This post isn’t about complaints or customer service. But it’s law and Rob Rinder, so I think it can go here!
I am the Careers and Community link governor on the school Governing Body and arranged for Rob Rinder to talk to pupils form Year 7 to 13 at the school.
National Careers Week boosted by celebrity workshop for Heathcote pupils
TV Judge Rinder and the ABBA Voyage technology team joined an A-list cast of speakers, industry experts and organisations supporting pupils at Heathcote School and Science College during National Careers Week.
Pupils of Heathcote School and Science College in Chingford, East London, are being guided early in their career journey by the best in the business, enjoying workshops; work experience placements; industry tours; university visits and skills & employability sessions facilitated by professionals from the world of work.
TV Judge, barrister, presenter and columnist, Robert Rinder, shared his knowledge and experience through a careers in law insight session for the school’s aspiring lawyers and those curious about working in law.
Rob was impressed by the answers that pupils gave him. He said “Their answers and insight came from a ‘real life’ perspective in my experience of lecturing, many Law undergrads tend to go for a ‘textbook’ answer.” One of the Year 13 pupils currently holding offers for Law at Greenwich, Lancaster, Ulster & Westminster said it was a “Fantastic opportunity to meet Rob Rinder, with a very insightful and interactive workshop with him”.
Head Teacher Sonia Close expressed her pleasure with how the workshop went. “Pupils have told me that it was such a special opportunity to meet someone famous. They thought that they wouldn’t know how to talk to someone of his position but were shocked that they could and how welcoming and normal he was. One pupil was so inspired they want to become a lawyer.”
The school appreciated the time he spent with the pupils, including delighting pupils by staying on to appear in a long line of selfies! And not just with the pupils, staff too! He even recorded messages too!
The most valuable lesson for kids? If they see it, they realise they can be it Rob’s column in the Evening Standard talking about his time at Heathcote.
ABBA technology
A group of lucky pupils interested in media and technology visited the ABBA Arena at Pudding Mill Lane where Solotech, the audio visual and entertainment technology experts and the house tech teams offered a unique insight into how ABBA Voyage runs, the technology used and the jobs that make the magic happen.
Heathcote School and Science College visited
Other organisations supporting the pupils through workshops and visits were Zurich Insurance, Taylor Woodrow, Arriva, Aston Group, Smiths Hair Studio, Royal Veterinary College, Middlesex University, University of Bedfordshire and University of Leicester.
Founder of Bores.com, James is a chartered security professional and has worked in IT and security for over two decades. He attended the Careers Fair and said “It was great to see the enthusiasm and interest in pupils looking at a future in cyber security, asking about all of the different pathways that might be available to them.”
Skills for careers
During the week, pupils learnt how to work collaboratively through group projects and develop leadership, communication, problem-solving and financial management skills. They also develop confidence in the softer skills needed to be successful in the world of work, such as motivation, attention to detail, emotional control and reliability.
Careers Fair
The week will be rounded off today (10 March 2023) with a careers and progression fair supported by FE and HE institutions, construction, banking, insurance, healthcare, public services and transport, where pupils had the chance to speak to representatives from over 35 organisations.
“We are ambitious for our pupils and encourage them to be ‘career curious’ from the moment they start at Heathcote School”, enthuses Sonia. “This is supported massively by our fantastic community of staff, governors and parents who use their networks to make these employability opportunities happen. Our robust careers programme is impartial and inclusive, enabling learners to link the skills and knowledge they gain in the classroom, with the wider world of learning, training and work. We work hard to challenge stereotypes and common misconceptions to break down barriers, inspiring all of our pupils to consider a broad range of career opportunities across a variety of industries.”
National Careers Week success
I was delighted with the success of the week. The careers co-ordinator Michelle Burnett and careers leader Miriam Argyrakis organised a fantastic jam-packed week for all the year groups. We have around forty organisations working with pupils and Rob Rinder was a wonderful highlight of the week. Pupils were buzzing with energy when they came away from his workshop, it was really inspiring.
Credit for photos Marc Fletcher
More about The Complaining Cow and Rob Rinder
Rob wrote a testimonial for my book 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer
What's in there then? A review by Rob Rinder
In a series of interviews Rob talked to about becoming a barrister, being a barrister, TV and more:
Helen Dewdney & Rob Rinder – exclusive interview Part 1 I interview Rob over Zoom
Helen Dewdney – exclusive interview with Rob Rinder No. 2 more over Zoom!
Complaining habits of public figures – Rob Rinder talks to me about his own complaining habits.
And he gave a message to my Mum too with which she was delighted!
View this post on Instagram
