Over the last few weeks schools and colleges have been focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of all our children and young people and helping them to continue with their education and learning. They have responded with amazing speed, as have parents and carers now involved in home schooling.
This is a particularly difficult, unsettling and disruptive time for young people especially those faced with exam cancellations which so many have prepared so hard for, together with more additional uncertainty regarding the future.
Teachers have told us the need to inspire and motivate our next generation is now more important than ever. And this is particularly the case for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, whom arguably need the most support.
In this context we have been exploring what role employers and volunteers from the world of work could play. Responding to requests from primary and secondary schools we have developed a virtual service providing live remote interactions with Inspiring the Future volunteers from the world of work. This will benefit children and young people during this academic year with many more using downloadable versions of these live sessions. The new offer is supported by new resource packs and teacher guides along with our icould video suite of jobs which features over 1,000 professionally-made videos. This service makes use of schools’ existing virtual learning environment provision.
The virtual service will:
- encourage young people to broaden their career horizons and aspirations outside of their immediate family and social circle
- help motivate by enabling children and young people to see the relevance of learning to the real world
- support these children and young people to make better informed decisions about their future
It will include webinars facilitated by our staff which can be recorded and livestreamed and teacher-facilitated careers insight talks and Q&As. These sessions will be available as downloadable sessions for those children and young people unable to join in real-time. The difference made to young people will be monitored and evaluated through online feedback to inform future development.
The offer has now been soft-launched and will be enhanced in this academic year from April to July 2020 and thereafter sustained as part of our standard service offer.
Primary Schools
For Primary Schools, we are offering fun, interactive and impactful facilitated virtual sessions, delivered on a date and time of your choice by our staff with Primary Futures volunteers. These sessions are a What’s My Line Assembly or a Classroom Chat activity. Teachers and students will be supported with resources before and after the activity and feedback will be collected to measure the impact of these activities.
- What’s My Line
This will be a 30-minute interactive session, where children will ask questions to try to guess the jobs of volunteers. Sessions will typically involve 3-4 volunteers from a range of jobs and sectors. This activity will help to challenge stereotypes about different jobs, broaden horizons and help children to see how what they are learning links to the wider world. Children will also have the opportunity to develop essential skills including listening and presenting (speaking). Once the children have asked their questions, they will guess the jobs of the volunteers. The volunteers will then reveal their roles using props and uniform to bring their jobs to life. To book in for a session click here
- Classroom Chat
This will be a 30 minute interactive Q&A and discussion with volunteers from the world of work. Children will hear from volunteers who will show props and share how they use different school subjects in their role. Children will be able to ask questions and the session facilitator will lead different activities with children and volunteers. To book in for a session click here
Secondary Schools and colleges
For secondary schools and colleges, we are offering a facilitated interactive ‘Careers Chat’ session which enables students to meet and ask questions of a range of volunteers from the world of work. The session will last approximately 40 minutes and will enable students to hear from 3 different volunteers and then ask questions. This activity will help to broaden horizons by introducing students to a range of volunteers from different jobs and sectors and help to motivate and inspire students by showing how what they are learning links to the wider world. Sessions will be delivered by our staff with Inspiring the Future volunteers on a date and time of your choice and will be tailored to the year groups that you choose to involve. Teachers and students will be supported with resources before and after the activity and feedback will be collected to measure the impact of these activities.
There will also be the option of sessions focusing on particular sectors, pathways (e.g. apprenticeships) or geographical areas. To book in for a session click here
To book in for a session click on the links provided or for more information email enquiries@inspiringthefuture.org