The 2023 Barton Peveril Futures Fair took place on Thursday 9th February, and was the first edition of the event to take place in physical format since 2020.
The fair, which commemorated National Apprenticeships Week, gave Barton Peveril students the opportunity to explore various options after college that are alternatives to higher education. More than 50 local and national providers of apprenticeships and careers came to the College to enlighten students on the opportunities that are available to them. Big employers in Hampshire such as ExxonMobil, the NHS and BAE Systems came to the Futures Fair and discussed their opportunities with students.
Many Barton Peveril Alumni also came to the event to discuss how they have progressed professionally since studying at the college.
Tom Russell left Barton Peveril in 2019, and then began his Degree Apprenticeship at Taylor Wimpey and is now an Assistant Quantity Surveyor. He secured this role after completing work experience at the company between his First and Second year, which he gained after speaking to Taylor Wimpey at the 2018 Futures Fair. He then came to this year’s futures fair to promote Degree Apprenticeships:
Please look at degree apprenticeships, they are becoming more popular now. When I was at college five years ago, I had no idea where I wanted to go. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go to University because of the cost and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after. I had a look at Degree Apprenticeships. The benefits are that you go one day a week to University and four days a week in the office, gaining work experience, and they’re paying for your degree course. So, the perks are that I’m getting paid, I get all the work benefits, and I am coming away with a free University degree.”
Class of 2021 student, Matt Morgan, also came back to discuss his Apprenticeship after studying A Levels at the college. He studied Mathematics, Economics, and Business. Matt is now an Audit and Accounts Trainee at Fiander Tovell:
I’m trying to encourage people to look into going into apprenticeships, rather than just focusing on going to University. Being in the position that I’m in, in the accounting profession, I feel that it’s a lot more valuable to go into an apprenticeship, so that you can get more work experience rather than just going in for a qualification.”
The event offered students the chance to speak to representatives across a comprehensive range of sectors.
Barrie Hayward, Apprenticeship, Skills, and Development Coach Lead at BAE Systems, spoke about careers at BAE:
I am trying to recruit future apprentices into the business for a career in engineering, project management, business administration, etcetera. We are based in the South Coast, so we are just down the road in Portsmouth Dockyard, where we predominantly take on maintaining ships and fixing them. We are quite widespread from Cowes where they build and maintain RADAR, right up to Preston, where there’s the aircraft, up to Scotland and Barrow where its submarine and ships. A career at BAE Systems is a rewarding career, a future career. You can start an apprenticeship and you can end up wherever you want to end up and be paid as you learn, of course!”
Jen Williams, an NHS Careers Outreach Worker, came to the college to promote the numerous healthcare vocations available to students:
Our main aim is to dispel some myths about the NHS. A lot of people think that the NHS is just about doctors and nurses but there are over 350 different jobs in the NHS.”
Frankie Duarte is the Assistant Respite Manager at The Rose Road Association, a Southampton-based charity that provides care services for young disabled people:
The message I’m trying to get out is that if anyone has a caring personality and is passionate about helping vulnerable children and adults, please come to us and see what we are about. We offer lots of careers, the Charity itself has many different departments. We work one-to-one with children and adults. We have an outreach service and we have an activity service. We also have office-based jobs; we have got a fundraising team and we have got a family services team.”
Barton Peveril students enjoyed the opportunity to engage in conversations with local professionals regarding the various prospects that await.
Joey Smith, a First Year student, called the event ‘eye-opening’.
Adam Sutton, a Second Year student said:
It’s been brilliant, there are so many companies and sectors here. Everyone is smiling and being interactive. It’s brilliant!”
Martha Seymour, a First Year student enjoyed the event:
The employers have been really upfront about their company and providing information on what is needed and how to go about with it”
Alice Seaman, a Second Year student was able to become more enlightened about her future:
I think it’s great seeing how many opportunities there are that our Careers Team have given to us with over 50 employers. I looked at the RAF and it has been great and I have learnt more on what I want to do”
The Careers team coordinated the event, which saw the sports hall be filled with Barton Peveril students preparing for their future careers. Ros Laird, Careers Manager celebrated the event’s success:
It was great to welcome over 50 local and national employers to the college for our Futures Fair – back in person for the first time since 2020. From Engineering and Accounting to Healthcare and Maritime, staff and students were thrilled with the wide range of employers in attendance. The employers were so impressed with the calibre of Barton Peveril students, and commented on their preparedness when it came to considering their options after college.”
In the afternoon, students had the opportunity to hear from a group of Barton Peveril Alumni, who are now undertaking apprenticeships in various professions. Lamar Makundi, class of 2022, is now doing a Degree Apprenticeship at the global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright:
The Careers team were brilliant at providing me with potential opportunities aside from university. When I received an invitation for a phone interview for one of my applications, the team massively helped me create a strong structure to combat the difficult questions they asked. I decided to choose an apprenticeship over the traditional university route because I can gain years of experience before my qualification. My apprenticeship will place me in a much more advantageous position compared to my peers taking the traditional route. Plus, from talking with Senior Associates and Partners at my firm, they have reiterated this notion and stated that I will be a much more rounded and well informed lawyer because of it.”
