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The third annual Futures Festival took place from 9th to 13th October. Kicking off the week, we had an outstanding Fireside Lecture by OW Tom Gaymor. He shared his inspiring journey of ‘swapping the steering wheel for a microphone’ after a life-changing injury forced him to give up motor racing and pursue a career in broadcasting. His story encouraged our students to focus on ‘strengthening their strengths.’
Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to attend a wide range of enlightening talks delivered by parents and OWs, representing fields such as Law, Finance, Tech sustainability, Geopolitics, and engineering. It was great to witness the entire school actively engaging with these activities, with students using these experiences to help make informed decisions about their future, whether related to GCSE choices, Sixth Form selections, or career and study paths.
In the spirit of the festival, some of our school societies embraced a Futures theme. For instance, our Debate teams passionately discussed topics such as “This house would make all degrees Liberal Arts Degrees” and “This house supports Rishi Sunak’s plans to make English and Maths compulsory for every stage of education.”
The week culminated with the popular Careers Speed Networking event, held in Waterloo Hall and superbly hosted by the Wellington Community team. We were immensely grateful for the support from both parents and OWs who generously shared their invaluable experiences and advice with our students. They represented diverse career paths and companies, including organisations like the NHS, Google, the Ministry of Justice, and Blenheim Palace, to name just a few. This event attracted participation from all year groups – Third and Fourth Form students enjoyed a treasure hunt task, while Sixth Form students leveraged the opportunity to establish vital connections and explore work experience prospects.
“I am a huge fan of these events and I believe strongly that careers advice should start as early as possible for your children when they come to Wellington – and I was really pleased to see so many of the younger years in attendance. Judging by the buzz in the room I know the students loved it too!” – Murray Lindo, Head of the Wellington Community.
Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the week was hearing students expressing, at various points, ‘I never knew you could do that job after studying that subject.’ In sum, the week was a source of enlightenment and inspiration for all involved.
