The Careers Fair took place on Friday 20^th January and was very well received by our Year 10 students and Sixth Formers. The Latymer School is really lucky to be able to rely on a great network of parents and alumni alike, with 65% of speakers attending the event for the first time. Our Year 10 students listened with much interest to the sound advice and insight our visitors freely gave. Students spoke to many professionals to help them explore a range of potential careers, from medicine and science routes to marketing and cyber security.

As Hitee Tia, Year 10 student, explained “I found the Careers Fair helpful as I was able to get more insight into the jobs I want to do. I was able to learn how to get there and which qualifications I need. It was also really fun and inspiring, as I got to see others in the position I want to be in in the future. I definitely learned a lot and I can plan how to get where I want to be.”

Jemima, a Sixth Form student, commented “It was incredibly illuminating to speak to industry professionals, since I found their first-hand insights very valuable,”

Priya, also a Year 13 student, added “Returning to the Careers Fair as a Year 13 was a very insightful experience. Seeing the hall filled with parent and alumni volunteers from an enormous variety of professions was exciting and it was great to see the event back in full swing. Having been speaking predominantly to the Year 10s about potential career choices and A Level options, the volunteers were brilliant at adapting their advice to the older students. They provided a more holistic conversation about careers and life in general, given most of us have already decided our next steps and have a pretty good idea of what we want to do. My biggest takeaway that was stressed by everyone I spoke to, was that it’s okay to take your time. Most people don’t find the thing they want to do immediately and that’s not a bad thing. There is no point rushing to pick a career that you have decades to work in - take time to find yourself before you decide, and don’t be afraid of change down the line. Overall it was an exciting morning, and I look forward to someday hopefully being one of the alumni that can give great career advice and inspiration to future Latymer students.”

Dr Steve Bleay, from the 1984 class and one of the speakers at the event, commented: “As a regular attendee at the 1984 Leavers reunions, I was only too pleased to meet some of the current students. I remember the value of Careers Fairs – the one I attended during my Sixth Form determined my degree choice of Materials Science and therefore shaped my subsequent career in STEM-related roles (government scientific research into stealth materials, forensic science research into fingerprints, and currently as a university lecturer in Forensic Science). I saw 10 groups of 3-4 students, the groups changing every 15 minutes. I would recommend the experience to any alumni – it was a highly rewarding day, seeing the enthusiasm and interest of the students and the perceptive questions being asked made the time fly by, and I hope has given the students information that will be useful in future subject and career choices. Thank you to the organisers of the Careers Fair for the opportunity to return and hopefully help the current generation of Latymerians.”

As you can see, it does not go unnoticed by students and staff just how committed our alumni, parents (past and present) and associated employers are. A big thank you all our 2023 participants!