Almost 200 secondary school pupils had a taste of working life and how businesses operate as part of the new Runnymede Open Doors Programme.
The programme allows pupils to engage with large and small employers based in the borough at their workplaces, offering insights into the types of roles available and the ways into different types of jobs and sectors.
Open Doors visits provide young people with a valuable chance to explore potential career paths in different industries, learn about the skills employers are looking for, and enhance their own employability skills.
A statement from the Co-Leaders of Runnymede Borough Council said:
“We are keen to unlock the potential in the young people across our borough through opportunities such as this. It’s fantastic that the businesses in our community are investing in our future workforce by providing them with first-hand experience and insight into what the working world could look like for them.
Connecting pupils with employers through initiatives like Open Doors is vital. It gives today’s young people the chance to meet potential career role models and explore their career options with people already doing the job.”
School children learn about careers at Thorpe Park
Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth at Surrey County Council added:
“We are delighted to be able to run Open Doors in Runnymede to enable young people to gain first-hand experience of differing workplaces and have genuine conversations with local employers.
Programmes of this type, investing in the workforce of tomorrow, are vital in ensuring the long-term success of our regional economy, and we appreciate the time and energy the participating businesses have invested into the success of the scheme.”
| Businesses who agreed to take part |
|---|
| Achieve Lifestyle |
| Averty Healthcare |
| Chop & Change Hair Salon |
| Egham Orbit |
| Geek Retreat |
| KickX Arena |
| Page Personnel |
| Snap Fitness |
| Stanhope-Seta |
| Thorpe Park |
| Schools who agreed to take part |
|---|
| Chertsey High School |
| Fullbrook School |
| Jubilee High School |
| Magna Carta School |
| Phillip Southcote School |
| Walton-Leigh School |
Runnymede Borough Council, Business Runnymede and Surrey Careers Hub worked in partnership to design and deliver the Runnymede Open Doors programme in 2024-2025, supported by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The programme worked with six secondary schools and pupils took part in 15 visits at seven business locations across Runnymede. More experiences are planned over the next few months.
A total of 10 Runnymede businesses have signed up for the programme, offering time and support by hosting pupils. Each business devised a unique itinerary to help the pupils experience what it would be like to work there and hear more about the career pathways available.
At Avery Healthcare the pupils met several of the home’s residents, toured the premises and watched resident entertainment activities take place. They also had the opportunity to ask staff and residents for their own views.
School children learn about working in healthcare with Avery
Visitors to KickX were learnt about customer experience and joined a workshop where they brainstormed solutions to real-life challenges and opportunities faced by the business – offering some unique perspectives the business may otherwise not have heard.
The experience was a great success, as a teacher from Philip Southcote School, Addlestone, remarked:
“We all absolutely enjoyed today’s visit to Kick X. Max Thomas, Executive Leader at KickX, has been fantastic. The session was very well planned, delivered. Max was enthusiastic, well-spoken and captured the pupils’ attention. He talked about the business, jobs, skills and values in a very exciting way and the pupils have got a lot from the session. They not only enjoyed the practical part but also the theory where they were taking part in some business ideas, offering advice and creativity. All our learning objectives were met thanks to Max. We are very grateful for this valuable opportunity.”
The young people visiting Thorpe Park were tested on their knowledge of the theme park’s history and heard the career stories of several key members of staff before undertaking an eye-opening behind-the-scenes tour of the park.
Almost every pupil who completed an evaluation form said the visit had helped them to understand more about the jobs and careers available with that employer, and all said they would like to attend more employer visits in the future.
The programme will run until the end of March 2025 with planning under way for Open Day experiences for college pupils in the borough still to take place.
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