Careers and Jobs Event – online webinar

About the Business Leaders

These business leaders have been chosen because their companies are growing quickly.

About the teacher and students

The event was created by Kathleen O'Neill for 150 students at Dixons Fazakerley Academy aged Age 15 - 17.

Event description

Nick Kuenssberg OBE was chairman of Social Investment Scotland 2013-18 and is since 2016 chair of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Alongside this, he has acted as a chair of start-up technology companies (currently Klik2learn and Frog Systems) and is an active business angel and mentor. He is an experienced international businessman whose career straddles private, public and third sectors. Initially, Nick worked for Coats Viyella, both overseas and in head office where he landed on the main board as chairman of three divisions including Dynacast. He has chaired several companies, been a director of many more, has been a board member of two quangos and chaired the Glasgow School of Art.

Nick will give an in-depth talk about the journey he took from school through his international career and what he did when his corporate career came to an abrupt end. He will share insights, career guidance, lessons and tips to motivate and inspire your students to make informed decisions about their future.

The event will be Moderated by Kathleen O'Neill, Engagement Manager Scotland at Founders4Schools. Kathleen spends her days connecting educators to business leaders to help inspire and prepare young people for the world of work.

This talk will cover:

• What inspired Nick to choose the subjects he studied and how these are relevant now;


• How he followed a corporate career path that took an unexpected turning;


• His failures as well as successes;
  -What his current companies do and their relevance to tomorrow’s world;


• What he has enjoyed and continues to enjoy most about his career;


• Skills currently relevant in the roles that he plays now.

Following Nick’s talk there will be a Q & A session where students are encouraged to ask questions on any topic.

How will Students Benefit?
These events help students learn about a range of attributes to boost employability, to develop enterprise opportunities and to prepare for the world of work.
In addition to this, students will gain an in-depth understanding of why skills such as independence of thought, resilience, conflict resolution and communication are important within the workplace.

Age Appropriacy: This type of event is appropriate for any student aged 5 through 24. Refer to our white paper pages 9 and 11 for more details. This white paper summarizes more than 100 externally validated research papers on career pathways for students.

Career Education Standard - I Can!
Here is one example per level of the areas of the "I can" framework that would typically be covered by engaging your young people in an employability event. Download the mapping document here for more!
By the end of second level - I can apply my skills to get more information about jobs/careers.
By the end of BGE - I can manage my profile, share it appropriately and justify my choice of evidence.
By the end of Senior Phase - I can draw appropriately on evidence from my skills profile to help me complete application forms, create CVs and when practising interview techniques.