Hertfordshire Careers Hub’s long-running webinar series puts students directly in conversation with local employers every week, helping to raise aspirations and showcase the wealth of careers available across the county.
What started as a way to help house-bound young people to continue connecting with employers during the pandemic has evolved into an invaluable weekly term-time fixture for schools and students alike.
Combining insights from employers, apprentices and/or academic tutors, the webinars debunk preconceptions and provide information on entry pathways and career prospects, giving students watching live the opportunity to ask their own questions. Crucially, every webinar that Hertfordshire Careers Hub has held since 2020 is available to watch on demand on the Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) website – with 86 different careers showcased to date.
In 2023, over 1,000 students from 52 schools tuned into webinars covering a wide range of careers including Personal Training, Web Design, Visual Merchandising, Social Media and Communications, and Nutrition and Dietetics.
The year’s most popular webinar shone the spotlight on Film Direction, featuring award winning director Michael Head, who spoke about his personal career trajectory from performer to writer, then director. Over 60 questions were submitted by students during the live webinar.
Michael said: “It was a pleasure to talk about my career to current students – I just wish something like this existed when I was at school! A lot of my recent production was shot in Hertfordshire. Young people in Hertfordshire maybe don’t realise just how great the opportunities that exist in the Creative Sector are, owing to the county’s vibrant plans for the industry.”
Details of each webinar are shared with every secondary school and college in Hertfordshire, with all teachers and students invited to attend. More students from Katherine Warrington in Harpenden attended webinars in 2023 than any other school.
The school’s Careers Leader, Michelle Phillips, explained: “We’re keen to ensure that our students are proactive when it comes to making decisions about their future careers and the weekly webinars provide fantastic opportunities for them to interact directly with professionals and experts from particular fields.
“We use the webinars to give our students meaningful interactions with employers, but also to provide labour market information, since they showcase the local opportunities that exist. I would recommend all schools in Hertfordshire to familiarise themselves with HOP and these webinars.”
Gareth Dace, Hertfordshire Careers Hub’s Strategic Lead, said: "Our aim is to make every webinar we record both timeless and relevant to students in Hertfordshire. With nearly 90 webinars now available to watch on demand, we hope they will continue to provide young people with fantastic advice and inspiration for years to come.”
Upcoming webinars
Details of upcoming webinars are made available on HOP and shared directly with every school in the county. These currently include:
- Thursday 1st Feb – Careers in an Airport
- Thursday 8th Feb – Careers in Policing with Hertfordshire Constabulary
- Thursday 15th Feb – Careers in Chemical Engineering
Our aim is to make every webinar we record both timeless and relevant to students in Hertfordshire. With nearly 90 webinars now available to watch on demand, we hope they will continue to provide young people with fantastic advice and inspiration for years to come.
Our aim is to make every webinar we record both timeless and relevant to students in Hertfordshire. With nearly 90 webinars now available to watch on demand, we hope they will continue to provide young people with fantastic advice and inspiration for years to come.