Call // 01223 781 296

info@formthefuture.org.uk

Gamlingay students pitch their business ideas

On the 23rd May, students at Gamlingay Middle School met with professionals from the community in an exciting careers day managed by Form the Future.

The event kicked off with ‘What’s My Line?’, where students had to guess the jobs of the professionals, through a series of questions. Students were delighted to learn all about the wide range of careers with representatives from Macmillan, Tribus D, DUS Ltd, Iontas, Willmott Dixon and Wimpole Estate. Katie Hayes from Willmott Dixon explained to the students that there are a wide range of roles within construction and that women as well as men are very welcomed into the field. During feedback from the students, students commented on how they were so surprised there were so many areas involved in building.

Iain Stewart, manager at Wimpole Estate brought in a (blunted) scythe to show students how he uses traditional farming techniques to care for the grounds at the National Trust estate. He explained with great passion about how they work towards raising the number of certain endangered breeds of cattle and that through the meat industry they can make sure there’s enough interest in these breeds.

During this section of the day, over 65% of the students said they learnt about jobs that they’d never heard before.

Following on from the What’s My Line, the students participated in an Enterprise Day, where they created, developed then pitched business ideas. Working in mixed year group teams, students had no limits placed on them for what their business idea could be. Some students thought up customisable trainers that looked to be the next fashion trend. Another group was lead by a student who wanted to create something that his wheelchair-bound brother would find fun, so the team created a go-kart football activity suitable for everyone.

Volunteers from the morning were joined by Paul Gibson from GoVocal Media and helped support and inspire the students through their entrepreneur journey. Before lunch, students pitched to their classrooms, selecting one team per class to go forward to the grand finale in front of the whole year group.

While the fight to be the best business and best pitch of the day was a tough one, the professionals also looked out for students showing exceptional leadership skills and those who worked well in their teams. Teachers commented on the day how students who usually don’t engage in the classroom were getting stuck in, making meaningful contributions, and working well with those who they might not even speak with.

Feedback from the students following the event was overwhelmingly positive with many saying that they wouldn’t like to change anything about the event at all, and the majority of the students saying they’d love to do the same event again next year.

Fancy getting involved? Take a look at our Events Calendar and email us at events@formthefuture.org.uk to sign up as a volunteer.

<BACK TO LATEST NEWS

Register to volunteer

Thank you for choosing to become a volunteer with Form the Future! In order to join our volunteer community and get yourself involved in some of our events, please follow these steps:

 

  1. Click the button below and complete the Registration Form
  2. Upon receiving your completed form we will create a Volunteer Profile for you then send you log in details and information on how to sign up for volunteering opportunities
  3. You can then sign up for volunteering opportunities at your leisure!

DONATE TO OUR MISSION

Our goal is that all young people move successfully from education into employment. As a social enterprise, we are reliant on grants and corporate funding in order to work with the schools across Cambridgeshire. Even the smallest donation helps us to provide careers inspiration for every child. Click below to find out more about what your donation could do for young people in your community.