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A “soft skills” day for Wheeler students saw pupils discussing what they are good at and how they can put those abilities to use in the world of work.
The Year 11 students were on a study day at Wellington College that featured a talk from Nikki Coleman of the Prospect Trust careers services team and a series of sessions from Talk About, an organisation that provides bespoke training with a focus on soft skills.
Talk About mentors Venandah Madanhi and Nour Abuarqub encouraged the group to consider their strengths in skills such as critical thinking, leadership and dependability, and how those skills can transfer into the workplace.
Also on the agenda was how to communicate and listen, and a debate on the merits of a job versus travel, with half the group taking the position of a student wanting to go travelling after sixth form and the other half taking the position of a parent trying to persuade them to get a job instead.
Established in 2017, the Wheeler Programme is a fully-funded educational programme for around 100 selected state school pupils.
Twenty-four students are selected in Year 9 and the college helps support them until their graduation from the programme at the end of Year 13.
Partner state schools include St Crispin’s, The Holt, Ranelagh and The Piggott.
The programme includes a mixture of group activities, visits to workplaces, universities, organisations and people; talks, lectures, workshops and discussions; individual coaching, and tailored mentoring.
