Youngsters get a taste of variety of different careers

Foundry worker Ian Connor, Senior Process Chemist Selex ES with pupil Roman Marabese

Picture: David George — Foundry worker Ian Connor, Senior Process Chemist Selex ES with pupil Roman Marabese Picture: David George

Workers from firms across the area visited pupils from Years 5 and 6, with the aim of sparking interest in the world of work.

The people who took part were Ian Connor from engineering firm Finmeccanica, Paul Mitchell from BAE Systems Maritime Services, Bouygues UK project manager Kevin Bohan, and Stephanie BellChambers, director of Biscoes Solicitors.

The children spoke to each of the four volunteers for 15 minutes, asking questions to guess their job, and then finding out more about what they do.

Roman Marabese

dresses up in Ian Connor's work clothes Picture: David George — Roman Marabese dresses up in Ian Connor's work clothes Picture: David George

Ian Connor, 58, spoke to the children about life as a scientist in a foundry.

He explained to them: ‘We melt the metals and then you pour it into a mould.

‘Because everything we make flies, we have to do lots of tests – that’s why they need people like me.’

Matt Roberts, 27, is one of the Year 5 teachers, and has been teaching for four years.

He said: ‘It’s really fantastic for the children to see what’s out there.

‘As a school we’re always trying to stretch the children’s hopes and dreams about what they can achieve.

‘The jobs here are a really interesting mix, and I think the children have found out about jobs they probably wouldn’t have thought of before, so they’ve really learned a lot today.’

A spokesperson for Finmeccanica said that the company wanted the children to ‘be motivated to think about a wider range of careers and jobs than they may ever have been aware of’.