Chloe Mitchell and Rebecca Foster from G's Fresh taught youngsters how to plant lettuces.
Since being set up these events have given over 3000 youngsters and 70 primary schools a glimpse into the world of work
Over two hundred year two pupils (mostly aged six and seven) from five Norfolk schools took part in one of the only careers events for younger primary school children in the country.
The ‘Skills Escalator Day’ saw a variety of industries create short interactive sessions giving them a window into the world of work.
The event took place at the Charles Burrell Centre based on Staniforth Road in Thetford.
Two younsgters from Raleigh Primary School with their iceberg lettuce ready to take home and plant in the garden thanks to a link up with G's Fresh.
The schools involved were Queensway Academy, Drake Primary School, Raleigh Infant School and Nursery, Norwich Road Academy (all based in Thetford) and SENDAT Duke of Lancaster Academy (situated in Fakenham).
This occasion was organised by the Eastern Education Group (that incorporates Abbeygate Sixth Form College, One Sixth Form College, University Studies & Professional Development and West Suffolk College).
Organisations involved included Baxter Healthcare, BT, G’s Fresh, Norfolk Police, UK Power Networks and representatives from the Eastern Education Group helped promote career job roles related to sustainability.
Youngsters from Raleigh Primary School with the lettuces they planted thanks to a session with Gs Fresh.
Organiser and Group Head of the Skills Escalator for the Eastern Education Group Victoria Fiebelkorn said: “The Skills Escalator Days first began in 2022. To date over 3000 children from 70 primary schools have attended their local Skills Escalator Day. This was the second event we have hosted in Norfolk and we have more planned for the future. Skills Escalator Days directly link school children with the world of work, to allow them to see and talk to people from industry to build in them a lifelong curiosity and passion for their future careers. Careers education in early primary school is very important – by the time a child is eight years old they have firmly embedded views about what they can and can’t do – so the more aspirations we can spark in them at a young age, the more informed they can be about their futures.”
Youngsters from Duke of Lancaster School in Fakenham enjoyed finding out about their future career options.
Luke Johnson works for BT and inspires young people to think about careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Luke said: “We brought some robots into the classroom and tried to dispel the myth that computing is difficult or boring and demonstrate that it can be fun and exciting. There is a massive skills gap in STEM subjects so we need to inspire young people to take on these careers. What the Eastern Education Group is doing is brilliant.”
Organiser of the event - Victoria Fiebelkorn joined youngsters from the Duke of Lancaster in Fakenham at the BT careers session based on robots.
Rebecca Foster is the recruitment manager for G’s Fresh and she created a task where youngsters planted iceberg lettuce plants and then they took them home to grow in the garden. Rebecca said: “Our session covered farming, the environment, eating healthily and careers in the food industry. It went really well. I think these events are great. Education around careers advice for this age group broadens their horizons.”
Students from Raleigh Primary School in Thetford meet the Norfolk constabulary to find out about job roles.
Nicky Emberson is a special teaching assistant at the Duke of Lancaster school in Fakenham. Nicky said: “We were invited along today and the children loved it. We want to get our students out working in society in the future so thinking about it now is the right thing to do. We are grateful to be involved.”
Two youngsters plant an iceberg lettuce thanks to a link up with Gs Fresh.
Saffron Taylor is a talent acquisition partner working for Baxter in Thetford. They organised a hand washing activity using glo-gell to teach them about the importance of cleanliness in the workplace. Saffron said: “Getting involved in this as a large employer (in Thetford) shows we are part of the community and these are our future engineers and scientists - so it’s really important that we show them (the youngsters) what we do. I think it’s brilliant what the college is doing.”
Nicky Emberson from Duke of Lancaster school in Fakenham said the children loved the event.
Jazz Godfrey and the sustainability team at the Eastern Education Group helped teach the children how to recycle effectively. Jazz said: “The students were eager to keep recycling and they’re very passionate about what we were doing.”
Jagoda, 7 from Raleigh School wants to be ‘a teacher, a space explorer and astronaut’ when she is older. On this event, Jagoda said: “My favourite thing was learning about recycling. The day has made me happy.”