Our Learning Resource and Content Manager Thomas Shirt explains how we’re building on the success of our first online careers event to host our next Spotlight Talks in March, helping to inspire more young people about their future career pathways.
It is no secret that it is a tumultuous time to be a young person, with some uncertainty around the economic future of the country, it is even more difficult for young people to make the right career choice. This view is also echoed by teachers and careers leaders, in a recent report released by the Careers and Enterprise Company almost 75% of respondents believe that careers advice has increased in importance since the coronavirus pandemic began.
With 2020 being such a disrupted year we were not able to hold our annual WorldSkills UK LIVE event at the Birmingham NEC, which inspires over 70,000 young people to think about their future careers and learning pathways.
Knowing how important it is to reach out to these young people and to keep up the momentum of their learning, we launched our inaugural online Spotlight Talks event in November 2020. Utilising our expertise in engaging young people on a national scale and combining it with the benefits brought through online reach, we were able to broaden our demographic and reach even more young people from all around the UK.
I’m pleased to say that the event was a huge success, attracting 115,000 registrations from all four nations and every county in the UK. We broadcast content featuring inspirational career role models such as successful YouTube star Grant Hinds and from leading employers such as the RAF, with over 75% of teachers reporting they were better able to advise their students after attending.
Following on from the success of the first Spotlight Talks, we are delighted to be able to launch our second online careers event, Spotlight Talks: Inspiring Careers Excellence on the 24 and 25 March.
We’ve taken on board lessons from our first event to make this one even more useful and engaging for young people. Feedback from teachers told us that the best time to engage young people is between 9am and midday, so we will be changing our itinerary accordingly. We have also amended the lengths of sessions so that the content is shorter and has direct impact, placing a greater focus on enabling live interaction between young people and the inspirational speakers.
The event will focus on a variety of sectors, with leading employers and role models sharing their valuable careers insights. Over two days, we’ll be inspiring young people about the different opportunities available and how technical education can help them to achieve their career ambitions, streamed directly into their homes or classrooms.
These are challenging times for young people, but we are committed to continuing to inspire them to set out on the right path to reach their potential and achieve excellence in their careers.
View on demand content from the first Spotlight Talks and register to attend our next event.
