Year 8 students at King’s Leadership Academy Liverpool recently benefitted from an exciting “Challenging Stereotypes” careers event, which saw local representatives from a range of sectors visit the school to share information about their careers.
The purpose of the event was to further engage the students in the academy’s careers curriculum, and specifically to widen their perception around gender stereotypes in careers. The event sought to demonstrate that gender is irrelevant when choosing a career path, and that it is passion and hard work that really matters.
The students had the opportunity to meet with 13 different volunteers from various fields and question them in detail about their careers and sectors. A wide variety of suppliers were in attendance, including the police, astrophysicists, bid writers, welders, and miners.
After taking part in the careers event, students felt more aware of the possibilities for them in terms of their career choices. They were able to gain the knowledge and understanding that any role is available for them providing they work hard and show enthusiasm for the role at hand. One student Chukwu stated: "I really enjoyed the event; it made me realise that if you want to do something, you can do it. Your gender does not matter".
Assistant Principal Mark Collins, who coordinated and hosted the event, felt the careers event had a real impact on the students, saying: “I am extremely pleased to have been able to host this event and showcase to our students the enormity of the job word - our local volunteers provided an intangible insight not only into their careers but to the various sectors that they work in. This is just another prime example of us as a school and trust preparing our students for the wider world when they leave us in Year 11.”