Businesses Inspire Future Talent Through School Career Initiative
Students at Kenton School experienced a valuable insight into the world of work when volunteers from business and the voluntary sector took part in a Speed Career Networking session.
One of the volunteers was Yvonne Probert, CEO of Tell Us North (TUN), who is committed to empowering young people by volunteering as an Enterprise Advisor within the Careers & Enterprise Network across local schools.
In her role, Yvonne works to broaden students’ understanding of career opportunities, with a particular focus on encouraging pathways into the voluntary and not-for-profit sector, as well as promoting careers in health and social care. Her work aims to highlight the meaningful impact these sectors could have on individuals, families, and communities.
She also encouraged her team at Tell Us North to get involved. Tell Us North is a community-focused organisation dedicated to giving people a voice, promoting wellbeing, and improving access to services and opportunities across the North of England. The organisation works with residents, businesses, and schools to support social initiatives, encourage community engagement, and develop programmes that made a tangible difference in people’s lives.
The Speed Career Networking event was designed for Year 8 students aged 12-13. The initiative provided a valuable opportunity for students to engage directly with professionals from a wide range of industries, helping them gain early insight into potential career paths.
Yvonne was joined by colleagues from Tell Us North at the event as well as author Robert Little (an ex-Kenton student), Highlights PR, the Police, Civil Service and the North East Combined Authority. Together, they took part in a series of short, focused conversations with students, offering advice, sharing personal career journeys, and answering questions about the world of work. They hoped that their varied career pathways would inspire and leave a lasting impression on the students they spoke to.
Yvonne said: “It’s incredibly important that young people are exposed to a wide variety of career options early on. There is no single ‘right’ career pathway-most people discover their talents as they work-so hearing other people’s journeys can be both insightful and inspiring. For me, the VCSE, care and health sectors offer rewarding and impactful careers, and I’m passionate about helping students see those possibilities. Events like this give them the confidence to ask questions, explore their interests, and start thinking about their futures.”
Teacher Mandy Marsh added:
“It’s really important that employers engage with schools, especially with the new expectations around meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks. We always appreciated the time given by employers and our students truly valued it. It helped build their resilience, confidence, and communication skills, and without that employer involvement, it would be much harder to prepare them for the world of work.”
Mark Fox from the Northeast Combined Authority said:
“You can never start careers activities too early. It’s not just about helping young people understand what job they want to do, it’s about helping them understand the world of work so they feel confident and positive about entering it when they finish school.”
Ends
Photo: The representatives from business with teachers from Kenton School. (Highlights PR)
PR and media keith@highlightspr.co.uk 07814 397951