Chichester College Speaker Summit Inspires Students

Chichester College hosted a ‘Speaker Summit’, where nine local companies answered a variety of insightful questions from students.

The event took place in the Riverside Theatre on Thursday 28 November, and featured a variety of local companies fielding questions from business, accounting and legal services, engineering, and English students.

The event began with each company giving a brief overview of what they do, before the floor was opened to students to ask questions, where they also had the opportunity to speak with employers individually afterward.

Joe Conway, who represented Willmott Dixon on the day, said:

“It is nice to see a good turnout of students. It’s also nice to see a variety of companies here, showing what they do and the need for new talent coming into their organizations.

“Having a project here on site allows students to see what we do in person; most will walk past it every day and see it progressing very quickly. I think if it just inspires a couple to think about picking up construction, then that can only be a good thing.

Jon Seymour, who represented Hubbl. Marketing, added:

“I think it is really helpful to encourage young people to think about all the options they have out there. Hopefully, this helps students realise that there are lots of different companies here, and that there is a wide variety of job opportunities in a wide range of fields

“The biggest takeaway for me is that events such as these aren’t about businesses promoting themselves, but trying to open students’ eyes to all the potential career pathways they have.”

The event was hosted by Chichester College’s Student President, Chloe Peskett, she said: “The event was really enjoyable, we had some really good employers come in, and the students seemed engaged by it.

“I find events such as these really helpful, they are often not put on offer at other colleges. Also, I think having companies from a variety of sectors is beneficial as well.”

Helen Loftus, Principal of Chichester College, added:

“We are delighted to have hosted the Speaker Summit and are incredibly grateful to the local companies who gave their time to inspire and engage with our students.

“Events like this provide invaluable insights into the diverse career opportunities available and help our students build confidence in exploring their future pathways.”

Our thanks to all of the companies who attended our event, including:

BAE Systems, Chichester Festival Theatre, Hubbl. Marketing Ltd, Morelli Consulting, NHS, Southern Water, Wilmot Dixon, and West Sussex County Council.