60-second interview with Ami Parsad

Ami ParsadAmi Parsad, Head of Careers at the James Hornsby School, Laindon

What kind of work have you been doing this week?
It’s National Apprenticeship week 2020! So I have been running extended assemblies, providing key information and getting pupils to take part in fun quizzes and challenges all to do with apprenticeships!

What notable events have happened this week?
A group of 20 high-achieving pupils went on a trip to Oxford University where they were immersed in ‘student life’ in order to raise their aspirations of moving onto Higher Education in the future.

How do you work with the Make Happen team?
We meet up regularly with Ashley, our outreach officer, to discuss opportunities that Make Happen can provide and also to evaluate our careers programme and make changes where necessary. Make Happen have supported our year 11s with targeted Learning Lunches, run workshops during Careers Week and provided funding for some awesome trips!

What kind of feedback from staff, students, and parents do you get?
The students have been buzzing this year with the range of trips they are now provided and they feel more aware of the opportunities available for them post 16! Staff feel the workplace visits have been beneficial to raising careers aspirations within their industry.

Name three things you love about your job…
Raising the aspirations of our pupils, seeing the happiness on the pupils faces when they succeed, and bumping into past pupils who are still so thankful of everything you did!

…and one you don’t!
Teaching PE outside in winter!

What would you say to a teacher (or school) who has yet work with Make Happen?
Make Happen have been invaluable to the success of our careers programme at JHS. The support and guidance they have given to our new careers team has been outstanding, constantly ensuring we are hitting the Gatsby Benchmarks and suggesting ongoing developmental ideas to our programme. They have helped fund some superb trips and events that has raised the cultural capital of our pupils and provided them with experiences they would never have had before.

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