Students at Arthur Terry school got an invaluable insight into life in the workplace after Andrew Mitchell MP opened an impressive event outlining dozens of different careers.

The careers fair, on Monday, February 3, saw representatives from local companies, universities, the armed forces and the emergency services set up stalls in the hall of the Kittoe Road school, which is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.

Throughout the day, pupils from each year group got the chance to visit the fair and find out about the various careers featured.

Speaking at the launch of the event, Mr Mitchell said: “You have come to one of the great schools in Sutton Coldfield. Not only does Arthur Terry do a superb job for generations of school children, but it is taking its expertise and sharing that across the partnership. This event is absolutely superb and typical of the type of opportunity provided by this school.”

Among the visitors were former pupils Laura Thursfield and Kelly Clayton, who now both work at Mazars, one the UK’s leading accountancy firms.

Laura, who was named Birmingham Young Professional of the Year in 2018, said: “I’m really proud to be back at Arthur Terry today. I’m always proud of where I came to school and it’s great to be able to talk to students. In the professional services sector we want to connect communities.

“There’s so much going on in our city and it’s important to reach out to communities so that they can be a part of this too.”

Parent Governor Darren Priddey, whose son William is a year 8 pupil, told students about working in IT as a consultant from SCC Birmingham.

He said: “It was absolutely flabbergasting! The fair was really professional with so many exhibitors for the children to visit, which gave them lots of opportunities to consider their future careers.”

Year 10 student Drea Stone, who is interested in a career with the Police or NHS said: “It’s great because there are so many different employers here and lots of careers options to choose from.”

Fellow year 10 student Annabelle Whitehouse said: “It’s really helpful to visit a range of stands and see all the different career options.”

Organiser Alex Zarifeh said: “This was the second annual career’s fair we have held and I would like to thank everyone who helped it such a huge success, from Mr Mitchell to all the exhibitors.

“Whilst one or two students found their dream courses on the day, others managed to overcome their fears of engaging with unfamiliar adults whilst for many, simply beginning to engage with the world of work is what it was all about.”

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP at 020 7219 1689 or email at andrew.mitchell.mp@parliament.uk.