7 minute read
Truro School Connected
offering advice, guidance, networking and opportunities for current students and alumni.
2021 AUTUMN TERM
NANCY KENWARD HEAD OF CAREERS
Nancy talks about the invaluable resource that is Truro School Community alumni and parents, and the difference they make to
our current students. It has been brilliant to be back to a slightly more ‘normal’ term this academic year. Now that the Government has ended school-year group ‘bubbles’, we have been able to host events which can be attended by multiple year groups, and we have even been able to welcome visiting speakers on to site, although strict protocols still have to be adhered to in order to limit risks.
The careers events this term have been a mixture of in-person and virtual talks from a variety of speakers. We started off with a talk from Burnett Global, who gave a fantastic insight in to the degree opportunities available in Europe and Canada. We also welcomed Falmouth Marine College on to the site to introduce some of their engineering courses, their Superyacht Cadetship course and the marine engineering apprenticeships available at A and P and Pendennis Shipyard, among others. While around 90% of Truro School students move on to UK universities after they leave the Sixth Form, our pupils are investigating their alternatives more than ever. Appealing opportunities to avoid the huge costs of a university education as well as studying abroad are becoming increasingly popular, and it is important the students are able to find out about the huge range of alternatives to the more traditional degree route into the workplace. Other career talks have included an introduction into computer programming opportunities by Software Cornwall, our annual visit from the Army Liaison Officer and a talk from local wealth management firm Watson French, based in Truro. Our most popular talk of the term was from Dan Wormald CO13, who spoke to our students about starting up his own business at 18, and the marine engineering industry. His company, Lutra Marine, provide sustainable dredging services locally and globally, and he gave a really inspiring talk about the highs and lows of his first four years in business and some top tips for any budding entrepreneurs. Another former pupil also delivered a talk this term, this time to the A-Level business classes. Jack Wing CO14 talked about the growth strategies used by his family business, Wing of St Mawes. Jack’s talk was fascinating and the Upper Sixth really valued the opportunity to hear about a business first hand.
As always, we feel incredibly lucky to be able to provide our current pupils with inspirational speakers from our alumni; their generosity and enthusiasm is an essential part of the careers provision at Truro School. Last term I requested help and advice from alumni via our LinkedIn page, Truro School Connected, and some of our current pupils have benefitted from fantastic insights in to bioengineering and finance and trading roles as a result of the replies.
Although I oversee the day-to-day careers provision within the school, our pupils are lucky enough to benefit from a huge range of staff who also provide specialist careers advice and guidance. Vicky Cucknell provides support for students preparing their portfolios for art school applications, Martin Palmer mentors students applying to music conservatoires and Lucy Jupp guides students through the labyrinthine world of overseas universities applications and sports scholarships for North American Universities. Ellie Collinge heads up our Oxbridge Pathways programme and mentors students through the additional challenges of applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and each year Ross Williamson, Head of Sixth Form, takes on the huge role of overseeing the university applications, personal statements and school references for over 80 U6th students. Sarah Finnegan has run the Medical Pathways programme at Truro School for over four years, and has provided amazing support for students who aspire to become doctors, vets and dentists. She organises mock interviews, prepares students for the additional tests needed for these degree courses, such as the BMAT and the UKCAT, and assists with finding vital work-experience placements. Although she is an incredibly busy member of staff (she is also Head of Biology and Head of PSHEE), her energy and passion for helping our aspiring medics, dentists and vets has been unflagging, and she has really enriched the support that our students receive during their applications to university. Sarah leaves Truro School at the end of this term to start a new job at Kingston Grammar School, and while we are of course delighted for her, there is no doubt that she will be sorely missed by all.
We would like to thank her for the huge impact she has had on this school and wish her the very best of luck as she moves on to her next post.
The Truro School Community page on LinkedIn is an excellent way of staying in touch with us. We update the page with local and national job opportunities and information on work experience, conferences and internships which will be of interest to our former pupils.
We would encourage all former pupils, no matter what age, to connect with us so that they, too, can access this amazing network of Truro School alumni and become part of TSCONNECTED.
CAREERS TALK Daniel Wormald CO13
12 November 2021
Daniel is managing director of Lutra Marine, a company that supplies environmentally friendly dredging equipment to marine environments, which he founded soon after leaving Truro School. Daniel first came up with his business idea on a 5th-year school trip to Godrevy, where he wondered if there would be a sustainable way of dredging tin from the sand without affecting water quality. Despite being offered a place at Camborne School of Mines, Daniel worked hard during his gap year to make his idea of providing precision dredging without affecting the water quality come to fruition. After pitching his company to various funding bodies and investment organisations, Lutra Marine received the funding it needed to become a limited company in 2014.
Daniel studied at Truro School between 2006 and 2013, and after asking Mr Kenyon (TS 1980-2021) for advice on which A-Levels to take for a geology-related career, he chose Geology, Chemistry and Physics at A-Level and Maths at AS-Level. During this time, he realised the idea of potentially undertaking dredging works in difficult locations which are restricted by environmental factors making them hard to reach. With some school physics and the right research and ideas, Daniel built a small prototype machine in his parent’s garden and, with their financial support, in 2019 he raised investment from the British Design Fund, which enabled him to build the equipment he created.
The precision of the equipment means Lutra Marine can operate around a wide range of obstructions and above fragile surfaces in an assortment of sediment types. All the equipment is fully customisable, creating versatility to suit customers’ needs whether shore based or vessel mounted.
During his careers talk to students, he gave the following advice: “Don’t listen to anyone that tells you you’re too young,” and stressed the importance of networking within the industry. He recommended LinkedIn as an extremely useful tool and explained how he had managed to make very specific contacts over the platform.
If you would like to be active participant and become part of the Truro School Connected initiative whatever the level of help you can offer, whether it is offering job opportunities, careers advice, guidance or work experience or taking part in the Careers Convention, or if you would like to help fellow alumni in your career field, then please get in touch with Nancy Kenward: nk@truroschool.com or email the Development Office team: TSconnections@truroschool.com
ASPIRING
There continues to be great interest in healthcare professions and the work done to support students who are applying for such vocations. This was reflected in the expansion of the mock Multiple Mini interviews that are run bi-annually for Sixth Form students.
On Wednesday 24 November, seven Upper Sixth Truro School students took part in mock Multiple Mini Interviews with volunteers from Exeter Medical School. This style of multiple station interview online is what most universities are using for selecting students for places on healthcare courses this year. Four of the Truro students are applying for Medicine, one for Veterinary Medicine, one for Physiotherapy and one for Nursing. Although approaching the circuit with some anxiety, they all reported finding it very useful along with the formative feedback that they were given from the Exeter medical students. We would like to thank them for their input. This term, students have also had the opportunity to hear talks from Dr David Pencheon CO75 (Associate, and Honorary Professor in Health and Sustainable Development at Exeter Medical School) as well as paramedic Roseanna McCammick CO08.
Those on the Medical Pathways Program in the Sixth Form also meet every Monday lunchtime to discuss current affairs in healthcare, such as the impact of Covid-19, the use of artificial intelligence in medicine and whether strike action is ever appropriate. The eloquence that the students demonstrate when expressing their thoughts always impresses, as does the compassion and consideration that they demonstrate.
SARAH FINNEGAN HEAD OF BIOLOGY & P.S.H.E.E. MEDICS, DENTISTS & VETS COORDINATOR
