London,
16
March
2015
|
16:54
Europe/London

Hip Hop Shakespeare, Professor Kneebone and Bake Off star at careers event for primary pupils

Shakespeare through rap, surgery with Professor Kneebone, a former Great British Bake Off contestant’s human rights campaign and a young teenager’s incredible trek to the South Pole will be among the hot topics at this year’s Camden Primary Careers Conference.

Two hundred primary school pupils are due to attend the ground-breaking event for children aged 9 to 11 at the British Library on 23 March.

Participants representing their schools as ‘Careers Champions’ can look forward to hearing from dynamic speakers and will get to take part in hands-on workshops.

The day will be kicked off by Professor Kneebone’s team as they turn the auditorium into a trauma room ready to receive a patient, followed by The Hip Hop Shakespeare Company.

The afternoon session is led by inspirational young people including:

  • Martha Collison, the youngest-ever contestant on the BBC’s Great British Bake Off, who will talk about how her experience supporting the Tearfund charity
  • Lewis Clarke, the youngest person ever to reach the South Pole
  • Young jewellery apprentices from the Goldsmiths’ Company, one of the event’s sponsors.

Other high-profile organisations at the event include the Natural History Museum, the Francis Crick Institute for medical research, the Roundhouse, Rocksteady, ZSL London Zoo, the Metropolitan Police, Young Enterprise and Little Architect.

The conference, which will feature talks, interactive workshops and question and answer sessions, was the idea of Bavaani Nanthabalan, Executive Headteacher of Torriano Junior and Netley Primary Schools. She strongly believes children need to start thinking much earlier about their career aspirations and dreams.

Bavaani said: “The Camden Primary Careers Conference aims to inspire primary school pupils, boost their confidence and broaden their ideas about what careers they might wish to choose in the future. We want our young delegates to leave the conference excited by what they have heard and seen - and equipped with the self-belief to aspire to a career of their choice.”

The Careers Champions who attend the conference are asked to run a careers event in their own schools to sustain the momentum of the event.

The Camden Primary Careers Conference is part-funded by Camden Council, which recognises the importance of early participation in work, education and training.

Other sponsors and supporters include the British Library, Dentsu Aegis, Goldsmiths’ Company and a number of Camden businesses, who send volunteers to help on the day.

The main aims of the conference are to:

  • Inspire primary school children to think about their future careers
  • Raise young people’s aspirations and help them to learn about job skills
  • Strengthen links between schools and business to maximise opportunities for future collaboration
  • Develop pupils’ knowledge and skills around particular careers.

The conference, the second of its kind to be held in Camden, will be opened by the Leader of Camden Council, Councillor Sarah Hayward, and Martin Pratt, Camden’s Director of Children, Schools and Families.

Twenty-two Camden schools will be represented. Careers champions from last year’s conference have fed into this year’s programme and will be assigned roles on the day including shadowing the host to ensure that this is a child centred conference.

Other guests will include Councillor Angela Mason CBE, Camden’s Cabinet Member for Children, and Councillor Georgia Gould, Cabinet Member for Young People.

Councillor Mason said: “I hope today’s event will help inspire children to be what they want to be. We want every Camden child to succeed and fulfil their dreams. We also want them to be careers champions, talk to their friends and teachers and organise an event like this in their schools.”