Employer Feedback
Careers Fair 2020 Employer Feedback
Employers that graded the experience as 4 or 5 out of 5 = 100%
Excellent organisation – students had questions which is a good idea as it makes them talk to providers
Excellent behaviour
A really positive event with interest from pupils
Very good behaviour and great questions
Pupils asked incredibly good questions. Very bright, very keen, hopefully a bright future ahead
Very well planned
Outstanding! Pupils are very polite and keen
Excellent behaviour and interest
I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed chatting to the three girls I interviewed. Being so young, they came across really well, even those less confident, and are a credit to the school. My two eldest daughters, who themselves attended OLCHS, always did get very good feedback from interviews and I understand why. I regularly interview in my position as supervisor at the after school club, and many times I have had mature adults or even young people perform less confidently and honestly than the three girls I spoke to on Tuesday. I certainly think that this is a good exercise for them all, the first interview you do is often the worst, so being able to have a “real practice” is invaluable.
It was a pleasure to be involved and you can count me in next year if you need me!
Aline Penin-Gunson – St. Anthony’s
This is my first year of attending the interviews and I thought the pupils portrayed themselves in a very professional manner.
I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and hope they did too. They should all be very proud of themselves as I feel they will all thrive within their chosen careers and wish them all the best for the future.
Pamela Baxter – BAE Systems
I was really impressed with the whole event. He said the children were a credit to you, they were well prepared, confident and well mannered. (Paul Jackson – HMRC)
Another colleague then chipped in about doing similar sessions at other local schools and the negative behaviours and lack of respect that she had experienced at these other schools. So credit to the school, I proudly did say that my daughter is at Our Lady’s. I just thought it would be nice to pass on the positive feedback.
Ruqaia Isa – HMRC
I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed taking part in the mock interviews yesterday. I had 6 very different boys to interview which made it very interesting and what I did notice was how polite they all were.
Thank you for letting us have the opportunity to get involved.
Tracy Routledge – Electricity North West
It was a delight to be involved in the mock interviews. I didn’t really know what to expect of the pupils as I don’t usually interview people who are so young in my business. I have to say how surprised I was at the level of interviewees. The standard was really high and they all, despite nerves, performed really well. There were some exceptional interviewees who coped with some difficult questions. They were invariably polite and articulate. It was a pleasure to interview them!
Rachel Adamson – Lawyers Inc
This was a very engaging and worthwhile experience for the young people and myself. You can tell they got a lot out of it. It was engaging and the children really enjoyed it.
David Quinn (Lancashire Police)
Meeting with your students, talking about their interests and giving advice is what a great careers programme should focus on. And it does here.
Megan Normoyle (Harrison Drury Solicitors)
Discussing careers, meeting very polite and interested young people plus giving professional advice has been a very rewarding experience.
Cindy Ribchester (Barnardos)
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed delivering my sessions on Digital Footprint to your Y8 students. They were so engaging and enthusiastic and very perceptive. I hope my session will help educate and give pupils a better understanding of the effects our Digital Footprints can have on our present and future. Looking forward to co-operate again to inspire and motivate young adults. Please pass on my feedback and Thanks to students and support staff. They were ever so helpful and encouraging on the day.
Simona Pellegrini
Insight Consultant
Department for Work and Pensions
I recently delivered some sessions with year 10 and year 11 students at Our Lady’s Catholic High School.
The sessions that were conducted were Preparing for Interview followed by the mock interviews themselves, and the final session delivered was the importance of an application form and how to complete it, looking at it from an employer and applicant perspective.
I was extremely impressed with the students attitude, behaviour and how they engaged with the whole process. All year groups demonstrated fantastic employability skills and qualities such as confidence, communication and teamwork that any employer would be would be happy to have in their organisation.
I’m looking forward to working with the school in the future.
David Taaffe
Department for Work and Pensions
What an incredibly organised and well executed event. I was blown away by the maturity and preparation the pupils showed. It is events like this that not only helps to prepare the students for the next leg of their journey but also gives me confidence in our emerging young leaders.
Emma Robinson
Finance Business Partner
FSD Lead
I would just like to thank you formally for giving us the opportunity to deliver our overview of HMRC, it’s functions and responsibilities and how it affects everyone from school age to old age! All of the pupils and staff who participated showed a genuine interest and engaged fully with some interesting and diverse ideas on tax fairness and priorities.
It was a pleasure to get involved with your school and I hope we can work with you again in the future. You are, and should be, really proud of your pupils.
Chris Baggley
HMRC
I was particularly impressed by the positive attitude from the students and their willingness to participate in the interview process. It was obviously quite a very nerve wracking experience for them but they tried their best to answer all questions clearly and concisely which will ultimately only go to improving their confidence. They appreciated any feedback given and seemed to take the feedback on board.
Alan Durney
Trade Hair Supplies
I would like to say I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the students and staff . The students I interviewed were a credit to themselves and the school and hopefully they will all achieve great success in the exams to come.
John Meredith
HMRC
A very well organised event, you supported the STEM representatives and provided good resources to help make the process easier to undertake.
