On Friday 18 March the Sixth Form enjoyed a highly interactive Careers day at the College. In spite of being struck down with Covid, our Head of Careers, Mr Sumner, orchestrated the event through his laptop, whilst Head of Development, Mr Tim Hamilton was working hard to ensure the event went ahead smoothly.

Old Pangbournians (OPs) Giles Fuchs (1983) and Georgia Misson (2012) gave inspiring and informative keynote speeches in the first session. Recollecting his past, Giles traced the route to where he is today. Giles is the CEO of ‘Office Space in Town’ and has the Burgh Island hotel and non-alcoholic cocktail ‘Gunner’ in his current portfolio. The secret of Giles' success, he claims, lies in sound family values and working harder than the competition. 

Georgia Misson focused her talk towards the world of work that pupils will soon be heading into. One theme that came through most strongly was the need to be adaptable and flexible in your expectations of where your careers may take you.

Students were given the opportunity to experience a ‘Shortlister’ video interview tailored to their industry sector of  interest. This gave students a chance to practise being interviewed for online work experience or internships. The responses will be reviewed by tutors and valuable feedback will be given to students.

After lunch, students were treated to a ‘Things I wish I knew before I left school’ panel. The five panellists consisted of a mix of OPs, parents and staff; Georgia Misson, Larry Howard, Kristy Heatton, Neil Walne and Lt.-Col Mike Wade Smith. This provided some interesting insight and key takeaway points for students to consider. Key amongst the advice was the need to accept and embrace failure as a learning tool. There was further encouragement to be ‘interested and interesting’ and not to shrink from taking up opportunities when they are offered. 

Rounding up the day, OPs were able to share their expertise with a ‘sector specific’ online video panel. They shared insights of their own roles, best advice on work experience and preparation in order to progress within that sector. The College would like to say a huge thank you to all the panellists and friends of Pangbourne who gave up their valuable time to make this event such a success.