CAREERS: Join our virtual careers fair

THE pandemic hasn’t stopped exhibitors from the world of work and education queuing up to give Ripon Grammar School students a taste of some of the wide range of opportunities available on leaving school.

This year our popular Careers Fair, which is also open to parents, will be held virtually on March 3, from 6pm to 8pm – an exciting and innovative live event which you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

Focussing on a wide range of careers, the popular annual occasion usually attracts more than 450 parents and pupils with an eye to getting a head start on planning for the future, and we hope this year will be no exception.

Those taking part include companies such as Hemingway Marketing Services and ventilation manufacturer EnviroVent, with representatives from world-class universities from as far as Dundee and Bath on hand to give advice about higher education courses.

RGS work experience and events coordinator Mr Walker said: “Because we’re using a digital platform, we’re able to attract so many more organisations from a wide geographical area.”

Everyone who wishes to attend should register beforehand to access virtual career booths, where they will be able to talk live to representatives via the web-based platform. (Click here to register)

There is also an option to save information and download brochures and prospectuses as well as a live chat option for one-to-one follow-up queries.

Mr Walker will be sending parents and students more details about the event in the coming weeks: “Keep checking your emails,” he says.

There’s no need to download an app to access the NOVVA virtual fair platform which we’re using, and parents can register as an add-on to their child's registration or separately. You can view an example of how it will work here.

Mr Walker said he hoped lots of students and parents would benefit from the event: ““It’s been an immense challenge to organise but I am determined to give RGS students the very best opportunities when deciding on their career paths.”

*The platform will work on any device with the latest version of Google Chrome but NOVVA recommends a laptop or desktop computer for the best experience. Regarding data security, NOVVA only asks for minimal information (name, email, date of birth) and this is only shared with the exhibitors the student engages with so they can do meaningful follow up - just like at an in-person fair. Safeguarding is also paramount and students can only interact with the exhibitors on the platform, not each other.