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Young people are focusing on their futures with a wealth of careers guidance at school.

Burnt Mill Academy, in Harlow, is working with students in every year group to establish a pathway for them to follow to a successful future.

Local and national company representatives are helping teachers to offer advice and guidance on suitable jobs and qualifications needed to secure them.

• In Year 7, students will take part in a careers day in June, looking at real local problems and presenting their solutions to a guest panel of business men and women. The aim is to improve their presentation skills to prepare for future job interviews.
• Year 8 developed their work-related skills of problem-solving and giving presentations during their careers day. They explored what would make Harlow a better place to live in and developed a plan and presentation to give to the council. Students also had the opportunity to ask careers questions of advisors from Connections.
• Year 9 students will take part in a careers day when they will meet and hear about up to eight different careers they may not have considered. They will also begin preparing their CVs to be updated and added to in Year 10 and 11.
• Year 10 students dressed for success for their careers day. They learnt how to write successful applications and practised their interview skills with a mock interview. Students worked with theatre group Actorshop to look at how to avoid making mistakes and how to be successful. They also took part in mock interviews with 25 volunteers from the business world and local colleges, including Accenture Consulting, Morgan Siddell Construction, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow College, Writtle College, Connection Careers Service, Make it Happen Careers and school governors.

The school was one of only four to be selected to attend a presentation on becoming a judge or barrister. Year 10 students were able to hear and ask questions of High Court judges.

Andrew Ross, deputy headteacher, said: “We are really proud of the number of offers Year 11 students have received for next year. Many have commented on how useful the careers programme has been, whether this was their careers day with mock interviews, the visit to Harlow Careers Fair, the visiting speakers in their assemblies or the conversations they have been able to have with career counsellors.

“Looking ahead to the rest of the term, we have assemblies informing students of the importance of having an appropriate social media profile as employers often look at this when selecting candidates for a job.

“There will also be a month of lunchtime careers talks after the GCSE exams have finished, introducing students to different careers and understanding how school is important in order to do the job.”