Year 8 Students Impress During Careers Employer Encounter with Dalcour Maclaren

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome representatives from Dalcour Maclaren to St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy as part of our ongoing commitment to providing meaningful careers education and employer encounters for all students.

Throughout the day, our Y8 took part in an engaging and interactive workshop focused on the real-world challenges faced by professionals working in land, infrastructure and development projects. Students were set the challenge of planning the water infrastructure for a new town development, requiring them to decide where water services should be installed, prioritise the needs of different areas of the community and work within a set budget.

The activity encouraged students to think critically about balancing the needs of residents, businesses and community facilities while considering practical and financial constraints. Working collaboratively in teams, students discussed priorities, made decisions on costings and presented their reasoning, mirroring the types of challenges faced by professionals in the industry.

Alongside the challenge, the Dalcour Maclaren team shared insights into the wide range of careers available within their sector, discussed their own career journeys and highlighted the skills employers value most, including communication, teamwork, problem-solving and resilience.

Our visitors were incredibly complimentary about the enthusiasm, behaviour and engagement shown by our students throughout the day. They commented on the thoughtful discussions taking place within teams, the quality of decision-making and the confidence students demonstrated when explaining and justifying their choices.

Opportunities such as these are an important part of our careers programme, helping students to broaden their horizons, raise aspirations and develop a greater understanding of the world of work. By applying their learning to a realistic business challenge, students gained a valuable insight into how decisions are made in industry and the variety of career pathways available to them.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the team from Dalcour Maclaren for giving their time, expertise and enthusiasm to inspire our students. Their support has provided a valuable learning experience that will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on our Year 8 cohort.

At St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy, we are committed to providing meaningful encounters with employers that inspire our students to aspire, achieve and recognise how their talents can be used in service of others, reflecting our Catholic and Lasallian values.

Students and parents wishing to find out more about future opportunities can explore Dalcour Maclaren’s early careers information through the company’s careers website: Dalcour Maclaren Careers and their dedicated apprenticeships page: Apprentices and graduates | Dalcour Maclaren

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