On Tuesday 21st of August 2018, Dundee’s first Founders4Schools event took place at Baldragon Academy.
What is Founders4Schools?
Founders4Schools in an online platform which enables educators to invite business leaders to interact with their students. It’s very quick and easy to use and allows pupils to learn valuable skills from people with experience.
Teachers can customise events to the needs of their pupils, whether that is by changing the format of an event, or being able to pick and choose what type of business leaders would benefit you most.
The Event: what happened?
The event consisted of careers talks to motivate S6 pupils, encouraging them to think more about the world of work and learn more about different careers. There were three speakers: Phil Ingham – Co-founder at Brannie Ties, Shona Young – CEO at Nutscene and Steve Watt – Chief Information Officer, University of St Andrews. The pupils heard the career stories of all three, including their challenges and successes and was it was real eye opener in learning about the different paths available to forge a career.
Speaker feedback was very positive, with one speaker saying: “Employment options are so varied now and I want to show what is out there. Young people leaving school can feel like they are at the edge of a cliff, and I want to help them fly off from it to a great future”
Angela Vettraino, DYW D&A Manager said: “This was the first Founders4Schools encounter in Dundee. I was delighted with how it went. The speakers were engaging and informative and the pupils gained a lot from their input. DYW is all about employer – education collaboration bringing benefits to all involved, and we saw this in action today.”
What did the Young People learn?
The pupils were positive about the event with lots of positive feedback received. Comments included:
“There are many routes to get the job you want.”
“Even if you fail along the way you can still achieve.”
“You can start a business from very little.”
“The IT sector struggles to find enough suitable candidates to fill the new jobs being created”
“You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do right away – you can try different jobs.”