Members of Royal Air Force Boulmer’s Youth Activities team gave pupils some food for thought when they visited the Duchess’s Community High School in Alnwick. Year 10 and 11 pupils enrolled on the BTEC Level 2 award in public services and Level 3 subsidiary diploma in public services courses were put through their paces as they took part in a series of exercises designed to develop leadership, communication and teamwork skills. An introduction to the day allowed students to discuss what attributes were required to be an effective team member and how dynamics of a team was important to ensure success of any given task. They discussed leadership qualities and styles and reflected on inspirational historical leaders and why they were successful. After a thought-provoking discussion, RAF Boulmer personnel gave the students a series of tasks using science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) equipment to practically demonstrate the problem-solving and leadership skills they had just discussed. Throughout the exercises, all students demonstrated excellent teamwork abilities, with some talented individuals demonstrating adept problem-solving skills. Neale Brown, who runs the public services courses at the school, said: “RAF Boulmer have always had close links with our school; visits like this strengthen these links. “Students benefit from learning valuable life skills that they can used across the curriculum and in the workplace. Student feedback was very positive and all are asking when they can do it again. “Thank you to all the RAF personnel for all their assistance; myself and my students are looking forward to more activities in the new year.”
Duchess’s High School recently held a Public Services Careers Fair for Year 9, 10, 11 and Sixth Form students, giving them the opportunity to broaden their thinking about their future careers and courses of study.
A variety of public services were represented – including, the armed forces, Police, Fire, Ambulance, Merchant Navy and Coast guard – with 18 guests attending in all.We even had display from the Police dogs which was a great success. Students were able to take part in one-to-one discussions with the professionals, asking relevant questions, to build up a picture of the particular area they were representing. All students benefitted enormously from the huge amount of knowledge and experience that was available to them, gaining exposure to a number of different career options they may not otherwise have considered.
Last year we only had the armed services which was an enormous success however feedback from parents and students suggested that we should expand on this and give all students the opportunity to attend. Mr Neale Brown, Head of Public Services Course said ‘These events allow our students to gain information to make informed decisions on how they should plan their future. Its essential that they have every opportunity to find out what is best for them and be able to ask questions’
Another careers fair has been planned for later in March to include local companies and businesses and will be open to all students and parents