Month: December 2019

Urban Synergy’s ‘Tips to the Top’ Role Model seminar is one of the highlights of the academic year at Christ the King Sixth Forms. The annual cross-site event, which features panel discussions and speed mentoring sessions, inspires confidence in our students and gives them an opportunity to interact with leading industry professionals.

Discussions of this kind not only broaden student horizons but also provide a valuable insight into the qualities of academic and professional success. The mentoring programmes and inspirational seminars organised by the charity provide support, guidance and encouragement for young people, and motivate them to achieve their best.

This year Christ the King Sixth Forms was fortunate enough to welcome the following guest speakers to the panel:

• Colin Donaldon, Bristh Airways Pilot
• Ade Adelekan, Chief Superintendent
• Troy Von Scheibner – Magician & TV Personality (CTK alumnus)
• Mahta Mehari, Senior Software Project Manager
• Adrian Grant, Entertainment Producer

The evening opened with an introductory session, in which the panel discussed their personal journeys and outlined the steps they have taken to get to where they are today. This was followed by an insightful Q&A session, in which students addressed personal questions to members of the panel.

Students, as always, left the event feeling both inspired and motivated about their future potential!

The Elevate Mentoring Programme was launched this week to CTK students by alumnus Trevor Gomes and his BT colleagues Tom Culley and Radostina Velinova.

The programme was created by Trevor to equip students with the skills and experiences required to enter the world of work and higher education.  Twenty students took part in the launch and the programme will cover topics including: Personal Branding, Networking, Interview skills, Resilience at Work, Mentoring and careers at BT and EE.

As part of the programme students will take part in a number of activities and external visit including a trip to Wembley Stadium and meeting businessman Levi Roots.

The Barclays RISE Programme (Revealing the Industry to Secondary Education) was launched this week to CTK students by Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy, Yaa Ofori-Ansah, Adetola Oshin and a number of their Barclays colleagues.

The programme has been running for a number of years and was originally created by former CTK student, Michael Lee, and his colleagues within the Barclays Graduate Scheme. They wanted to provide a platform where they could share their experiences whilst mentoring students who may have limited opportunities and insight into working in professional industries.  

Each student on the programme is assigned a mentor and works with them through a four session programme.  The weekly sessions are split into two parts with the first part being an interactive presentation on the development topic of the week.  The second part is an opportunity for each mentee to have the chance to speak to and work with their mentor individually.

Following the successful completion of the mentoring programme there is also the opportunity for students to gain work experience with Barclays.

Everyone needs to be aware of the career opportunities available to them in the future and how to best take advantage of them. To support this, the October half term saw the launch of the sixth annual CTK Fast Track Programme. As in previous years, the programme involved a large number of students from all three CTK sites coming together at CTK: Emmanuel for two days of training.

The morning session of the first day was led by CTK alumnus Seye Olokede who spoke about his own experiences and how students can “Develop a professional work ethic.” During the talk Seye covered topics including the importance of time keeping, personal presentation and the skills needed to work well and succeed in the modern workplace. During the second part of the first days training, we welcomed Trevor Gomes and Louis Howell who spoke to students about a wide range of opportunities they could become involved in. They also spoke about the use of social media in a professional environment and the benefits of networking through LinkedIn.

The first day concluded with Maria O’Regan along with her colleagues from Santander conducting two workshops “Building and presenting a compelling CV” and “Competency based Interviews”. Working in small groups, students had the opportunity to get advice and guidance on their CVs and how they could develop their interview techniques.

The second days training started with a presentation from Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy and Tola Oshin from Barclays regarding the RISE programme. The rest of the day was run by The Unloc Enterprise Academy and focused on alternative career routes for students; specifically on self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Feedback from students and guests was that the training was hugely beneficial and will have a positive impact on their career aspirations and goals.

As part of the External Speaker Programme, Business students at CTK: Emmanuel and Health & Social Care students at St Mary’s enjoyed an engaging presentation by the founder of 2020 Change Foundation, Duro Oye.  2020 Change is a youth empowerment organisation, set up to build the next generation of community, business and political leaders.

Thanks to corporate sponsorship, from the likes of Converse and Nando’s, 2020 Change is able to offer a 6-week programme to young people looking to enhance their employability and transferable skills.  The commitment is 2 evening sessions a week for 6 weeks, after which students “graduate” and are offered ongoing mentoring and support with their next move.  Students who are interested in applying and finding out more can visit the website at: http://www.2020change.org/ �