Two specialists from the world of business have used their joint strength to give students a better chance of securing a good job when they leave school by bringing a unique training programme into the region's schools.
Gallup® Certified Strengths Coach and business consultant, Deborah Thompson from UXL Life Consultants in Washington and Careers specialist Peter Boyle from Bluebean Career Path Consultancy in Longhorsley, Northumberland are both leaders in their respective fields and have joined forces to make sure the right cogs are in place to motivate and maximize potential in students.
They have developed a new programme called "Gear My Career" to support students through their crucial career-planning years starting from year 8 onwards, with a strong focus on developing their strengths and skills and moving them up a ‘gear' to improve their grades, stay engaged in their studies and improve attainment.
Two cogs of the programme have recently been delivered as taster session workshops in Farringdon Community Academy School in Sunderland and will later move on to St Joseph's RC in Hebburn.
The programme will not only raise self-esteem and confidence but also engagement and attainment levels by steering students in the best career direction, using an approach that is both person-centred and strategic for each individual.
Additionally, it promises to give educators valuable insights about the talents of their students and an opportunity to adapt their teaching styles if necessary through the fundamental years of a student's education.
Using the analogy of cogwheels working in sequence, the programme uses four key cogs of Talents, Strengths, Skills and Behaviours, to improve student performance as he or she progresses through their educational journey moving through modules known as "gears" towards a workable career progression path. The full programme includes more cogs to help students in branding and selling themselves, formatting their CV, preparing for interviews and other tools to help them succeed in life.
Farringdon students were proud of their differences and demonstrated their unique talents through creative team building activities, which demonstrated their differences and learned how these can be converted into tangible transferable skills.
Peter said,
" Students have been learning the most common skills and behaviours and in just two sessions, have identified key skills, talents and strengths and now have a better idea of who they are as a person and what qualities they would bring to a prospective employer. "
Assistant Head Teacher, Jillaine Reay agreed.
"The principle of focusing on their own personal strengths has given them greater self confidence and a stepping stone to help them realise their potential, improve their grades and open up new opportunities for the future."
Deborah added;
"What we've done with the students is helped them discover their unique talents, understand their differences and unlock the powerful story within each individual. We are seeing great results and are confident that huge benefits will come from the programme. Feedback from teachers so far is they are seeing a remarkable gearshift in attitude and we are making a real difference to student's lives."
