Enterprising BMet students join forces with leading employers for their Social Action Week

Learners studying a range of subjects at BMet, had the chance to network with employers and drive forward their careers during the college’s very own Social Action Week.

From Monday 19 June to Friday 23 June, students from at BMet’s  A Level Centre at Sutton Coldfield College and vocational law students from Matthew Boulton College, connected with local employers on a range of different projects.

Employers, who launched their live briefs to learners in the A Level Centre at the start of the week, included Bila Law Academy (for Law students), Highbury Theatre (for Performing Arts students), Sutton Park (for Geography students), Sutton Town Hall (for Art and History students) and West Midlands Combined Authority (for Advertising and Marketing, Business and Sociology students).

The annual week-long event gives students the chance to further explore their course specialisms and interests, alongside key professionals and to then present their strategies to clients at the end of the week.

The feedback from employers regarding the student activities and outcomes was positive:

Bila Law Academy Founder and CEO, Nadine Bila, gave law students from Sutton Coldfield and Matthew Boulton Colleges their projects briefs.

Speaking of the experience, she said: “It has been a great experience to set up legal tasks for the students to research on Family Law, where they carried out legal research on the New Divorce Law, as well as Family Law injunctions and orders under the Family Law Act 1996.

“It has been amazing to see the students work independently carrying out legal research and presenting their hard work before a panel.  The students have done extremely well.”

Law and Criminology students, Emily and Emilia equally had a rewarding time. They said:

Emily: “Working on this brief has enabled me to grow in confidence in so many ways, including being more at ease with my public speaking. It has also helped me to be more thorough and organised and to learn key legal insights and practices from a professional client.”

Emilia: “It was a great opportunity for everyone to gather as a group and work together to achieve a goal, which was thankfully successful. The experience has really given the team a better understanding of what it is like to work with a client, which is useful for our future careers.”

A Geography based live project brief focused on the consequences of global warming set by Sutton Coldfield Park Ranger Matthew Barker. This project gave students, the chance to produce content showing what Sutton Park may look like in the future, should we choose to ignore warnings about climate change.

Speaking of his experience on the task, Business, Law and Psychology student said: “I chose to get involved in this task as I have an affinity with Sutton Park, which I visit fairly regularly.

“It has been very informative and eye opening and it has given me the chance to learn more about a popular park that means a lot to many. I particularly liked exploring the park features like the pool and its dangers. A key highlight was a trip to the park where you can see things as they are.”

Sutton Park Ranger, Matthew Barker, added: “It is good to see students go from initial fear at the start of the project to later having more confidence in their abilities, which could be seen through their conversations.

“It is also great to hear perspectives from young minds. The students demonstrated passion and creativity, which will be raised at the committee.”

Live employer briefs form a key part of work experience and work placements offered at BMet, as they are a key step in helping students bridge the gap between college and employment.

Building strong partnerships with organisations across the region who recognise the importance of career/work focused projects and can offer support is invaluable at BMet.

Vice Principal Suzie Branch-Haddow said: “Social Action Week is such an important date in BMet’s calendar as it gives our  students’, a chance to work with employers on real live briefs.

“We were so impressed with our students who approached their tasks with vigour, often in ways where they thought outside of the box to find real solutions on the projects set.

“A huge thanks to the employers who gave their time to set up these projects, it really does give our students a taste of working life and from the feedback it’s great to hear that the ideas of students will be taking forward by the organisations involved in the week.”

To find out more about BMet’s work experience opportunities, please visit our website – https://www.bmet.ac.uk/employers/helping-employers-work-it/ if you are an employer or https://www.bmet.ac.uk/our-courses/courses-for-16-19-years/let-us-help-you-work-it/ if you are a student – current or prospective.