Championing Brighter Futures
We hosted a careers week for all students with the aim of raising their aspirations, increasing their motivation and encouraging them to open their minds to the endless possibilities and various roles available to them within different organisations.
A number of inspirational guest speakers from different sectors were invited in to discuss their career journeys including PwC, Audley Travel, Cameron Mckenna Law, She’s GOLD and Motivez. Select students attended an apprenticeship fair at The Oval whilst others attended workshops at London South Bank University. What’s more, our very own students ran workshops for their younger peers.
Here are the highlights…
#FestivalOfApprenticeships
On Tuesday 5th March, Year 10 and 11 students were invited to a roadshow exhibition at The Kia Oval, promoting and celebrating all things apprenticeships. The event was a one-stop show for our students to explore local apprenticeship opportunities, meeting over 50 organisations, employers and apprentice role models first-hand, whilst also be guided on how to apply for and make the most of an apprenticeship. No fair is complete without a freebie either! Students walked away with free tote bags, pens and stress balls as well as a wealth of knowledge about apprenticeships.
From team building to creativity and investment banking to intellectual property…
On Wednesday 6th March, 60 Year 9 students and a selection of Year 10 prefects attended a series of workshops at London South Bank University (LSBU). First up was an interactive team building workshop run by Lendlease, a global real estate group, who tasked students with constructing a building out of dried spaghetti and marshmallows.
In another workshop, OCS, a facilities management company, challenged two teams of students to a Jenga Engineering Challenge where students had the chance to answer questions and win points when they successfully removed numbered blocks from the tower.
Rock Townsend, a local architect firm, introduced pupils to a career in architecture before hosting a game that challenged students to design a property within certain constraints and categories. Whilst the British Academy of Jewellery got students’ creative flair going by getting them to design their own necklaces. We look forward to inviting the company back into Notre Dame in the future to run jewellery workshops for our students.
As well as developing a range of team building, leadership, communication and creative design skills, students attended presentations from companies within a range of other sectors. The distinguished JP Morgan taught students about asset management, investments and work-life balance at the company whilst Bristows Law firm provided an insight into intellectual property so that students could understand more about the laws surrounding copyright. A representative from Informa, a leading international events and digital services company enlightened students to how they connect brands with customers and market a range of products. Finally, students discovered more about the Financial Times including its history, why the paper is pink and the range of jobs that can be found within its headquarters.
Motivation from Motivez
George Imafidon MBE and CEO of Motivez ran a motivation workshop for both Year 10 and 11 students on Thursday 7th March. Motivez is an award-winning youth-led organisation that empowers young people aged 14 - 25 to access entry-level STEM jobs and become leaders and change makers. Notre Dame students were educated on George’s incredible journey and mesmerising experiences; they were inspired to be the best they can be and encouraged to strive for success through hard work and dedication.
Unlocking Law
Students interested in a career in law signed up to a talk run by Monica Lesny from Cameron McKenna Law. We were delighted to have a full house with many aspiring lawyers in Notre Dame! Monica discussed the challenges vs reward with a career in law as well as her personal experiences as a construction lawyer, including her involvement in the Grenfell Tower case.
From Notre Dame to Midwifery
We were ecstatic to welcome back former Head Girl Venus, who graduated in 2017, to speak to current Year 10 Health and Social Care students about her journey since leaving Notre Dame Catholic Girls’ School and her career as a Midwife.
Exploring a Career in Travel
Duncan Middleton, People Development Manager at Audley Travel conversed about his educational and career journey, including how he saved up to travel to India by road! It was this experience where he discovered his love for travel and decided to pursue a career in the industry. Duncan travelled the world as a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant before working in expeditions and then for Audley Travel. Students were informed of the various roles within Audley including sales, HR and marketing as well as the incredible opportunities employees get to travel.
An insight into one of the Big Four
Students heard from Jimmy and Katherine, employees at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), about their educational and career pathways, leading to where they are today, as well as the range of careers and opportunities available at PwC. PwC offers clients various professional business services, including accounting, auditing, human resources consulting, and strategy management. It is among the ‘Big Four’ professional services firms, alongside Deloitte, EY, and KPMG, and so we were extremely fortunate to have them attend our Careers Week this term.
She’s GOLD
Ex-student Maame and business partner Madi, who have set up the charity She’s Gold, returned to Notre Dame during Careers Week to run motivational sessions with Year 7 and 8 students. Maame and Madi discussed their educational and career journeys whilst encouraging our students to start thinking about what interests them and what career pathways they may want to follow.
Notre Dame students stepping up to the mark
Throughout careers week, our very own students stepped up to the mark and ran sessions for their peers. On Day 1, we saw Daesha, Khiya, Cristabelle and Olivia in 10C exploring career ambitions with Year 8 by getting them to collate their ideas within a collage before presenting to the group. Year 10 students, led by Zoe and Ifemi, ran assemblies for their peers on Artificial Intelligence and its impact on careers as well as our lives. Then at the end of the week, Audrey, Princess, Brittany, Janelle and Alicia, also in Year 10, ran a team building game, called Paradise Island, with Year 7 students. These opportunities demonstrate how our girls truly take ownership of their learning, collaborating with their peers and developing key transferrable skills that will certainly serve them well in their future endeavours.
Strike a pose!
On Friday 8th March Year 7 students walked the runway adorned in professional dress to demonstrate their career ambitions. We saw future doctors, nurses, pilots, chefs, businesswomen and fashion designers, to name but a few. It was great to see a wide variety of careers represented, and we look forward to supporting our girls to reach their ambitions as they champion brighter futures!
