As part of our Raising Aspirations Programme, our dedicated Health and Social care teachers and Mrs Poppleton, our Director of Careers, arranged for some of our Year 10 pupils to engage with an employer so they could learn what it’s like to work in the field of audiology.

Natalie Hawker is employed by Specsavers as an Early Careers Manager in the audiology industry.  Natalie spoke to pupils about the wider roles within this global company who operate across the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and Canada. Many pupils were not very familiar with audiology so Natalie gave them some important information about this career and the paths, opportunities and routes available to them, including apprenticeships, higher education and owning their own franchise as a business.

Miss Turner, Health and Social Care Teacher, said:  ‘The session was fantastic and a virtual interaction was a different way of engaging with our pupils. They were able to ask questions directly to a professional and hear about aspects of the course first hand. Pupils learnt how this career helps and changes people’s lives – physically (able to hear), intellectually (able to learn new things, have conversations), emotionally (increase in self-image and self-esteem) and socially (the abilities to have sufficient communication skills where the individuals may feel they are able to socialise more). This workshop helped to link what we teach in lessons to the world of work.’

Mrs Poppleton, Director of Careers, added: ‘Pupils asked some insightful questions and they clearly gained a huge amount from this careers workshop. It was incredibly valuable and it raised their awareness of audiology as a career. A huge thank you to Natalie for speaking with them.’