Thornton College
Committed to equipping students with business- critical soft skills
T ornton College, an independent day and boarding school for girls in Milton Keynes, won the much-coveted Independent School of the Year Award 2020 for its Student Careers Programme. Feedback from judges highlighted the strength of T ornton’s business partnerships and the benefi ts that these insights provide students. A year on, Thornton continues to provide individual pathway
support, host schools STEM events, provide a careers spotlight series and collaborate with leading businesses delivering quality opportunities for T ornton students. As a result of the pandemic, businesses have faced unprecedented
circumstances, making soft skills, such as communication and leadership, business critical. Thornton College is committed to equipping students with these skills alongside robust academic qualifi cations. T ornton does this in a number of ways, including extra- curricular activities such as Duke of Edinburgh Awards, but also by working closely with employers and university providers. During the pandemic, T ornton continued to deliver an extensive
careers programme of events on Zoom. T is allowed the school to explore diff erent ways of reaching out to employers, and virtual events meant easier access to a range of companies. Jo Scott, Careers Leader, introduced a fortnightly Spotlight Careers Series, comprising short, bitesize talks delivered on Zoom to all students
16 ALL THINGS BUSINESS
from Years 9 to 13. T e aim is to introduce a range of diff erent job roles which may not previously have been considered. Recent speakers have included a psychologist, speech therapist, human resources and a graphic designer. In addition to explaining their role, delegates are invited to share the skill set that is required for their sector. This reinforced the need to develop
attributes such as problem solving, meeting a challenge, teamwork and taking initiative. Regular careers workshops and talks
from local employers such as Nifty Lift, Unilever, Zenopa and the NHS also inform students about diff erent careers opportunities and benefi t corporate partners by giving them an insight into student perspectives and engagement. “I’ve attended three careers events organised by
T ornton, both virtual and in person, as a delegate talking about my careers experience with students. Jo Scott’s enthusiasm is clearly infectious and she seems to have the valuable trait of genuinely wanting her students to fi nd a career that they fi nd fulfi lling and enjoyable, rather than steering her students in any particular direction. Even when Jo has had to move the events onto Zoom, they have, without exception, been lovely to attend, and I somehow always leave them even more excited about my own career!” Elin Barrett, Unilever In September, Thornton hosted a Degree Apprenticeship Information Evening, joined
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