Calderhead High School held their annual Developing the Young Workforce day on Tuesday, 23rd January. The event has been held for the last three years and gives an opportunity for all year groups to develop their knowledge about the world of work and gain insight into a variety of pathways available when leaving school.

S1 pupils were involved in an interactive ‘teacher pathways’ quiz where they worked in small groups to identify a teacher based on clues about their journey through school to starting their teaching career. The pupils were interested to find out that some teachers did not achieve as well at high school as they might have expected. The pupils also realised that the journey into education doesn’t always happen immediately after school and university and that many members of staff started their teaching careers after a number of other jobs.

S3 pupils took part in the ‘Friends of Calderhead’ event before lunch. Former pupils Steven Lake and Tom Stewart (Scottish Fire and Rescue), Glenn Paterson (Gas Sure), Alex Stewart (Scottish Canals), Carrie Fleming (NHS), Gillian Tannahill (Skills Development Scotland) and Fraser McPhee (Amey) were joined by Maths teacher Mrs Johnston’s brother, Ross Mitchell (Lloyds Banking Group), and community police officer, PC Susan Rooney, to provide workshops regarding the line of work they are involved in. These sessions gave insight into the type of work that is involved in a variety of sectors and the skills and qualities required to be successful. Many of the speakers also spoke of their own time at Calderhead High School and we heard about the impact that not only academic qualifications but experiences and skills learned have had on their life.

In the afternoon a traditional Careers Fayre took place with 24 providers setting up stalls with a vast array of information, prospectuses and freebies. Pupils were able to spend time speaking to staff from a variety of local and national firms, training providers and Further and Higher Educational establishments to gain knowledge about the entry requirements and recruitment process.

Thanks go out to all the providers who attended and passed on valuable information to our young people, many of whom are now engaging with the application process and actively seeking opportunities for post school destinations.