I would like to introduce myself, Mrs Duffy (Assistant Headteacher, careers lead) and our fantastic careers programme at Bedford High School.

Here at Bedford we provide our students with the opportunity to plan and manage their careers effectively, ensuring progression which is ambitious and aspirational. The careers team will do everything we can to ensure your child can make informed choices when they are choosing their options at all key stages.

Careers Leader – Amy Duffy.

Your experience could inspire their next step.

Are you a former student, or a parent or carer of a current student? Your knowledge, experience and connections could help our young people discover what comes next after school.

We want to bring together our school community to create opportunities that help students explore different careers, build confidence and prepare for the world of work. Whether you can offer a work placement, share your career journey or spare an hour to help someone practise for an interview, we’d love to hear from you.

How you can help

There are lots of ways to get involved, whatever your profession, industry or background:

• Offer work experience or a work placement. Give students a chance to experience a real working environment, learn practical skills and discover roles they may never have considered.
• Share your story through a talk or workshop. Tell students about your career, how you got started and what you’ve learnt along the way. You could also run a training day or hands-on session to introduce the skills used in your industry.
• Join us during Careers Week. Host a stand where students can come and chat, ask questions and learn about your role, organisation or sector. It’s a chance to make different career paths feel real and accessible.
• Help students prepare for applications and interviews. Support young people with mock interviews, CV writing, application forms or presentation skills, helping them feel more confident about taking their next step.
• Arrange workplace visits, job shadowing or mentoring. Open the doors to your workplace, let a student see what a typical working day involves, or share advice and encouragement as they explore their options.
• Connect students with future opportunities. Tell us about apprenticeships, training programmes and suitable entry-level roles, or introduce us to colleagues and organisations who may be able to help.

Have another idea? We’re keen to hear about any opportunity that could help our students move from education towards a fulfilling career.

Get in touch with the school to tell us a little about what you do and how you might be able to help. You don’t need a fully formed plan; we’d be delighted to explore the possibilities with you.