Inspiring Employers: Cancer Research UK bring careers to the classroom
Not only are they busy beating cancer, employees at Cancer Research UK have taken time out to support young people in their local community. The charity have been supporting Inspire!’s work as part of their equality, diversity and inclusion agenda.
From introducing jobs in science, to building skills for the future, here’s some of the ways they’ve got involved:
Bringing STEM jobs to life for primary school pupils
As part of their iDiscover week, Year 6 classes from Hackney, Camden and Islington primary schools visited Cancer Research’s headquarters in Angel, Islington. The pupils extracted DNA from a strawberry, wrote their own Tweets, and helped the charity decide where it should spend its money.
“I really enjoyed having to think about the way we talk about our work and talk about science for a completely different audience” said one volunteer, “it was a real opportunity for us to teach children about science funding and how cancer works.”
Building business skills at secondary schools
Employee volunteers also helped students at secondary schools develop crucial skills for later life.
Staff from across the organisation took part in a range of events. From talking business at BSix College, to creating fashion enterprises with Clapton Girls Academy, volunteers used their own experiences to inform and inspire young people.
Preparing young people for the world of work
Five Business Studies students from BSix College completed a work experience placement at CRUK this Autumn. They were exposed to multiple exciting areas of the charity’s work, from HR to Research and Development. Cancer Research staff went above and beyond to boost the students’ career prospects by hosting CV and interview workshops at the end of the week.
“When I heard I’d be working in an office, it was nerve-wracking and I felt a bit scared” said one student, Jorge, who spent time in the tech department. “But then I got here, everyone is so friendly!”
Another student, Tina, is interested in a future career in the charity sector. During her placement she learnt about how staff got where they are today, and the best places to look for charity jobs online.
Supporting teachers’ training
Industry Insights brought up-to-date industry knowledge to the classroom by sending teachers on work placements.
Cancer Research welcomed two teachers to their offices from nearby sixth form colleges. The teachers rotated around different departments, collaborating with employees to develop relevant resources for their Business Studies students.
Commenting on what the organisation learnt from their volunteering experience, employee Rich said: “I think it just reinforced the fact that CRUK can and should be doing more. We’re a massive organisation with a really great reputation and we’re all here driven by a really great mission, but there is so much more added value we can give.”
If you’d like to join our mission to inspire, motivate and open doors for young people, find out how you or your company can get involved.
