Year 10 pupils have enjoyed two more visits to local businesses in the past few weeks. The first group visited various National Trust sites and learnt about the vast work the charity does on the island and nationally. Pupils discovered roles in conservation, environment, horticulture, business, tourism and customer service to name just a few. They visited Newtown Creek to meet the site manager, followed by the Mottistone estate where they spoke to a ranger, visited the amazing farmhouse rental – and the manor itself, to hear some good advice about choosing a career, whatever it may be.

The second group visited Teemill in Freshwater to learn about sustainable economy and future-proof roles in both fashion and technology. Thank you to Jess who gave a thorough tour of the factory, offices and creative spaces. Pupils had a go at locating stock in the factory, scanning items for orders, and watched t-shirts being printed to order for a Teemill customer. They asked fantastic questions, which ended in Flynn winning a prize for the best question of the day! He thoughtfully asked about the global struggle with fast fashion as a cheap but non-sustainable option, and how the business coped with this challenge.

Thank you to all our local businesses who continue to support our pupils’ understanding of our local labour market and real opportunities to get involved with, now and in the near future.