The annual Year 6 Careers Carousel was once again an exciting occasion. Pupils at the Junior Boys’ School welcomed their Junior Girls’ School counterparts to Park Road for an afternoon of learning about a variety of different career pats. This year’s speakers were all parents of Primary Division pupils, including two alumni.
Alicia Barlow (Class of 2004) spoke about her work as an Asset Manager and Wealth Builder. She talked to the Year 6s about her work renovating unloved buildings, keeping them as a landlord and renting them to families, local councils and homeless charities. She explained mortgages, different ways she makes money, and even revealed the biggest landlord in the world: McDonalds! She advised the children to spend time doing what they love, put time and energy into what they love, and be the best they can be.
David Critchley (Class of 1984) is Head of Manufacturing at MBDA. He introduced the company, which is a world leader in weapon systems, while also reassuring his audience that no explosive missiles are manufactured in Bolton! He talked about product development and production, and the future of manufacturing using automation, VS and more. He advised turning a passion into work if possible, and talked about the skills that employers look for: not just academic success, but also motivation, enthusiasm, problem solving and interpersonal skills. His session ended with a bridge-building challenge.
Dr Sabina Hakin decided she wanted to be a dentist in Year 9, and although she was told she wouldn’t get into determination, her determination, focus and hard work allowed her to get to where she is today. She recommended having the attitude of: I can, I will and watch me. She talked about how dentistry is more than just teeth, and how it helps people to eat, talk, smile and live pain-free. She gave an overview of ‘a day in the life’ and said that teamwork is key in her job. Pupils enjoyed a quiz about the number of teeth we have as children and as adults!
Dr Surrah Leifer Clements is an anaesthetist. She had always wanted to be a doctor, but wasn’t good at maths, struggled with reading and spelling, and didn’t like blood. She talked about her journey to becoming a doctor, including the basic requirements, and reminded everyone that there are exams throughout this process, so it was good for any aspiring medics to practice them during school! She explained all the different things an anaesthetist monitors during an operation: carbon dioxide levels, heart rate and so on. She also explained that pain medicine is delivered during surgery as, even though the patient is asleep, it can still be uncomfortable. She talked about the difference between routine operations and working in the emergency department.
Vanita Vishram is a director of digital transformation. She said that she wanted to be a footballer when she was growing up, but always loved tech and that was the direction she eventually went in. Despite football not being her career, she reminded everyone that you can have a lot of passions and pursue different avenues in your life: it’s not just about the career. The Year 6s played a logo game, and enjoyed an activity in teams, trying to find out what the customer (Vanita) wanted in a home. The groups had discoverers (asking questions) and builders (designing and building), who had to work together to implement the feedback.
The Year 6 pupils remained engaged throughout the afternoon as they cycled through the carousel of talks and discovered more about this range of fascinating careers.
Thank you to all of the parents who gave their time to talk to pupils about their working lives and inspire the Year 6s to start thinking about their future.
Photos from the Careers Carousel:
