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On Friday 21st March, we welcomed Old Canfordians and parents to the annual Canford Careers Convention for Lower Sixth pupils to build professional connections across the Canford networks. Now in its 22nd year, we were delighted to welcome our first sponsor Moore Barlow Lawyers and thank them very much for their support.
The aim of the Convention is to enable our Sixth Formers to develop their interpersonal and communication skills, learn more about career paths beyond school from parents and OCs and to build links which could lead to mentoring or even work experience opportunities. We ask pupils to consider what their real passions are, their strengths and what they really enjoy doing to assist them in pursuing their interests and eventual career. This year we were very grateful to more than 70 volunteers representing numerous industries including engineering, business, finance, creative, entrepreneur, science and environmental We were delighted to welcome them for coffee on arrival in the newly opened Sixth Form College Hub.
Keynotes were held with pupils in the Music School. Three Old Canfordians, Technical Advisor (Marine Pollution) and newly appointed Canford Governor Pippa Howarth B12, Post-Doctoral Researcher in Immunology at University College London, Olivia Bracken B12 and A&R Manager at Ninja Tunes, Mary Davenport B12 talked about their career journeys in an informative Q&A panel session. The Beaufort contingent kicked off proceedings with enthusiasm and set the tone for the day, with pupils taking away insight from a range of topics covered including the impact of AI in the workplace, to how important it is to make the most of every opportunity, even if it isn’t something you had considered initially. Our Lower Sixth Formers certainly took this knowledge forward, with many securing work experience, contacts and valuable networking skills.
We have received a lot of positive feedback already from both volunteers and the pupils:
“It really is a highlight of the calendar. The students are always great and the other parents and OC’s are so convivial and interesting. We all loved it.”
“What an amazing opportunity for the students and really well organised. I was personally really impressed.”
“I really enjoyed the keynote speakers this year.”
“Thank you for organising an incredible event.”
‘A fantastic Careers Day, thank you’
‘I really enjoyed the keynote speakers’
‘The panellists were amazing and inspirational’
The networking buffet lunch in the Assembly Hall, gave pupils and volunteers the chance to interact in a relaxed environment before two sessions of industry panels followed in the afternoon where more detailed questions could be asked and explored. The day concluded with the ever popular ‘speed-dating’ style networking session allowing Canfordians to talk one-to-one to the volunteers in particular areas of interest. Alongside this, there was a presentation on how to create an engaging LinkedIn profile and use the platform effectively.
After the event, OCs and parents involved enjoyed well earned drinks in the Rathbone Room.
Rowena Gaston, Development Director, said:
The annual Careers Convention goes from strength to strength, offering our Sixth Form a fantastic opportunity to network with parent and OC volunteers across a broad range of industries. It was wonderful to welcome back the three OCs for the keynotes, and I thank all those who gave their time so generously to support this important careers event for our pupils. I hope they will now build on their experience through use of the Canford Global Connect networking and mentoring platform, which is also available for parents to use too.
Michael Doherty, Head of Careers, commented:
The world of work is ever changing, and as part of our Futures programme we need to ensure that pupils are aware of all the different career pathways open to them. The Canford network is a valuable resource for pupils to find out more, gain work experience and even mentoring opportunities in industries of interest, and I encourage all pupils to take advantage of what is offered through this.
Careers opportunities for Canfordians have been further enhanced through the new Sixth Form Hub Futures centre which has recently opened as part of the new Canford Sixth Form College. New Assistant Head College, Julia Bird, shared her thoughts on her first Careers Convention experience at Canford,
What a fantastic day! I was delighted that we could make use of the new College Hub for part of the event, and the newly opened College Futures department in the building and College Futures programmes will enhance the already well established Careers opportunities we offer Canfordians. There was such a buzz around this event, and such positivity from pupils and the visiting volunteers alike. Thank you to everyone who contributed to make this a success.
For more information about Canford Sixth Form please visit: