Former Oakgrove School pupils, Simon Thorpe and Emily Munford, recently took part in a Career WorkOut session at their old School.  

Simon is a Level 6 IT Apprentice at Network Rail and started this in role in September 2018.  Emily is currently starting her second year of her four year IT degree Apprenticeship at Network Rail.

Simon said: “I decided to do a Career WorkOut session with Worktree as I myself found the speed interviewing sessions extremely helpful and informative whilst I was a student at Oakgrove School. I felt I had the ability to offer relatable advice to students sitting their exams and making decisions on their future due to the fact I was in their position not so long ago. Specifically, the WorkOut session is a good chance for students to ask open ended questions to someone within the world of work, which they otherwise may not have had the opportunity to do before making crucial career and educational decisions – such as choosing their A-Level subjects. Students were provided with information regarding alternative opportunities to University and the various pathways that are available coming out of secondary school or sixth form education. It was important to make students aware of the array of choices available to them; informing them of my experiences was part of this”.

“The young people I spoke to took interest in my experiences, giving the indication that they understood the value of the WorkOut session and the opportunity to ask questions. I believe it is key to prepare young people for the future and I feel as if the sharing of my knowledge and experiences was recognised as valuable and appreciated by the students”.

“Sharing knowledge and understanding is helpful for students to make an educated choice on their careers and futures. This opportunity allows you to volunteer just a small portion of time in order to offer invaluable insight to younger people who may not have had the chance to ask questions to people within the world of work”.

Emily said: “As a previous student at Oakgrove Secondary School I have taken part in many of these over the years. Having taken part in these as a student I had always found these insightful and interesting, therefore I wanted to know what it would feel like being on the other side. I wanted to raise a bigger understanding of degree apprenticeships and the IT one Network Rail offers, as this is still quite a new concept to people that does not have much awareness”.

“After taking part in this, I felt more aware of the impact that these events have. It was enjoyable seeing how interactive and engaged the students were in finding out more about the apprenticeship and the other roles that the attendees had.  I was more than happy to explain to the students about my role and having taken my A-Levels two years ago I was able to offer tips/advice on how best to study and manage work life balance with GCSE exams”.

“This is a really great opportunity for both yourself and the students, it allows you to hopefully guide students in the different options that are out there after exams. All students are very welcoming and engaged with understanding more about what life is like after school”.