Students address Parliamentary Group

Two students who took part in our Young Careers service addressed the Women and Work All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in the Houses of Parliament this week.

Shivali and Kowser from Whitefield School joined Deputy Head Teacher Chris Young to speak to an audience of policymakers, charities, employers and MPs.

Young Careers, co-financed by the ESF and Education and Skills Funding Agency, is a pilot in innovative careers advice. It has brought together employers and schools to inspire young people to consider new careers and improve the guidance given by their teachers and careers advisers.

Our service linked Whitefield School to BNP Paribas, who delivered a programme of careers initiatives for their students. Kowser explained:

“Going to BNP Paribas broke many stereotypes I had about banking.”

“It’s helpful to see a wider range of people during career experiences, especially coming from a school that is very diverse. It really inspired the students who saw this.”

The Women and Work APPG is co-chaired by Jess Phillips MP and Gillian Keegan MP. It aims to constructively examine and debate the role that policy makers can play to deliver gender balance within the economy.

Chris Young, Assistant Headteacher at Whitefield School, said:

“Two years ago, when the school joined Young Careers cluster, we didn’t have a huge amount of employer encounters, but then the range of people who could come and help us out was phenomenal. The students had a chance to meet everyone from global trading through to graduates at BNP Paribas and it was really helpful.”

Many thanks to the APPG for providing an experience that Shivali and Kowser will never forget.