. Simone joined us for the event, along with her husband and the rest of the IT support team. Only four schools throughout the North West were chosen to take part in the initiative.
This was an invaluable opportunity to talk directly to 30 senior figures from a wide range of industries and professions including New Look, Lidl Hong Kong, United Utilities, the Royal Navy and British Army, Kellogg’s and Manchester Airport. Students were arranged into small groups and then had a Zoom meeting with two different mentors. They asked questions and the mentors shared their stories and tips for getting on the career ladder.
Our students acquitted themselves superbly; asking questions with confidence and listening intently. Afterwards they were extremely positive about the experience and it was fantastic for me to see students fired up about their futures. Here’s some of their feedback:
“I learnt to not be afraid to try new things and have a go at anything that comes your way.”
“I learnt that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can always achieve if you believe and try your best.”
“I learnt about different jobs that I had heard of but didn’t know anything about. I also learnt about people skills and how you can become anything, you just need to work hard for it.”
“I really enjoyed the mentoring session; the mentors were engaging and friendly. They encouraged questions and gave me lots of great advice.”
“The mentors were able to bring back hope to young people and proved that they still have a chance of getting jobs, even in the current circumstances.”
“I felt confident sharing my ideas and being open so they could give me ways to help and encourage me to study further after secondary school. I hope we can do something like this again.”
“I really hope the rest of the year groups below us get a chance like this because it’s a great experience.”
“I think talking to women with successful careers was important but seeing how they got to their positions in totally different ways was cool. They had different educational backgrounds and didn’t always know what they wanted to do when they were our age but eventually found their passion, which is reassuring.”
The mentor feedback was extremely positive too and the Northern Power Women team are keen to work with the school in the future, including arranging work experience opportunities and (hopefully) face-to-face sessions at our school in the not-too-distant future. Here’s a selection of their feedback:
“Brilliant afternoon!”
“Fantastic, my daughter goes to PGHS and it’s a great environment for a young woman.”
“This was great! As a former pupil, I’m so pleased to see this at Penwortham Girls’ High School.”
“Such a great event to have been part of!”
Mr J Ramsdale
Senior Assistant Headteacher