Credits

EDUCATION
Dame Allan’s Schools
BUSINESSES URGE YOUNG PEOPLE
TO FOCUS ON THE FUTURE
Dame Allan’s Schools hosts the Futures Fair to inspire the next generation of business leaders
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DAME ALLAN’S SCHOOLS
Photo, left to right: Mark Evans,
Raeesah Haque, George White,
Sarah Glendinning, Dr John
Hind and Matt Boyle
www.dameallans.co.uk
@DameAllans
Young people from across the region
have been encouraged to think outside
the box by regional and national
businesses and universities when it
comes to their future.
The biennial Futures Fair, which is run and
hosted by Dame Allan’s Schools, saw over 1000
attendees speaking with over 100 businesses,
educational establishments and training providers.
Among those in attendance was regional
director of the CBI and alumna of Dame Allan’s,
Sarah Glendinning. The CBI provides a voice for
businesses across the UK and Sarah, who has an
active interest in education, gave a talk called ‘What
Really Are My Options?’ where she discussed the
importance of adaptability and soft skills and she
encouraged young people to have the confidence to
explore.
“The world of work is changing and schools and
teachers need to catch up,” she said. “Businesses
and industry are evolving so quickly that many of
the skills our young people are learning are for jobs
that haven’t been created yet. It is so important that
events like this are held to offer advice and guidance
to students who are faced with an ever-changing
world. We need to raise the value of vocational
education and ensure that careers advice goes from
play-level to A Level. Skills are the currency of the
21st century.”
The packed programme included over 70 stalls
representing a variety of businesses and employers
including the armed forces, Reece Group, the
Laing Art Gallery, the NHS, Beamish Museum
and many more. Representatives from universities,
including Oxford, Durham, Edinburgh, St Andrews
and Queen’s Belfast also travelled from across the
country to attend.
There were 30 inspirational presentations on a
variety of careers from industry leaders including
Matt Boyle, president and CEO of Sevcon, who
brought along an electric motorbike. Matt described
the fair as “a superb opportunity for young people to
see what careers are available to them in the North
East and beyond”.
Careers advice is particularly topical this year,
having been the focus of much government debate.
In October, Education Secretary Justine Greening
announced a new scheme in an attempt to support
schools in their careers advice and links with
employers. Earlier in the year the TES published
data which showed a profound mismatch between
available vacancies and the areas young people want
to work in.
Principal of Dame Allan’s Schools, Dr John
Hind, said: “The Futures Fair is a wonderful event
in the Schools’ calendar which gives students
the opportunity to meet with a huge range of
representatives from across the UK and beyond to
get advice and guidance. We have an excellent and
very well-used careers service at Dame Allan’s and
the Futures Fair, which tops it all off, prepares our
young people for life beyond Dame Allan’s.
“Our Diamond Structure, which sees boys and
girls taught separately and mix socially between 11
and 16 years, means our students are able to avoid
any gender stereotypes in the classroom and are free
to be the best they can be. They then enter our Sixth
Form which, like the real world, is co-educational.
Our students are taught to have confidence and to
push themselves, skills that they take with them into
the wider world of work.”
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