Preparing them for September…and the rest of their lives: alumni lead new workshop for boys joining the Sixth Form
As Old Elizabethans Rahil Shah and Bhiramah Rammanohar told QE pupils going into Year 12, much about the future is unclear – but at least they can be sure that for the next two years they will have all the help they need to prepare for it.
The alumni pair returned to the School to deliver a new induction workshop for those joining the Sixth Form next week.
Entitled Preparing for an Uncertain Future, the QE Futures workshop encouraged the pupils to reflect on their strengths, embrace new experiences, and develop confidence in making decisions without clear-cut answers.
Assistant Head (Destinations and Progress) Robert Hyland, the new head of QE Futures, said: “QE Futures seeks to equip our pupils not only for higher education, but also to prepare them for the rapidly changing world of work that they will enter after graduating. Workshops such as this help them develop the QE Employability Skills – a set of transferable skills that are exactly what they will need to thrive in that uncertain future.”
The Employability Skills are: communication, critical thinking, digital proficiency, leadership, resilience and teamwork.
“Rahil and Bhiramah’s advice to do what you enjoy and follow your curiosity wherever it takes you was a key takeaway – and one that is of benefit to all our pupils,” Dr Hyland added.
Rahil related his journey from QE to completing a Master’s in Computer Science at Imperial and into a successful career as a software engineer with Bloomberg, while Bhiramah Rammanohar, who recently completed his sixth year at Cambridge, shared insights that included his experience of studying Medicine.
One highlight of the workshop was a collaborative problem-solving challenge, where participants tackled a complex graduate recruitment task, discovering that there is no ‘right’ pathway forward in the ever-changing world of work.
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It is tremendously encouraging to see current pupils benefitting from our growing OE network, seeing what alumni are doing in their careers and learning from them.”
The Sixth Form induction workshop followed a recent visit by entrepreneur Leon Zadeh (OE 1996–2003), who drew on his experience of building Saint Espresso into a successful London artisan coffee business over 15 years.
His interactive workshop, with a central message of action builds confidence, engaged pupils from the outset with quick-fire questions and a discussion of their own ambitions. Leon explored what entrepreneurship really involves – spotting opportunities, solving problems and taking consistent action over time.