FUTURE TALENTED Spring Term 2019 - Issue 2 | Page 25

Delfino. “Statutorily, teachers need to be
able to talk to young people about
labour market intelligence; to tell them
what there is in the area.”
Going forward, she suggests that
schools request help from parents and
alumni. “Kids who’ve done well love to
come back,” she says. “When [current
students] listen to them and where
they’ve come from, it’s really powerful.
Get those stories up on your website!”
Address your public face
“If you’re working with anybody from
the outside world you have to have a
professional, well-prepared face,” says
D e l f i n o. “ I ’ v e w a t c h e d b i g
businesses,walk into a school and then
walk out, never to darken the doors
again,” she admits.
“Even if it’s your local optician
coming in to talk to kids during science,
make sure somebody’s there who
looks smart to meet and greet. Ensure
reception is aware; there’s a coffee for
your guest; their coat is taken and
they’re escorted to their destination. If
you have careers ambassadors (young
people who can come and do the
meeting and greeting instead of a
member of staff) better still. These tiny
things make the right impression.”
“They have to make eye contact,
smile, shake hands and look
engaged,” she explains. “If you instil
this in young people, they get used
to it. So then if you take them out to
a business, which is daunting, they
know what to do.”
On the flip side, she admits that
“professionals can come in and be so
boring: talks can be killers.
“Chat with guests in advance and
make them an offer that both of you
are happy with, such as running a
challenge and then judging it;
something interactive,” she advises,
adding that one small, successful
encounter with a business can lead
to other things, from mentoring
to internships.
Meanwhile, keep young people’s
aspirations realistic, without crushing
their dreams. “It’s no good saying ‘you
can be whatever you want to be’,”
argues Delfino. She advises schools to
think laterally.
For example, while not every child
is cut out to be a doctor “point out that
there are 350 separate careers in the
NHS; explain that a football club also
has chefs, lawyers, HR, PR, physios. Do
events at these places. It’s about
knowing what opportunities there are,”
she says.
Garner commitment
and support
To have a chance of success, careers
leaders need “some protected time, a
little money” and genuine commitment
from the top. “The leadership team,
EMPLOYABILITY
QUICK
• Tailor your careers strategy, breaking it
down into manageable pieces from
which it can grow.
• Work on your school’s public face and
prepare your pupils thoroughly for
employer contacts.
• Exploit local opportunities and nurture
your partnerships with organisations.
from the principal down, is key to
anything happening in the school,”
stresses Delfino. “They need to talk to
the kids about it and have all staff buy
into it”, making explicit careers
connections within lessons.
For a careers strategy to be
sustainable, it must be supported
and well-embedded.
The idea is that “staff may come and
go but there is a rock-solid plan in place
that people can pick up and run with,”
concludes Delfino.
“All your staff and governors should
know about it. You can put the positives
on your website and the school begins
to build its reputation.”
Prepare your pupils – and
visiting employers
For Delfino, preparation must involve
pupils being “prepped, smart and
well-presented”.
FUTURE TALENT // 25