A week of Inspiring Sessions for Year 9 at Orchard 

At Orchard school, Year 9 were treated to an amazing week of careers sessions! Firstly, they were visited by Karl Brown, a partner at Clarke Willmott and the founder of the Bristol Property Inclusion Charter. Karl delivered an inspiring assembly on his career journey, from his struggles to get a graduate job to the success he has achieved today. Karl spoke to students about resilience, the power of a good coach/mentor, and paying it forward when you achieve success. Students asked some excellent questions and were really engaged throughout. 

Later in the week, Danielle from MCS delivered an incredible session on girls in construction, bringing with her some amazing women from the industry. First year 9 met Danielle, who spoke about opportunities for girls in the construction industry. Then Year 9 were introduced to Ele George, the founding Director of Elevate, who discussed her own pathway to engineering, and her drive for sustainable construction. After that they met Kimberley Mason, a Partner in a construction firm in Bath, who spoke to Year 9 about overcoming societal barriers to becoming a successful woman in the construction industry. Finally, students met Nikki Caldwell, a Specification and Sales Manager, who talked to the students about some lesser-known careers in construction. 

After the talks, students were set some challenges using Lego to construct animals in different ways. Year 9 got so much out of the session, and many stayed behind to talk to the speakers at the end. One student commented that they found it so helpful to “hear people’s stories and learn that there are more options into construction than university.” Another student expressed that she loved learning about “the expanded bracket of job opportunities in construction.” 

Thank you to all the employers who made these sessions such a success for Year 9 students. It was amazing to see students so inspired and engaged in their next step towards post 16.