SMBC Talk to Career Academy

The Sixth Form College, Solihull’s Business Career Academy enjoyed another “guru lecture” this week, as a representative from Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council came into College.

“Guru lectures” are part of the Career Academy programme, which is a national initiative that raises the employability of young people. Lectures such as this one from Philip Lloyd Williams, who works in Corporate Governance at the Council, form an important part of the programme, with mentoring, external visits and paid internships also forming part of the experience for students.

The students who benefited from this presentation are all in their first year of a BTEC Extended Diploma in Business course and are also part of the College’s Business Career Academy.

In the lecture, the students were asked to consider some of the legal dilemmas faced by Phillip in his job at the Council. Some lively discussions resulted regarding the case of the gypsy families who have moved onto their own land in the Green Belt area of Meriden.

Business Career Academy Co-ordinator Ruth Sharp commented, “It was a really useful session, not least because it got the students debating topical issues. An organisation like Solihull MBC is so big that it can be difficult for the students to grasp all the work that goes on there, so it was great for Philip to come in and explain what his department does. This insight will really have benefitted the students’ understanding of that particular organisation and we thank Philip for giving up his time to do this.”