This week, Warrington & Vale Royal College proudly welcomed over twenty esteemed guests from partner secondary schools across the region to its annual 'Prepare for Post-16' Careers Advisor & Teacher Conference. The event showcased the college's innovative educational approach, curriculum updates, recent investments, and its distinctive focus on career development, earning it the title of Warrington’s “Careers College”.
The conference began with a warm welcome at Warrington campus’s award-winning training restaurant, Buckley’s, where attendees enjoyed a networking breakfast prepared by talented hospitality & catering students. This was followed by engaging talks led by the college’s Senior Leadership Team, providing insights into its progressive initiatives and the curriculum, industry placement opportunities and support on offer for students at the college. Visitors were then treated to guided tours of the college’s state-of-the-art facilities, highlighting over £12 million in recent investments and its current and future Centres of Technical Excellence.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the college’s new Dream it Do it campaign, aimed at inspiring young people to envision and pursue their career aspirations. The campaign, which integrates elements of vision boarding and the current trend of “romanticising your life”, was introduced during National Careers Week through an interactive ‘career vision board’ workshop conducted by the college’s School Engagement Team at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School.
Mrs McWilliams, Careers Lead at the high school, expressed gratitude for the workshop, emphasising its impact on Year 10 pupils’ motivation and future planning, saying: “We can’t thank the college enough for giving our Year 10 pupils the focus that they needed. So many of the students have commented on how this time gave them the opportunity to think about their future and what motivates and inspires them. In a busy, hectic world it can often be a challenge to pause and take stock of what we are doing and what all the hard work is for. The workshop enabled all students to do just that!"
With over 50 schools participating in the college’s Secondary & Further Education Partnership Programme, workshops like these will be made accessible to young people across the region, reinforcing the college’s commitment to empowering young people in their career journeys. The School Engagement Team plays a pivotal role in delivering on this commitment, ensuring that all partner schools receive tailored support for effective career guidance. For those inspired to create a career vision board outside of the classroom, the college has created a range of free resources, including a career vision board template and a host of inspiration from some of the college’s aspiration alumni. This can be accessed at wvr.ac.uk/dreamitdoit.
Warrington & Vale Royal College extends its sincere appreciation to its partners for their invaluable contributions to yet another successful event, reaffirming its dedication to fostering meaningful collaborations in education.
