Staff at the Victory Services Club and London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch volunteered their time on Thursday 29 November 2024 at a local Careers Fair to help students prepare for the world of work.
Victory Services Club staff spoke to over 150 students during the event.
The event, held at Marylebone Boys School, saw employees speak to students and their parents about career pathways, industry insights and answer their questions about the world of work.
The 90-minute event attracted over 150 students, aged between 11 to 17, from those who are at the earlier stages of thinking about careers, and those actively looking to join apprenticeship programmes next year.
The companies and organisations represented were a stone’s throw from the school and reflected the range of career opportunities available right on their doorsteps.
Careers fairs are an increasingly important way of helping students make important careers decisions in a friendly and informative way.
A post-Covid study[1] of 1,000 UK secondary students found that 70% did not know or are unsure about what they want to do for a career when they leave school.
The report also spoke to 500 UK teachers which highlighted that nearly half of secondary school teachers (48%) say their school’s ability to give careers advice to students has worsened since the pandemic.
Marylebone Boys School, supported by our Community Programme, has delivered the careers fair to help broaden the horizons and offer practical guidance to its students when it comes to planning for life after school.
This is one of many careers’ initiatives in schools supported by our Community Programme – including running CV workshops, delivering mock interviews and hosting groups of students at their premises – that help students with the transition from education to employment by engaging directly with employers.
A student discusses their career options with Marriott Marble Arch staff.
The event was extremely popular, and many staff were left hoarse by the end having had so many engaging interactions with students keen to know more about the companies in our area!
Among the most common question from students was related to the exam grades needed to enter each profession. This provided a fantastic opportunity for our members to talk about the range of roles within their organisations, and to also stress the importance of having a positive attitude, motivation and professionalism, highly important soft skills which employers look for in their employees.
The activities were arranged with the school as part of our Community Programme which supports its business members to engage in supporting the community.
If you are a Marble Arch BID member and would like to find out more about the wide range of community engagement and employee volunteering opportunities, please contact community@marble-arch.london
[1] Careers After Covid report, Launch Your Career, May 2021
