CAREERS NEWSLETTER
2017-‐18
ISSUE 18 – Friday 6 July 2018 In our final newsletter for 2017-‐18, as well as covering advice imparted by Prize
Giving guest of honour, Andrew Edmiston, there is a reflective booklet -‐ already emailed to our Lower Sixth -‐ which will prove helpful for any other pupils
undertaking work experience over the summer. Have a great summer!
VALUING THE JOURNEY AS WELL AS THE PRIZE
CONGRATULATIONS!
Bablake’s 2018 Prize Giving guest of honour, Andrew Edmiston – a former pupil (1981 – 1987) and now M anaging Director of International Motors Group – revealed he won a
Progress prize towards the end of his time at Bablake. Not unusual, you might imagine!
Surprisingly though, we have heard many such guests of honour reveal they had failed to win a prize at Bablake, before going on to admit this had never really held them back in
their journey after school.
Indeed Andrew Edmiston crucially focused on the journey, reminding our prize winners that, while any accolade should be celebrated, the final reward should be viewed as merely a snapshot of time or a destination reached. The majority of employers, while obviously keen on ultimate success and celebration, would agree that their employees spend most of their time on a journey. The destination is important but once reached and celebrated, a new, often tougher, journey begins. Bablake had given Andrew Edmiston two key life lessons: one was the importance of perseverance -‐ inevitably failure or falling short of a goal will happen, but being resilient, learning from these stages and making repeated attempts are vital. The second lesson was being humble and showing humility – by understanding your own weaknesses, especially as a team leader, you will create a team where others have strengths to fill any gaps in skills. No-‐one is perfect, but members of the best teams do complement each other. Our prizewinners were urged to inspire their immediate peers to challenge and compete, but ultimately work together. They were told there are no exams for perseverance or humility; instead, every individual can decide to show them. For a team to succeed, recognising a peer’s strengths and allowing them to excel is of benefit to all. Of course, Bablake students have the opportunities to excel academically and focus on more outside the classroom. Employers appreciate academic worth, but social skills and practical sense are as vital. Bablake’s Careers department has seen students leave and move into such a rich variety of professions. Square or round pegs alike, rest assured, there is a fantastic future for all our students to enjoy. They are inquisitive, willing to ask questions, unafraid of challenge and a very safe bet for employers to invest time, resources and faith in.
Earlier this year, we congratulated Upper Sixth students Lucie Barnes and Remy McNamara on being offered positions by AECOM and Deloitte respectively, after successfully negotiating competitive interviews. Now we are delighted to congratulate two m ore Class of 2011 students: • Aaron Biddle, who excelled at our 2017 Mock Interview Morning – producing an academic resource worthy of publication and prompting one interviewer to state she would have offered him employment on the spot – has been offered a technical placement on IBM’s Futures gap year scheme, which will offer him an excellent insight into future digital and cyber routes.
• Liam McSorley, who applied for Deloitte’s BrightStart scheme as well as Remy, heard last week, on the morning of the Leavers’ Ball, that having been accepted for this outstanding programme, he will begin his training in Birmingham later in the year. Well done, A aron & Liam! We look forward to hearing of your progress.
@BablakeCareers