50 students from local secondary schools learn at Paradise
Fifty students from secondary schools across Birmingham have spent a full day at the £1.2 billion Paradise estate learning more about the world of work.
The day was organised for Paradise and its occupiers by Ahead Partnership which leads the estate’s school engagement programme with four schools from across the city: Bordesley Green Girls School, Nishkam School, Tile Cross Academy and King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy.
It was a full day designed to introduce young people to Paradise with a focus on life skills, careers, sustainability, the future of work, wellbeing and the workplace.
Occupiers based at Paradise, including Goldman Sachs, Arup and AtkinsRealis, hosted different groups of the students, allowing them insight into current employment trends, expectations and access requirements.
Crucially, the day exposed the students to people working in a diverse range of occupations in several different organisations. The event has also allowed the students to ask questions and hear directly from those working at different levels about what they do on a day-to-day basis.
Dan Heffernan, Strategic Social Value Lead at AtkinsRealis, said:
“This is the perfect way to introduce the world of work and the career opportunities open to young people across the city. For the students to see what actually goes on in workplaces helps promote an understanding of the kinds of jobs here and hear from those already working on their experiences.”
Ross Fittall, Commercial Development Director at Paradise developer and asset manager MEPC, said:
Ahead Partnership are really working hard to help us reach out to young people and introduce the world of work and what that looks in reality to today’s students so when they think about their future careers they better understand what is out there and the kinds of employers that exist in a major mixed-use estate like Paradise.
A year 10 student from Balaam Wood Academy said:
“Today has really opened my eyes to the careers and roles available at locations like Paradise where thousands of people work every day fulfilling a very wide range of roles, from those who work in big financial organisations or environmental consultants – it showed me what opportunities are out there for me.”
Engaging with young people is at the top of the agenda for Paradise itself as well as its many occupiers. The outreach work and community engagement already underway engages thousands of people across the city every year, and it’s important to push this out further to ensure younger people are being reached as both visitors and occupiers of the estate.
Introducing young people to businesses at Paradise allowed for a focus on life skills, career options, sustainability, the future of work, wellbeing and the workplace. Occupiers including Goldman Sachs, Arup and AtkinsRealis hosted different interactive groups with the students, allowing them to talk about career guidance, choosing the right career path, helping to strengthen soft skills, and ensuring the students felt motivated by the end of the day.
The event was a key part of the wider activity throughout the year organised on our behalf by Ahead Partnership which leads the estate’s school engagement programme. By bringing a range of existing occupiers together around a common social purpose and building lasting links with local schools and students, the estate and its occupiers are jointly contributing to a real sense of community around Paradise and demystifying the work that is carried out in the estate’s workplaces.
The work experience day also allowed staff to connect with people from across the city, as well as enhancing MEPC and Paradise’s reputation for its commitment to social value. The Paradise Unlocked programme helps the estate team and occupiers to positively impact young people across the city and demonstrate exactly what opportunities exist in commercial locations like Paradise.
