On Wednesday 2nd March, Sherfield hosted the first Bellevue Education Group Year 13 Conference. We were delighted to welcome Sixth Form students from Ealing Independent College and Farlington School, who joined our students for a one-day event, focussing on how to be Future Ready. The conference aimed to encourage our soon-to-be school leavers to examine their goals, consider what the future may hold and explore the ways in which they can pre-empt and prepare for the road ahead; to maximise and make the most of all the opportunities that may come their way.
After an ice-breaker activity, the conference kicked off with a presentation from our keynote speaker, Matthew Griffin exploring The Future of Employment. A Sherfield parent, Matthew is a world-class futurist and strategic advisor helping build Centennial companies. He is the founder of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working across the next 50 years. Matthew’s presentation was a thrilling whistle-stop tour of the emerging technologies across a whole range of disciplines, which he had tailored to the specific subject interests of the students. He shared a range of jaw-dropping advances in AI and automation, from Matrix-style knowledge uploading, to the future of the entertainment industry, with entirely computer-generated musicians and artists.
In addition to our keynote presentation, it was wonderful to welcome another Sherfield parent, Will Rouse, a Recruitment Consultant, who spoke with the Year 13s about ‘What Makes A CV Stand Out.’ Will brought a wealth of expertise and shared invaluable advice on how students can present themselves in the best possible light, to ensure success in their future endeavours, be they summer jobs, internships or their long-term careers.
Alongside these fantastic in-person presentations, it was a pleasure to welcome two remote speakers on the day, with talks from the University of Warwick Careers Service, advising students on how to utilise the incredible resources that will be available to them once they embark on their further education journeys; as well as a presentation from the team at Camp America, on the summer placement scheme available for school-leavers and how they can get involved.
The final presentation of the day was from Sherfield’s current Gap Student, Imogen Usherwood, who spoke with the pupils about ‘Making the Most of University’. A recent graduate, Imogen shared some key advice, which was really well received by all the students, who stated that it ‘helped ease some nerves on going to uni.’ She finished with an exclusive quote from author Bill Bryson, who she had interviewed for her university’s student newspaper: ‘Really, really enjoy your time at [university]. This is one of the most magical periods of your whole life – you get to soak up as much information as you can and try anything that interests you, and there are whole armies of people willing to help you do it. Take a moment from time to time to reflect on how lucky you are to be here.’
Wise words to live by.
