Murray Park pupils talk future plans with Derby business leaders in virtual mock interviews

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 18 December 2020

A budding scientist and an aspiring singer were given a taste of the ‘real’ world as Derby business leaders took part in virtual mock interviews with Year 11 students at Murray Park Community School.

The interviews were organised by the school’s Tim Taylor and Enterprise4Education (E4E); an organisation led by Derby City Council which helps young people raise their career aspirations.

The scheme also covers parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, delivering activities such as CV workshops, mock interviews and Enterprise Challenge Days which are designed to improve the employability skills of pupils in the city’s secondary schools.

All Year 11 students at Murray Park, in Mickleover, were given the opportunity to participate during their final year at secondary school. The interviews usually take place on site but, due to the Coronavirus, they have been taking place virtually.

Each interviewer asked the pupils questions about their ambitions and aspirations post-16, such as ‘what skills and qualities do you think employer’s value and why?’ The students, who had prepared for the interview beforehand, were then scored on their answers.

Arshad Iqbal E4E manager, said:

“We have been so impressed with the students who have been confident, polite, articulate and who coped so well with the intermittent technical problems.

“Our thanks must also go to the volunteers who took part and gave such valuable feedback on the event.

“It has been a challenging year for everyone and I’m proud that we were still able to hold this event under the current restrictions. Hopefully, in 2021, we will be able to deliver our mock interviews in person at schools across the city and county.”

Kerry Ganly, of Penguin PR; one of the businesses that took part in the interviews, said:

“There were a few technical issues which the students dealt with admirably. They showed resilience and maturity to persevere and, as many of us have been finding, these issues do occur in ‘real life’, so it was a good test for them.

“All of the students were impeccably dressed and spoke articulately. I’m looking forward to seeing where their career paths take them over the next few years.”

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