How do we make our children excellent for the world beyond school? This is the question Gareth Collier, Principal of Cardiff Sixth Form College posed to Willow Herold, Senior Partner Development Manager at InvestIN, when he introduced her to Dukes Club members on Tuesday evening’s webinar, ‘Success beyond school’.
InvestIN, the latest addition to the Dukes Education family, runs immersive career programmes led by top professionals in over thirty different industries in a bid to bridge the gap between schools and industry and help give children the skills, knowledge and experience that they need to move confidently into the world of work.
Willow explored the look and feel of careers today and the growing importance of transferable skills to employers. She emphasised that it isn’t only grades that matter to employers anymore, but intrinsically human skills such as empathy, creativity, communication, adaptability, mediation and strategic thinking.
So how can we as parents help support our children and empower them to feel prepared for this transition? Willow shared her four pillars for success – knowledge, experience, advantage and networking. Encouraging your child to read about their industry, find a Saturday job or volunteer, participate in extracurricular activities, and talk to people in your own social or professional network. These are just a few of the practical suggestions she makes to parents.
Listen to Willow’s talk to find out more about how following these four pillars can help your child gain a competitive advantage when exploring pathways to their chosen industry.