Learning by example
By Caroline Rudge of MEPC
In the latest example of relationship working between local schools, Paradise, and Ahead Partnership, more than 100 students have engaged with a panel of leaders from across the Paradise Birmingham estate to find out more about career paths.
Year 10 students at Bordesley Green Girls School fired both searching and informed questions to a panel of five from some of the largest office occupiers at Paradise, including Goldman Sachs, Arup, DLA Piper and Mills & Reeve.
Sankhadeep Basak and Pippa Tearne from Goldman Sachs, Russell Smith from Arup, Jiwon Choi from Mills & Reeve and Louise Ainge from DLA Piper gave the answers, covering everything from work-life balance, upskilling mid-career, working as a post-graduate apprentice, and what to do with their down-time.
Every member of the panel reflected on the need to work hard in order to make a difference to not just your own work, but those of your colleagues too.
The facilitator, Raminder Dhaliwal, from Ahead Partnership, kept the questions coming thick and fast for an hour. The students learned about many different routes to the world of work, from a wide range of companies operating in different sectors.
Students followed up with questions about the role of technology, including AI, in the workplace, what a typical day looks like, and if the panels’ jobs were in demand.
But the students’ questions also delved deeper and questioned who the panel member’s greatest inspirations were, how university can equip you for the world of work, the best and worst parts of a typical working day, and how to keep yourself motivated in the same job, year after year.
Louise Ainge from DLA Piper explained that every day in her job is different, sometimes researching an answer to a legal question or looking for precedents, with lots of problem-solving in play as well as critical thinking.
Pippa Tearne from Goldman Sachs suggested the skills she has learned from her career so far has made her a more inquisitive and questioning individual.
Sankhadeep Basak, also from Goldman Sachs, reflected on the needs of his job to sometimes work unsociable hours, but also the rewards of working with colleagues all over the world.
Russell Smith from Arup talked about variety in the workplace and the importance of work-life balance, while Jiwon Choi from Mills & Reeve talked about applying some of the academic rigour of a university education to a workplace setting.
By supporting a wide range of careers and skills initiatives, such as Open Doors, Women in Construction and GoConstruct, Paradise is committed to reaching out to the wider community to show people what goes on in and around the estate.
Engaging with young people in particular is at the top of the agenda, not just for Paradise itself, but for many of its occupiers. The estate will continue to work in partnership to deliver meaningful events like this and is delivering a comprehensive programme of engagement with young people in association with Ahead Partnership.
Leonie Matthews, Programme Manager at the Ahead Partnership, told us:
It has been fantastic to see so many employers from the Paradise community come out to support the first event of the new Paradise Unlocked Future Skills programme. For the students, it’s an opportunity to hear first-hand about the variety of careers and opportunities that are available right on their doorstep in the heart of Birmingham.
“We hope that hearing from professionals from a diverse range of businesses and industries has helped to challenge stereotypes and supported the students to make informed decisions about their futures.”