HIGH-FLYERS have been offered advice from army, navy and RAF personnel alongside specialists in education, business and training to give them a head-start for the future.
Northallerton School and Sixth Form College invited local employers, university representatives, armed forces recruitment officers, County Hall administrators, council officials and a host of further education colleges to its annual Aim Higher event, which helps students make more informed decisions about their further education and career choices.
The event, aimed at pupils in Years 10 and 12, saw more than 300 students and their parents seek advice to help them broaden their thinking on post-GCSE and A-level education, apprenticeships and employment opportunities available to them.
Head of Sixth Form Bronia Harris said: “Our Aim Higher event not only gives students and their families a chance to see what we can offer but also to explore different career choices and further education options all under the one roof.
“It is critical that they start to research their options early and our annual event provides the ideal starting point to ask questions and seek clarification on everything from university entry criteria to apprenticeships and vocational training.”
Pupils from St Francis Xavier School in Richmond and Bedale High School were also invited to attend the event, which attracted local businesses including Walter Thompson Construction, Darlington Building Society and Lynx Fuels, as well as Askham Bryan Agricultural College, Hambleton District Council, Access to Music, The Avalon Group, Supported Employment Services and 12 universities.
The evening provided the opportunity for students to access information on careers in the police, jobs in construction and routes in accounting and teaching, as well as attending talks on choosing a university, making an application, higher education student finance and applications to Oxbridge.
Year 10 student Isabelle Meeks, 15, of Northallerton, said: “I was thinking about a job working with animals, perhaps as a veterinary nurse, but coming to this event has opened my eyes to a lot more careers, such as the mounted police or dog handling, which I hadn’t thought of before.
“It’s a good idea to have all the information available under one roof and to be able to talk to specialists from each college and university.”
Mum Julie Meeks added: “Isabelle is still unsure of the path that she wants to take so this event has given her some ideas before taking her GCSEs.
“As a parent you want your child to be given as much information as possible for them to be able to make informed choices about their future.”