News and Events
Post-16 Experience Days 2024
Our Year 10s enjoyed a series of exciting “Post-16 Days” in June and July which included college taster days, an employer fair and special careers workshops. The aim of these days is to encourage students to seriously consider what they want to do when they leave school, to experience a day in the life of a college student and to learn more about the world of work. They learnt a lot about the options available at post-16 and also developed new skills which will help them with decision-making and completing applications in Year 11.
Students took part in a huge range of careers activities, including:
- College Taster Days - at Marple Sixth Form College, Macclesfield College, Stockport College and Aquinas College
- Creating a CV
- Employability Skills workshop – Labour Market Information and online job searches
- Employability Skills workshop – with Live N Learn
- Employer Speed Networking event – with over 20 local employers
- Interview Techniques
- Post-16 options and applications – with Aquinas College
- T Levels – with Macclesfield College
- University education – with Derby University
- Workplace Detectives workshop – looking at local jobs and employers
- Writing a Personal Statement
All Year 10s went along to a Taster Day at a local college where they had their own bespoke post-16 timetable and took part in a wide range of taster lessons. Many of these were in subjects they had never tried before such as Animal Care, Carpentry, Childcare, Criminology, Engineering, Hair & Beauty, Health & Social Care, Japanese, Law, Motor Vehicle and Psychology. This gave students a real-life experience of studying at post-16 level as they met college tutors, used special higher level equipment and navigated their way around a campus.
As always, Post-16 Experience Days concluded with our annual Employer Speed Networking event where over 20 local employers set up stalls in our hall. Students took it in turns in small groups to visit each employer, asking questions about the company/organisation, finding out what their jobs are like and learning about the qualifications and specialist training required. This year we also had construction demonstrations outside with ‘The Digger Lady’, Pamela Evans, who performed some clever TikTok tricks and talked to students about her career in construction. This networking event was a big success and gave our Year 10s the opportunity to speak directly to a huge variety of different organisations. We received some fantastic feedback from the employers about how our students conducted themselves, their enthusiasm and the brilliant questions they asked.
A big thank you to all of the post-16 providers and employers who supported our Post-16 Experience Days, taster days and networking event:
- Aquinas College
- Army
- Blue Grass Purple Cow Nursey
- Buxton Crescent Hotel
- Buxton & Leek College
- Chatsworth Estate
- Derby University
- Derbyshire Constabulary
- Derbyshire Fire Service
- East Cheshire NHS Trust
- IPG Health Medical Communications
- Kier Group plc
- Knox and Devlin Veterinary Surgeons
- Live N Learn
- Natural Stone Surfaces
- Marple Sixth Form College
- Monami Finance
- Nestle Waters
- Nexperia
- Rotaflow
- Royal Air Force
- Royal Navy
- Stockport College
- Stockport County FC
- Swizzels Matlow Ltd
- Tarmac
- The Digger Lady
Next, we are looking forward to our Post-16 Information Evening for our now Year 11s and their parents at the end of September. We have invited over 20 colleges, sixths forms and apprenticeship providers to set up information stalls in our restaurant. Students and parents will be able to meet all of the post-16 providers, ask questions and pick up information to take home. There will also be a talk for parents about post-16 options, the application process and how they can support their child at home.
Download the poster for the Post 16 careers activities here.
