One attendee called Isaac said ‘this was the best day of my life’.
East Coast College and Eastern Education Group came together to give over 140 primary school kids aged between 5 and 7 a window into the world of work.
The occasion took place at East Coast College’s Energy Skills Centre, at their Lowestoft Campus and saw three schools from the local area attend an occasion that is called a Skills Escalator Day.
During these Skills Escalator Days, a variety of industries create short interactive sessions for children to help promote jobs in the industries they represent.
Organisations who supported this day in Lowestoft included EDF Energy, Kier Construction, Miganglia, Wood and East of England Energy Group (EEEGR).
These careers events were first set up over five years ago by Victoria Fiebelkorn and have taken place in three counties during this time.
So far, they have given well over 5000 young people an interactive experience thanks to the support of hundreds of businesses.
Ms Fiebelkorn, the Group Head of Skills Escalator for Eastern Education Group said: “As the reputation of these unique and inspirational careers days for the youngest members of our community grows, it is always very exciting to launch a Skills Escalator Day in a new town. This is our first time in Lowestoft and the first time we have collaborated with another college. It’s been lovely – we have a strong and warm relationship with East Coast College and we can’t wait to keep building on this to work together more in the future. Thanks to everyone who came along and supported us. We believe that no one else in the UK is putting on careers events like this for children this young – so it is great to be teaming up with East Coast College in Lowesoft.”
Rachel Bunn is a Skills Director at East Coast College. She said: “It’s been amazing. The children have enjoyed the range of activities and it’s been very buzzy – they asked some great questions. I think we need to engage hearts and minds as early as possible so that they know what great careers there are here in East Anglia. And it’s been great to work with another college – I think there needs to be more around education working collaboratively for the greater good.
The companies who supported us have also been amazing – showcasing what they do and teaching the youngsters important life lessons in terms of teamwork and communication.”
Sammy Lee is the East Coast College Innovator. She said: “It’s been fantastic teaming up with the Eastern Education Group, local Lowestoft primary pupils, and employers, the pupils’ energy, teamwork, and creativity have been inspiring, and it’s been great to see so many happy, engaged faces.”
Mrs Sawyer is a year 2 teacher at Roman Hill Primary School. She said: “The day has been absolutely amazing. We have ben learning about different jobs and skills sets – I’m really impressed. This is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Isaac, 7, also from Roman Hill said: “This was the best day of my life.”
Claire Anderson from Sizewell B and EDF said: “It’s a great opportunity to talk about electricity and safety. These days are interesting and worthwhile for us to engage with young people and for them to engage with us.”
Suzanne Allen works for the East of England Energy Group. She said: “There are lots of jobs in the energy sector so the idea is to put the seed in their minds that they can work on these large (energy) projects in the future. This event is all about people working together today, as they want the best for the young generation in the future.”
Joe Balm is a Quantity Surveyor who works at Kier Construction. He said: “I think it’s important that young people start thinking about themselves and the skills they need in the future.”
The schools that attended were Corton, Poplars and Roman Hill.
