Students in Years 7-14 have had the opportunity to explore industry sectors, career opportunities and the different pathways into work, thanks to the many representatives who attended our annual Careers Fair.

The Careers Fair is just one of the scheduled events that we provide as part of our personal development programme, which is carefully designed to help students identify their strengths and define their goals as they progress through their school years at King James.

This year, we were joined by a number of colleges and universities who talked to students about the specialist courses available after they have completed their studies, including Bishop Auckland, Darlington, New College and East Durham Colleges, plus Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland, York St John, Teesside and Northumbria Universities; we also welcomed representatives from the Northern School of Art and SW Durham Training.

In addition to further and higher education opportunities, students were able to find out about the many roles available to them should they choose to join the Army, RAF, NHS and Durham Constabulary, alongside large organisations such as Amazon, GSK, Gestamp Tallent, Darlington Economic Campus, Northumbrian Water and Darlington Borough Council. For many, the variety of different careers available within these organisations was both surprising and thought provoking.

We were also joined at the event by representatives from Kleek Hairdressing, Optimum Skills, Hathaway Roofing, Livin, MGL Group, Mears, MPCT, Newcastle Building Society and Metlen Group, all of whom gave students useful information about entry requirements, salary expectations and career progression whilst answering their questions about the industry. We would like to thank our visitors for giving us their time and making the event such an enjoyable learning experience for all of our students.