Students experience the world of work

Over three days, Year 9 students at Newent Community School were given the opportunity to engage with the business community in and around Newent.

Two Rivers Housing was delighted to host the event for the fourth consecutive year.

Garry King, Chief Executive, welcomed the students and spoke about the high cost of housing and the work done by housing associations to provide affordable homes for both rent and shared ownership. He explained that TRH provides a range of career options and hoped that some students might work for the organisation in the future.

The students were then divided into groups and given an insight into the various job roles and opportunities that exist within the organisation, from development and IT to health and safety and planned maintenance. They also visited other local businesses to give them an insight into different workplaces that could be found in and around Newent.

Sue Lawrance, Head of Careers, from Newent school, organised the event and commented: “Increasingly employers are telling us that students are leaving school with academic qualifications but without a real knowledge of the world of work. Our business visits enable our students to find out more about the shops and businesses on their doorstep, along the way they are developing softer skills such as teamwork, communication and interpersonal skills. We are, again, indebted to Two Rivers Housing for their generosity in hosting this event, we couldn’t do it without them.”

Garry King, Chief Executive, Two Rivers Housing, added: “I am very pleased that we could host this visit again, as we are committed to supporting communities. It is always a pleasure to provide this opportunity for the Newent students to study local businesses and to hear from our employees about the work that they do for TRH and its customers.”