Jack Wilson, a former Loreto student (2017-2019), spent a recent lunchtime at the College, imparting his experiences of progressing through Geography at Further and Higher Education to a group of A-Level Geographers. Now an employee of Amentum, working on project management initiatives relating to nuclear energy security in the UK, Jack’s message through his afternoon with students centred on how attractive geographers’ knowledge and transferable skills are to employers and industry.
From essay writing and critical thinking to analytical skills and practical data methodologies, Jack’s day-to-day work at Amentum involves many skills A-Level Geographers already possess: managing their own projects (NEA Coursework), working in groups and checking upon progress throughout, and writing reports and analyses (exam question practice questions) and preparing presentations. Jack advised the students attending that job security for Geographers was higher than in other subjects due to the bourgeoning ‘green jobs’ market, but advised students to actively engage with the subject and skills in and out of lessons, and to look for volunteering and work experience placements to give them the edge in a competitive job field.
Following his task, the mixture of Lower- and Upper-Sixth students asked insightful questions; about his preference for certain geographical topics studied at university and the experiences gained from examining water governance and United Utilities’ ability to meet local water quality and waste limit targets; about his choice of Bristol university, what transition from College to University was like, and how his assessments varied whilst there. Jack recommended that if students are able to, they should experience life away from home during Higher Education or employment for the massive confidence boost and independence he valued and thrived under, highlighting the attainment of social learning as well as geographical skills whilst at University.
Following the questions, Jack emphasised many of the initiatives mentioned by Professor Kathryn Adamson during a previous talk to A-Level Geographers:
“Embrace any activity that makes you more employable, whether that’s a year in industry or a year studying abroad, a summer internship, and most of all, make first impressions count!”