Careers Week Helps Pupils Explore Their Options

Pupils took part in a range of activities throughout the week including workplace visits and a careers fair.

Pupils at Stromness Academy have been given an insight into a range of careers available to them as part of the school’s annual careers week.
 
Careers Week was developed to support pupils in S3 who will shortly be making their subject choices for their fourth year, which can influence where they will end up after school.
 
The purpose of the week is to inspire and inform pupils about the variety of careers available to help them imagine what they could do in the future.  Throughout the week, pupils learn about some of the careers available to them in Orkney and hear about the different pathways they can take into their future job.

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​The week begins with a year group assembly where pupils take part in games and hear from an inspirational speaker.  The games are designed to expose them to a variety of different jobs and help them understand there is no wrong path into their chosen career.
 
Former Stromness Academy pupil Corrine Sinclair delivered the inspirational talk.  Corrine spoke about her own career journey and encouraged the young people to explore the options available to them, reminding them that even if they choose one career path or option out of school, they can always change path later in life.
 
During the assembly, pupils also took part in a STEM activity where they worked in teams to build a marble run and see who could get their ball to travel the furthest distance.  This activity helped them develop transferrable skills such as teamwork, communication and problem solving.
 
Other inputs throughout the week included an entrepreneurship and innovation skills activity which was delivered by Robert Gordon University.  For this they developed a concept, designed a product, gathered customer feedback from classmates, then made changed to their design based on this feedback.
 
A series of workplace visits were also offered to pupils, with them able to choose the visit that interested them the most.  Visits took place at Northlink Ferries, the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney Builder’s site on Cairston Road and Linklater Engineering.  These visits gave them the chance to see behind the scenes of local businesses, learn more about the variety of jobs available and the skills or qualifications they may need to undertake the jobs.
 
Throughout the week, a series of lunchtime speakers came into the school to speak to interested pupils about careers in their business or sector.  This included speakers from Orkney Island’s Council’s Environmental Health department, Xodus Group and NHS Orkney.
 
The week concluded with a careers fair in the school’s Lecture Theatre, which was open to all pupils from S3-S6.  Fifteen local employers, training providers, support services and Orkney College UHI attended to speak to pupils and help them gain an insight in the opportunities that exist in Orkney for them.
 
Throughout the week, pupils had the chance to interact with over 20 different employers, learning about different businesses based in Orkney and hearing about the range of careers available.  They also learnt about the different pathways available to them, including apprenticeships, further and higher education or going straight into employment.
 
Thank you to all of the employers and businesses, learning and training providers who supported the event.