A group of 5 young people from Morningside Pharmaceuticals have taken part in a live Q&A in front of an audience of 300 students and 150 local employers at the 2019 LLEP Careers Speed Networking event.
The students aged between 13 and 18, took part in the region’s largest careers event of its kind at Leicester Racecourse, organised by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership Limited (LLEP) and headline sponsored by Morningside.
Twenty-one schools/colleges, who are part of the LLEP’s Enterprise Adviser Network, attended the event. The morning session saw students ‘speed network’ with employers from many different business and public sector organisations.
Pupils spoke to different employers in bursts of six minutes before the employer moved on to the next students. In that time students asked employers about their career path, job role, the organisation they work for and the steps to employment.
The event theme this year was #BrightFutures for young people across Leicester and Leicestershire to begin their career plans. All students were given a goodie bag that included a pair of sunglasses to wear as their future is so bright!
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Chief Executive of Morningside Pharmaceuticals and LLEP Board member, said: “During the event 5 young people from Morningside took part in a live Q&A session, where they shared their experiences of joining the world of work, as well as the choices they made. Hearing from young people who have been in their shoes, undoubtedly, helped inform the students’ future decisions.
“The LLEP’s Careers Speed Networking is one of the East Midlands’ flagship careers events and makes a real impact on both the students and employers taking part.
“Once again the speed networking proved to be an invaluable learning experience for the 300 students who attended. It was also a great opportunity for employers, like Morningside Pharmaceuticals, to connect with their future workforce and for the students to learn about the great career opportunities available in the many sectors represented.
“The students were also a real credit to their schools, and I was very impressed with the way they conducted themselves throughout the event.”
Kevin Harris, Chair of the LLEP added: “It is fantastic to see this event in action. We continue to build more engagement between the world of education and business through our work with the Careers and Enterprise Company. It is so important for young people to understand the careers and routes to employment opportunities available to them and hear from businesses located in Leicester and Leicestershire who could be their future employer.
“Students don’t often get the chance to speak with so many ‘real employers’ in one morning. The event was oversubscribed with the number of schools and colleges wanting to attend. Careers Speed Networking provides the perfect opportunity for them to ask questions and find out all sorts of interesting things about business and what they need to do to get on that first rung of their career ladder.”
