Careers College – Journalism Workshop

This week, 1,200 students in Years 9 and 10 from schools across South Dorset are at Weymouth College for ‘Careers College’.  Each student completes two half-day career tasters that they have chosen from the fifty on offer. One of the tasters is Journalism. The articles below have been produced by the students on this taster.

A Positive Wave

We interviewed Kelly Bush, Vice Principal of Weymouth College, in his office. We asked him what he’d done before he joined the college. He responded saying, ‘I worked for the RNLI (the lifeboat service) and also worked out in Australia, training.’ Kelly did a degree in Sports too, which helped him get into teaching.

We proceeded to question Kelly on the best aspects of his job at Weymouth College. He replied saying, ‘The students here are my top priority, and helping them progress in life is one of my main goals.’ Furthermore, when asked about plans for the future of the college, he told us, ‘We’re pushing big on sustainability, with a number of upcoming green technology plans being implemented here. Also, big changes to the college are coming, with a more enhanced and refreshed curriculum, beginning in September, alongside the introduction of T Levels and the use of Nearpod – a new, interactive teaching tool.’

Lastly, we quizzed Kelly on his favourite hobbies outside of college. He replied saying, ‘I’m big on sports, particularly surfing. I enjoy exercise throughout the week and spending quality time with my family.’

By Sebastian, 15, from All Saints C of E Academy.

POLICE RECRUITMENT AT WEYMOUTH COLLEGE

POLICE OFFICERS SEARCHING FOR STUDENT RECRUITS

In a recent interview with local police at Weymouth college, we found out the ins and outs of their policing careers. We asked PC Andy Lang about his experience in the job. When asked why he decided to become a police officer, Andy said that as a child, he loved the idea of fighting crime in his local community, to help protect the people of Dorset. Now, he has 6 years of experience in response and 6 in armed policing.

We also interviewed his colleague, PCSO Matt Barton, who is part of the non-armed forces and whose job involves diversifying the police force, including hiring members of different races, sexual orientations and abilities. Also, Matt told us about the levels of fitness required in carrying out his profession. Annual first aid and fitness tests take place to assess the officers’ competence.

Policing isn’t all about action – you could be a behind-the-scenes police officer, looking for evidence in a forensic scene. Two other officers demonstrated to students their methods of uncovering evidence, involving cutting-edge science, which was truly fascinating.

Dorset Police believe in a positive action recruitment initiative, building a better police force for the whole of Dorset. It was quite pleasant to see the human face of the officers, to know that there is a person under that uniform.

By Adam, All Saints, and William, Thomas Hardye School, both aged 15.

Careers Drive for Young People Interested in Law

William, aged 15 and from All Saints, took part in a Law workshop at Weymouth College. This course involved court, drafting contracts, meeting clients, networking to gain new business, conferences to attend and case law. He informed us that Law could open doors in his future and give him many opportunities – but he wasn’t sure if he should take it as an option at university. He told us that if he were to go into Law he would be most interested in Criminal Law and described it as ‘interesting’. We also learnt that he took part in a school project where the students listened to a lecture given by someone with experience in Law, which could have influenced his choice in the workshop.

By Isabelle, 15, from Thomas Hardye School.