To coincide with National Careers Week (3-8 March 2025) we spoke to Alison Parsons, Highgate’s Careers and Employability Specialist about her role and the support we offer pupils for their future beyond school.
Can you tell us about your background and your role as a Careers and Employability Specialist at Highgate?
I’m originally from Australia and studied Psychology at university, followed by postgraduate study in human resource management. I’ve been working in HR ever since, across law, investment banking, asset management and the creative sector, which has given me lots of real-world experience to offer pupils as they approach their career choices. Engaging with young people at the start of their journey, advising them and equipping them with the right tools to make these important life decisions is really rewarding.
I oversee the programme of events for pupils from Years 9 to 13, and on an individual basis I offer pupils impartial advice and practical support with one-to-one appointments to discuss things like work experience, gap year plans, and help with their CV and interview preparation.
What careers and employability events do pupils take part in?
Highgate’s careers programme is embedded into the academic timetable, including tutor time sessions, employability days and Q&A panels with external speakers. In Year 12, we provide a compulsory five-week Careers Carousel programme, which is delivered by specialist teachers. Pupils go through a full recruitment cycle – drafting a CV, searching for opportunities using resources such as LinkedIn, practising in-person and video interviews and exploring the world of work. The sessions culminate with a mock interview with an external professional (from our parent and alumni communities) in the summer term.
What do you have planned for National Careers Week?
We are hosting our annual Careers Fair on 6 March, which is an after-school event for Year 11-13 pupils from Highgate and our partner schools. We invite professionals from a range of different sectors and pupils can chat to each of them in an informal setting about their jobs and career choices. We’ve invited representatives from medicine, law, finance, the creative industries, technology, and engineering to name just a few!
In addition, we’ll have gap year providers to offer advice on placements that specialise in languages and other opportunities, including a ski season and working in Southeast Asia. We’ve also got a stand about Degree Apprenticeships, with alumni from our partner sixth form, London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, who can share their own experience. The Metropolitan Police will also be attending to talk about career opportunities within the police force.
Can you explain more about Degree Apprenticeships?
Degree Apprenticeships are relatively new and offer young people the opportunity to earn a salary with a company while studying for a degree at university. They have traditionally been offered in sectors such as computer science and engineering, so apprentices can learn ‘on the job’ and apply their academic learning in a real-world environment. Other sectors offering degree apprenticeships include accountancy, law, healthcare and scientific research.
There are benefits if a young person knows what sector they want to go into, and they’re open to this hybrid way of work and study, they also get their university fees paid by the government and the employer. For many students, it’s not going to replace the traditional route to university, but we want to make sure our pupils are aware of all the options that are available to them.
How do you support pupils with higher education choices?
I share an office with the school’s Director of Higher Education and the Director of North American University Applications so there’s lots of cross-over with what we do, and pupils know there’s one place they can come to for the right advice. If pupils are thinking of taking a gap year or degree apprenticeship I can talk through the options or assist them with searching for work experience opportunities.
How do you work alongside academic and teaching staff?
The careers and employability programme is part of the academic timetable and the content is timed with key dates in the school year. My role isn’t about telling pupils what subjects they should choose or what academic grades they need to achieve, they get that support from their teachers. We want to encourage pupils to investigate a broad range of careers and take time to carefully consider what they want to do in the future and investigate opportunities for work experience to gain better insight into potential careers.
When Year 12 students are doing their extension programme, if a volunteer speaker is from a particular sector I think will match with an academic department, I can put them in touch to arrange a talk for them. We’ve recently had an archaeology expert from UCL talk to the Classics students and a Highgate graduate working in the NHS is going to speak to the Medical Society.
Why is it important for pupils to hear from different professionals?
Bringing in professionals to speak to pupils is valuable for them to see career progression from a wide range of fields, whether that’s from a more familiar sector such as finance, medicine, law, the creative industries or emerging sectors like technology.
Highgate has a fantastic alumni network, the Old Cholmeleians, who volunteer their time to contribute to our events throughout the year with Q&A’s, mentoring or at the careers fair. We always welcome support from Highgate parents or other family members who have an interesting personal story about their career path. Through these interactions we’re preparing pupils to be curious, and investigate the vast range of potential opportunities available to them.
What are the benefits of pupils doing work experience?
Work experience offers numerous benefits and helps pupils to discover more about what happens within a profession or sector. Spending time in an organisation gives pupils an insight into future career opportunities and challenges them to think about what they will, or won’t, enjoy. Work experience also helps to build employability skills such as teamwork, initiative and problem solving which are key life skills.
Highgate doesn’t facilitate placements for individual pupils because we want it to be their choice and something they feel invested in. I can offer the practical steps they need to follow, whether that’s helping them to research opportunities, assisting with writing an introductory email, or explaining what they might expect on their first day.
What advice or support can you offer to Highgate parents?
I attend the Year 11 and 12 parent consultations, and I can always be available for personal conversations or give advice at other times. Whilst it’s perfectly normal for pupils approaching their GCSE’s or A Level’s not to have a set career plan (and in many instances it’s good not to), we encourage pupils to start thinking about the future and take advantage of the support and resources Highgate provides.
A good starting point is to encourage them to think about what they enjoy, the things that they are particularly good at and what enthuses and motivates them and then think about how those things can be applied to the world of work. I would also recommend that pupils think broadly at this stage about potential careers. After all, with constant technological advancements and a rapidly changing world, many of the jobs that our pupils will end up doing have not even been thought about yet.
Find out more about Careers and Employability here
If you are interested in supporting our Careers events programme, please email: careers@highgateschool.org.uk
