Health and Childcare students gain industry insights
Our Health and Childcare Industry Insights event saw a range of local employers, including the NHS Hospital and Paramedic services, Family Hubs and Crossroads Caring for Carers, plus others join students for a full day - giving students the chance to explore different career paths and hear first-hand what employers are looking for.
Students were able to choose their top three career areas or employers and take part in focused sessions, asking questions and gaining tailored advice. This helped them develop a clearer picture of their future options and how to prepare for life after college.
By connecting students directly with industry, the event ensured they left feeling inspired and better equipped for their next steps into the world of work.
Charlie Fraser, a T Level Childcare student, said: “It’s been really helpful to speak to people at the stalls today, I’ve got a much better insight into what careers are on offer at the NHS after speaking to the staff and they even had a quiz which helped you figure out which careers might be good for you. I found that really helpful because it can be hard to find that information online.
“I’m still unsure of what exactly I’d like to do but today has given me a better idea of what direction I’d like to go in. After speaking to the NHS staff I think being an Occupational Therapist would be quite good because I’d be helping other people, which is always something I’ve wanted to do, but there are also interesting roles like being a Child Play Worker – which is even better because I would love to work with kids and that role sounds great.”
Shane Parker, Paramedic with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, based at Barnsley, said: “We're always keen to engage with the youth of today, and hopefully help them in finding that spark where they might think ‘oh, yes, actually I haven’t considered that before, let’s have a look at the ambulance service’, or ‘let’s look at becoming a medical professional’.
“Hopefully there is a spark somewhere and we’re planting the seed for them to join the industry in the future.”
Staff from Crossroads Caring for Carers shared that the event had given them the opportunity to bring to life what a career with them could look like for students, rather than what may appear on the outside to only be a handful of roles, or all focussed on one well-known area like working with Dementia, for example.
