What an amazing lunchtime session we had this week, with 25 external business organisations and our whole senior school turning out for our Careers Industry Connect Expo held at the Senior Campus Gym.
Designed to give Dilworth students the chance to learn more about different careers, there was a real buzz as students tried their hand at a variety of activities, including open-heart surgery and frog dissection! Of course, this was hands-on virtual reality taking place at the Mindflight 7 stand. Matt Owen told us that Mindflight 7’s educational tool “is a great way of learning in a different way and has 15,000 users across STEM and Careers in Singapore, Australia and NZ”.
Gemma Halford, Head of Learning Area - Careers and Pathways at Dilworth, said that when her team plans this biennial Careers Expo, they aim to captivate the imagination of every student by bringing in a range of organisations covering the spectrum from more hands-on roles, such as chiropractors (Chiropractic) and hairdressers (Cut Above), to food brands this year, including Foodstuffs and Domino’s, who both demonstrated a range of careers within their own businesses; to entrepreneurs (Icehouse Ventures) and trades (BCITO); along with more traditional careers such as NZ Police. This year, 25 companies spoke to students about student jobs, apprenticeships, and university graduate roles, and they all went out of their way to make their stands interesting to Dilworth students.
The cool thing about a careers expo like this is that it can spark interest in a career a student had never previously considered. This is exactly what happened to Old Boy Michael Schriefer, class of 2025, at the last Expo. This week, he was back at Dilworth on the stand with MAST Academy, where he is on a six-month pre-trade course. Talking about his course, he said, “It gives me an idea of the skills and knowledge involved – the materials and glues,” adding that his goal is to be a composite boatbuilder; his big dream is to work on America’s Cup boats one day.
We talked to some of the businesses taking part:
“We’re here to showcase the development side of Domino’s, the route into becoming a franchisee. Many of the kids are asking how to get part-time jobs, but that’s where it all starts”. Domino’s Market Manager, Liam Stops
“Omexom – we are the power line guys, the ones who go up the power pole to fix things when the power is out.” It is highly skilled work and involves a two-year training course to start with, and you pick up many skills along the way, including Class 2 and 4 driver licences as part of the training; then there are many other roles and support functions beyond that”. Omexom HR Advisor Samantha Haskell.
So, to the big question, which was the most popular stand?
Well, clearly Domino's ‘Spin the Wheel’ for push-ups, burpees, or a food prize, capturing the imagination and probably the stomachs of many boys! But actually, one of the longest lines was at the NZ Police stand. Asked why he thought interest was so high, Year 12 student Dylan Jones told us: “The police are all about keeping our streets safe, there’s more depth to it, students really care”.
Speaks volumes about our Dilworth students.
Helping students gain real-world experience is a key part of the work of our Careers and Pathways Team, Gemma, Suzanne and Michelle, who are absolutely focused on preparing students well for life beyond school.