I was very impressed with the students. They all had a good idea of where they want to progress to and were very focused on the next steps. To me, as a parent of two children at the school, it is good to see that the support and guidance that your colleagues provide has given the young people confidence at the interview and the skills to look at what career they want to progress into.
I can see that some may take the opportunity to apply to BAE when it is appropriate for them.
Ahmed S Rawat
Engine Support Specialist
BAE
It was fantastic to be part of the Mock Interviews for the Year 11’s. The students were clearly well prepared and very enthusiastic. It was inspiring to hear their passion for their future careers and from an employer’s perspective very encouraging to note their aspirations in the health and care sector, which I was representing. Being able to provide feedback to them first hand was great, and the event was very well organised. I was definitely left with a positive impression.
Emma Dawkins
Head of Learning and Organisational Development
NHS Foundation Trust
Thank you for the opportunity to work with your school and young people. The young people I interviewed all had a variety of knowledge, skills and abilities. They where all very polite and it was clear that they had been supported and advised by school before their interviews.
Helen Hull
Childrens Social Care Manager
Lancashire County Council
It was a pleasure to take part in such a worthwhile event. It created a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to experience an interview situation which will help them enormously when looking for college places and future jobs. They did themselves proud, approaching the exercise in a mature and professional way. I was able to meet with some wonderful children who were a delight to speak with.
Lisa Pearl
Director of People
AQA
It was a pleasure to take part in the Y11 Interviews. The pupils took a mature approach to the interview, dressed to impress and prepared to enable an impressive interview. I was suprised how mature and informed they were which will hold them in good stead for their future interviews. Well done Y11!
Elaine Pomfret
Best 4 U Business Support Services
Congratulations on your organisation of the event, it ran like clockwork.
With regard to the pupils, they were a credit to the school. The four pupils I interviewed were immaculately dressed, spoke fluently and eloquently, and kept good body language throughout the interview. Having interviewed many people in my business, I would say that the attitude and communication skills of the pupils were at least on a par with the candidates we get applying to work at Harrison Drury.
John Chesworth
Executive Chairman
Harrison Drury Solicitors
I would like to take this opportunity to say how much I enjoyed attending the mock interview session on Tuesday with your year 11 students.
It was a well organised event and we were made very welcome by staff and students alike. The students I interviewed were all absolutely delightful young men. They were well presented, extremely polite and a pleasure to interview. They all had something to offer in their own way and were open to positive advice about how to further develop their interview skills.
I just wanted to to pass on my thanks for inviting me to your mock interview event on Tuesday, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Those students who I interviewed were all extremely positive, polite and really seized the opportunity to immerse themselves in the process. I truly hope that all of the students fortunate enough to have been involved have gained something positive from their experience, that they can use as part as their continued personal and professional development.
Steve Bell
Inspector
Lancashire Constabulary-West Division
I thought the event was really well organised and worked well. The packs we were given were really helpful and knowing what they were interested in helped to have a meaningful conversation even with the shy students. The students I saw were all very good at explaining what they wanted to do and why and also knew what they needed to achieve in order to be successful. I was impressed with the passionate way they talked about their career aspirations and the support they were being given by the school with this type of event.
Karen Kearns
Head of Customer Service Management
Homeserve
Just a word to thank you for inviting us to interview your Year 11s on Tuesday. Brian and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We were both struck by the standard of all the interviewees and considering they were new to the challenge, they held their own and showed courage and maturity. Good luck to them all!
Julie and Brian Woods
Retired
Having been an employer for over forty years (now retired ) I thought the importance the school has put on the interview situation by arranging the Mock Interviews for pupils to be highly commendable. It was very good to see the pupils reaction to the event ,turning up smartly dressed and taking their participation seriously. I feel sure the pupils will certainly benefit from the event in the future.
Frank Turley
Retired
As you know, the Business Coaches hugely enjoy working with your Students, and OLCHS is a joy for us each year. They also greatly appreciate receiving feedback, as they very much endeavour to provide as much positive input to the Students as possible.Thank you also, for all the organisation in advance of the event, and for all your kindness and hospitality on the day, which were very much appreciated by us all. Sincere appreciation also to Mrs Murray and Mr Hankin who are also brilliant to work with as Judges, as they have such a keen understanding of the programme ethos and impact, and who know exactly what they are looking for in terms of the Judging Process.
It has been fantastic to have the girls from Our Lady’s here at Heysham Power Station today for our joint event with Stem First, the idea behind this event is to encourage more young girls into a future in STEM and to showcase what working somewhere like a power station has to offer.
All the pupils from the school have been interested and contributed positively to all our activities, asked lots of questions and seemed to have fun whilst being here, they really are a credit to the school.
Thank you!
Sarah Marshall
Visitor Centre Coordinator
Heysham Power Stations
It is a delight to meet with the students at OLCHS. They come to our one to one meetings prepared to interact and discuss with me their ideas and the possibilities open to them on leaving school. Thankyou to the school for recognising the need, value and requirement of giving their students access to independent careers advice with a professionally qualified careers adviser.
Paula Wroe
Careers Adviser
Mploy Solutions
