A message from Hurst’s new Director of Futures, Grace McKenzie

“I am thrilled to join this vibrant community in a newly formed role of Director of Futures at a time of such exciting change. We hope that by fusing the award-winning Careers Department and outstanding Higher Education Team into one Futures Team, working across the whole College, we can make even greater strides in helping our young people make the right choices, at every age, to maximise their opportunities and fulfil their unique potentials.

Having joined Hurst from Cranfield Business School via Haywards Heath Sixth Form College, I have significant experience in delivering specialist career and professional development services to young people and a deep knowledge of the recruitment needs of organisations across various industries and sectors. And now, we have big plans for Hurst, for which we will need your help.

We plan to encourage pupil engagement with the idea of Higher Education from as early as possible – even in the Junior Prep School. That means supporting students to make informed decisions (eg. selecting GCSE and A-level choices) then, at the journey’s end, providing expert advice to Sixth Form students throughout the UCAS application process. We will also be raising awareness of Higher and Degree Apprenticeship opportunities, in addition to preparation for employment and options for pupils undertaking a well-planned and constructive gap year.

Every pupil will receive one-to-one guidance sessions with the Futures Team, providing bespoke individual advice, alongside more ‘broadcast’ delivery of advice on the future world of work through a wide range of in-person and virtual events. There will be further development of the outstanding Hurst Careers Platform.

General employability and transferable workplace skills are vital for today’s young people, and too often lacking. We will be increasing the level of engagement between pupils and industry experts through workshops and assemblies, with the goal of improving the generic employability and interview-readiness of Hurst pupils.

All of which means one thing - you’ll be hearing more from me soon. I will be reaching out to all parts of the Hurst Family - alumni, parents, former parents and staff - to ask for your expertise, your insights, your contacts and, of course, your work experience opportunities. Please give thought as to how you might wish to contribute to this hopefully exciting adventure. And don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss this further at grace.mckenzie@hppc.co.uk – I would love to hear from you."