Career Ready mentors and mentees...
Last week our Career Ready students had their graduation presentation following our induction event for new Career Ready mentors - who then went on to meet their new mentees.
What is Career Ready?
Career Ready is a national
charity linking employers with
schools and colleges to open
up the world of work to young
people. Woodhouse run a very successful Career
Ready business academy and offer a structured
programme of activities that
sits alongside college studies.
It is delivered by employer
volunteers who provide
masterclasses, mentoring,
workplace visits and internships
to help our students compete
with the best in the country.
Career Ready gives students
the confidence, skills and
networks to achieve their
potential.
A Career Ready LAB (Local
Advisory Board) is the essential
link between the college and
local employers and consists of
members of Woodhouse staff
and business professionals. Our current chair of the board is Cansu Huseyin (an alumni of both Woodhouse and the Career Ready Program and currently working as a Human Resources Manager at R.J. O'Brien) who co-chairs with our Vice Principal Alex Christodoulou.
Career Ready student of the year Ali (left) pictured with our Career Ready Coordinator, Aisha Adesanya
Our Woodhouse Career Ready Coordinator, Aisha Adesanya, told us "The Career Ready programme is available for everyone at Woodhouse and the 20 spaces available each year are in high demand. This year we had around 150 applications - and interviewed 50 of those to find the most worthy candidates. Career Ready is a social mobility charity and it is important to find students that will benefit the most from the opportunities it offers.
Students in 2022 were fortunate to have master classes with external speakers and board members to help with networking, preparing for work and success at assessment centres. We took them on workplace visits to big organisations like Euronext (a large, global stock exchange group) and in the summer they enjoyed internships at places like BP head office, Aviva and Euronext. For four to six weeks they got real life work experience with projects to complete - and of course they get paid.
Mentorship is one of the most important and rewarding things that Career Ready provides. Students really benefit from the mentors who are often in high positions - partners and directors at law firms, vice presidents in financial institutions - getting to meet and talk to these people at the top of their careers is so valuable. Mentors get to show them what’s possible by sharing how they got where they are now.
In the immediate future for the new cohort of students we are going to CMS (a law firm) for International Women’s Day to meet inspirational women and we have a speakerfrom EMEA to talk about life in Financial Services. And our very own Chair of Trustees, Peter Green is coming in to talk about networking.
I really like what I do with Career Ready - I think it is a really important opportunity for our students."
Career Ready student of the year Tia (left) pictured with our LAB chair (and alumni) Cansu Huseyin
Tia was one of two students (along with Ali) awarded Career Ready student of the year at Woodhouse. She told us...
"I really enjoyed my time as a career ready student because it gave me a kickstart to entering the world of work; I was given a mentor who is successful in their area of work and also who's interests correlated with mine. Through this I learned the best way to prepare for an interview, revision methods, and a true insight into how life is working in the finance sector.
While meeting with my mentor, the student Career Ready cohort underwent masterclasses led by many influential people.
Later in the school year, I applied for a paid internship at an insurance company through Career Ready and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life! I created a presentation and presented it to over 40 employees, I had tours and so much more!"