Students at Teddington School had the opportunity to network with industry professionals at Teddington School's Careers Connect Event for Years 10-13 on 25 January. 

A 'speed-meeting' style event, students chatted to companies and representatives they had been linked with based on interests and the careers that they hope to explore.  

Underpinning Teddington school is the principle of being 'future ready' and equipped with the skills and education to succeed in whichever pathway they choose.  

Around 40 contributors from a wide range of industries had signed up with roughly the same number of students. Attending the evening were representatives from the NHS, HM Revenue & Customs, BBC Studios, Unicef as well as household names like Mars, TK Max, Lego, PWC and Mastercard.   

Armed with business cards to get the ball rolling, students launched themselves into conversations to discuss careers and what different sector jobs involved.   

Building contacts, and potentially securing work experience, students enjoyed the chance to hear about their career prospects after leaving school.  

Teddington school values opportunity, offering all students the curricular and extracurricular experiences necessary to nurture their talents and take their next steps in further education and careers. 

Mr Whitehouse, Assistant Head and careers lead, said "We're really excited about hosting our first Careers Connect event at Teddington School, it's so important that students have a chance to speak to professionals who are actually doing the jobs 'on the ground'. 

"This way they can learn about the variety of different routes into work, the reality of a working day as well as forming valuable contacts that could secure them work experience int the future." 

Some of the students also gave their thoughts on the careers event. 

"My favourite conversation was with someone in real estate. It interested me because you need to have a lot of social skills and build close relationships which I think is perfect for me." 

Another student added, "'The networking evening was extremely beneficial. I loved it - particularly learning about the BBC." 

Industry representatives likewise also enjoyed speaking to the next generation of leading professionals and the ideas of what the market is missing right now.  

"I came this evening to talk to the students about medicine – particularly some of the myths about medicine and the overcoming the barriers that might be associated with becoming a doctor. I was happy to see how well the students were taking it all in." 

Another representative added. 

"All the students were extremely engaged and insightful. I was so impressed with how much they had all thought about what they want to do and the fields they want to explore." 

Visit Teddington School's website to find out more about what extra activities and events they offer.