UTC alumni were among the employers on site in UTC Heathrow’s main hall on Tuesday for a careers fair, incorporating a variety of employers, FE providers and universities.
Hassan, right
Hassan Elbarray, who is an apprentice at LMG, came back to his old school to speak to students from Years 10 through to 13 – including his brother – about the opportunities and steps involved in landing an apprenticeship at the firm.
“It’s nice to be back,” said Hassan, “and it’s nice to be show the students what they can achieve.”
LMG were one of around 15 companies and education providers present for the fair, including another two of our Digital Futures partners CBRE and Vertiv, informing students about the variety of career opportunities in digital infrastructure. CBRE brought with them two 16-year-old apprentices who were just a few months into their roles and could relate to what our students are facing.
The value of careers fairs can’t be underestimated – the exposure the students get at to so many different roles and areas of life is really important.
Khadijah Mukthar from the University of Hertfordshire, who is just finalising a Masters degree there, said: “Even if this isn’t the university they end up choosing it’s good for them to talk about the kind of subjects they can study, what uni life is like and the application process.”
Employers from the public sector were there, with members of the Air Force and the Metropolitan Police explaining apprenticeships and other roles within these sectors.
The students were certainly engaged throughout the day, asking lots of questions and gathering lots of leaflets (and freebies on the tables!)
Mike Hook from LMG said: “I’m always impressed by the confidence and professional attitude of the UTC Heathrow students. We met some great potential apprentices. It’s reinforced my belief that the UTC model of employer engagement is the future of UK education.”
Millie Copas, Recruitment Officer at Brunel University said: “All of your students from Year 10-13 asked very insightful questions regarding which A levels/GCSEs they need to be taking in order to get onto the right course. It’s good to see that they are starting to think about their future plans. It’s really important for students to speak to universities as we can not only talk about their chosen course to them, but talk about/show our facilities, the support they can receive and the opportunities which are open to them while studying at universities (e.g., placement years, study abroad programmes).”
Toufeeq Hyder from the Met Police said: “Overall, the students exhibited fantastic enthusiasm and engagement throughout the day. Their eagerness to learn about various careers was evident, and many asked insightful questions. The impact on the students was undeniable, and I look forward to more successful career days in the future.”
Aleisha Omeike, ASK apprenticeships advisor, said: “With the school focus on engineering, and IT, there are plenty opportunities for students to undertake apprenticeships, and it seems a lot of them are keen to do so. I truly appreciated the fact they seemed to have done prior research into these opportunities themselves and asked me important questions about how to take the next steps. All students were respectful, engaged, and eager to know more – I could not have asked for a better reception!”
Thank you to all those who took time to visit: Met Police; University of Hertfordshire; University of Derby; University of Brunel; University of Southampton; Oxford Brookes; TEDI; Royal Airforce; Vertiv; CBRE; LMG; ASK Apprenticeships; West Herts College; Uxbridge College
