Careers Wales is calling for former pupils of secondary schools across Wales to register their interest in supporting young people currently at their school.
The project has been commissioned to be delivered by national careers service, Careers Wales, as part of the Welsh Government’s Renew and Reform Covid-19 recovery plan.
The scheme aims to inspire young people and raise their awareness of the wide range of career opportunities available to them in the local, regional and national job market, as well as the option of self-employment.
Alumni provide added value to careers activities, as pupils can engage with former students of their school with whom they may share similar experiences and have faced the same barriers.
Ashleigh Davies volunteered her time at her former school, Cyfarthfa High School, in Merthyr Tydfil.
Now an undergraduate engineer at Hydrock in Cardiff, Ashleigh is passionate about supporting current pupils where she grew up.
Ashleigh’s contribution included conducting mock interviews and hosting question and answer sessions about her job and what it involves.
Ashleigh said: “After to speaking to others at work, I learned they were exposed to lots of different types of jobs during school. Many of them went to private schools.
“It does not matter about your background or where you went to school.
“It is important every child has the same opportunity to learn about career options.”
One location where the project has already seen an exceptional response is Bridgend, where over 200 past pupils have signed up to support those currently attending Maesteg High School.
Here are some examples of how past students can get involved:
- Attend a careers day at the school
- Deliver a presentation about their career
- Help with mock interview activities
- Offer work experience
- Host a site visit
- Produce a vlog about their career journey
Alumni can express their interest and register on Careers Wales’s national employer database, the Education Business Exchange. Alumni details will be made available to the former school and if an appropriate opportunity is presented, the school will be in touch.
Nikki Lawrence, chief executive at Careers Wales, said: “The need to inspire and motivate our young people is more important than ever.
“We know that young people generate career ideas by whom and what they are exposed to.
“This project will build young people’s social capital by introducing them to role models who can inspire, inform, and motivate in relation to career possibilities and opportunities.
“Engaging with successful role models who attended the same school, and likely had similar experiences to current students, is an invaluable source of influence.”
