Chester International School students benefit from mock interview experience

Year 12 students from Chester International School recently had the chance to develop valuable employability skills by participating in mock interviews with Young Chamber Sponsors during a special event held at the Handbridge-based school on 11th November.

In preparation, students were tasked with applying for a specific role and preparing for a mock interview tailored to that job. The students engaged in 10-minute interviews, during which interviewers referenced the provided job descriptions to allow the students to experience as close to a real hiring process as possible. This experience gave students an insight into what employers look for when recruiting new and inexperienced staff. The mock interview day was another successful event made possible by the Young Chamber programme. Through events like this, along with CV-building workshops, careers talks, and enterprise projects, the programme continues to support students in preparing for life beyond education.

Head of Careers at Chester International School, Abbey Peers, said after the event: “The Year 12 Mock Interviews at Chester International School were a success once again. The students were supported by businesspeople from the local community to practice interview skills and get personalised written feedback about their performance and CV. One Year 12 student said it was 'a fun activity that was very helpful to improve skills in a job interview, social skills, preparation and business in general'. Another said it 'made me feel more prepared for future interviews'. We are excited to work with the Young Chamber programme to run the day again in the future."

Thank you to the following Young Chamber Sponsors for helping make these events a great success:

• Altimex Ltd

• Atlas Copco

• Cheshire College South & West

• Cheshire West & Chester Council

• Countess of Chester Hospital

• Delivery Solutions (DELSOL) Ltd

• Nuffield Health

Young Chamber was established to tackle the skills gap that businesses were reporting and to help pupils, at schools and colleges from across the region, develop the necessary skills to hit the ground running when they leave education.

• Oliver & Co

• P & A Group

• Pinestar Ltd

• The HR Dept Wrexham & Chester

• Wrexham University

• WR Partners

It does this through the running of events at schools and colleges that are part of the programme. These include career talks, interview days and workshops, all designed to give students an insight into the world of work and to help them as they start their careers.