ON Wednesday 1 December, nineteen Year 10 students from Passmores Academy set off for the offices of the award-winning architectural firm, Hawkins Brown, in London, as part of their work with the Yes Futures charity.

The students have been selected to take part in the charity’s personal development programme, Rising Futures, to develop key life and employability skills and discover their personal potential. A key part of the programme is the World of Work trip, where students visit an inspiring workplace to increase their aspirations and learn about different pathways into the world of work.

Before they went on the trip, the students were asked to write down a goal, based on the four Yes Futures Talents: communication, confidence, resilience and self awareness. Some students set themselves a goal of learning how to work effectively in a team, while others wanted to work on communicating to new people.

The students were hosted at Hawkins Brown by Matthew Stock, a Credit Controller at the firm. Students were first introduced to the origins of the firm, before being given a tour around the offices and getting the chance to meet other members of the team. The students were amazed by the equipment in the model room, where they heard from staff about the importance of preparing and planning and the reasoning behind making models for projects they are working on.

Students then took part in a speed networking activity with the staff to find out more about working life. Students asked a range of questions, such as what qualifications it took to get their job and what they like about working in the office.

To end the day, students were split into groups of four and instructed to plan and design a development on a plot of land in their area, then pitch why their project should be chosen. Students came up with a range of different ideas, including setting up a shopping centre and a homeless shelter. Students demonstrated their communication skills by taking part in a debate on which project was strongest, giving many of the students the confidence to speak out.

Matthew Stock said “I’m glad to give an opportunity to present and create an idea of how [the students] could improve [their] confidence in a working environment. The students were enthusiastic and showed skills that match the Yes Futures values, especially confidence and communication. I do believe this helped a few students come out of their shells.”

To find out more about Yes Futures and their award-winning school programmes, visit their website www.yesfutures.org/school-programmes, or follow the charity on social media @yesfutures.