Students in all year groups at King James benefit from an extensive programme of special events and opportunities to help them make plans for a successful future in the career of their choice.

Year 10 students recently enjoyed a series of talks with visiting speakers from various industry sectors including the Police. PCSOs Bethany Mason and Tom Lowther spoke to students about the many different civilian roles within the Police, including those behind the scenes such as call handlers and CCTV officers. They also discussed the options open to aspiring officers such as Degree Apprenticeship schemes, University Degrees and working your way up within the force. Students were keen to hear about their own experiences as PCSOs and the cases they have been called to, from shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and neighbour disputes to an unusual case with Alpacas! They were full of questions for our visitors and were obviously inspired by the session.

Captain TP Moody AFNI, from the Merchant Navy, visited King James to talk to students about the career opportunities available to them within this respected institution. Students learned about the entry requirements for the initial one year Level 2 Pre-cadetship at South Shields Marine School, which offers direct entry on completion to the one year full time Level 3 Pre-cadetship course. The Merchant Navy has clear progression routes through its ranks with both onshore and offshore positions and roles including logistics, engineering, fleet coordination and general management.

In another session, we were visited by former student, Richard Nicholson, who attended King James from 1999-2006 and who is now a Paramedic and Senior Lecturer. After completing his studies at King James, Richard studied a Degree in Politics at Hull University and on completion, worked on a voluntary basis with St John’s Ambulance Service, which inspired him to apply for a position with East Anglia Ambulance Service. Through further training and hard work he became a paramedic, eventually specialising with the HART team (Hazardous Area Response Team), a specialist area which provides life saving medical care in complex and challenging environments such as industrial accidents and natural disasters. Richard gave a great insight into the work of a paramedic and students did not hold back in asking questions about driving the ambulance, delivering a baby and the most gruesome situations.