National Careers Week Roundup

On the 3rd – 7th March, we hosted our annual Careers Week in line with National Careers Week, there were plenty of talks, activities and workshops taking place across campus from both internal and external speakers and organisations, to help our current QAC students start thinking about their futures.

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Monday 3rd March  

Our Learner Journey Team organised an exciting week full of opportunities! On Monday we had a former QAC student Charlie Stonham share his inspiring journey beyond QAC. Careers Transform Ltd continued their Financial Resilience Workshop, helping students build essential money management skills. John Hurley and Hettie launched Careers Week with Bulls in the City, and a talk from Newlands Bishop Farm by Richard Fitzgerald. The day wrapped up with an introduction to Springpod, a virtual work experience platform.

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Tuesday 4th March  

On day two of Careers Week, we had another talk from past student Alexandra McCarthy who since leaving QAC has become the creator of the Manga - Reluctant Hero. QAC students were also visited by Katie Mahasoh from Amber Support Services. Internally Chris Bird and Nicki Hamilton (Independent Careers Advisor) had their doors open all day for students to talk about their future and take part in activities around their potential careers after QAC.

Wednesday 5th March  

On Wednesday, Sense – Basecamp Day Services staff came in to talk about a transition route for our PFL students and ex-student Sky Horton highlighted her experience since leaving QAC and how the college supported her journey.  

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Thursday 6th March  

Thursday was very busy across campus with a range of visits taking place from both internal and external guests including, Carl and Kristy from the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, who talked about enrichment groups, Farhad Tailor, who owns V12 Sports and Classics, spoke about his progression from starting his business at home to where it is now. We also had internal talks with ex-student Charlotte, who spoke about her journey into the world of work. Finally, our Supported Interns gave an insight into the course as a transition route for some of our students.

Friday 7th March 

We ended with inspiring talks and valuable insights with Harry, a former student who is currently studying at University. Harry shared his career journey and experiences on QAC's Supported Internship programme. 

Haseebah Ali explored creative pathways through freelance printmaking, Jamie Cooper highlighted employment support for individuals with disabilities, and Joanne Howard closed the week with a heartfelt talk on the impactful work at Birmingham Hospice. 

National Careers Week was a whirlwind of inspiration, learning, and growth. From practical workshops to personal stories, our students gained invaluable insights into diverse career paths and discovered new possibilities for their futures.

Feedback from students:
Student - "We had an amazing time also I enjoyed it so much that I can't wait for the next one to come and also I can't wait to design our own bull with paint, I had the best day today when they came" 

Student - "I really have fun doing the learning outcome of personal budgeting and managing money assembly today. It was very enthusiastic and fun as well" 

The week wouldn't be possible without our CIAG team planning and organising the visitors to come in and help our students throughout the week. 

Big thank you to everyone involved please see the list of visitors below: