Speakers for Schools allows school students to hear directly from leading figures in the country through video streaming. Broadcasts are live online webinar style events that are run during school hours. They are hosted by Speakers for Schools staff and include either a talk followed by student Questions and Answers (Q&A) or an interview format with initial questions and then student Q&A. The speakers are all leading figures and experts in their field who provide information on their industries and their own personal career stories. They provide young people with the opportunity to hear from experts and leaders from different industries and backgrounds.
Speakers for Schools: Broadcasts (career talks)
Abstract
Website: https://www.speakersforschools.org/
Usually joined in the classroom, sessions include a moderated Q&A which are asked by the host of the event to the speaker live. Recordings of broadcasts are then added to the Speakers for Schools library as a resource: https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/vtalks-video-library/.
The broadcasts have reached thousands of young people since their launch in 2020 as a response to the covid-19 pandemic. Speakers for Schools uses Microsoft Teams live events to run broadcasts which are webinar style online events such as interview format talks, talks with Q&A and panels from our network of high profile speakers.
Broadcasts are typically between 45mins and 1hour are hosted by a member of the Speakers for Schools team and always include a moderated Q&A. Multiple schools joining broadcasts. They are always encouraged to submit questions both before and during the event. Guidance for speakers is provided on how to structure a talk and connect effectively with the audience of young people. Some guidance to schools is provided on how to get the most value out of the speaker’s talk and broadcasts often take place to coincide with national campaigns such as National Careers Week, International Women’s Day and Black History Month. Recordings of broadcasts are then added to the Speakers for Schools library as a resource: https://www.speakersforschools.org/inspiration/vtalks/vtalks-video-library/.
To date, Speakers for Schools broadcasts have reached over 150,000 young people.
MS Teams is used to deliver the live broadcasts.
Speakers for Schools provides students in state schools with the opportunity to hear from experts and leaders in their field, opening up the world of work and demystify sectors and industries. The programme allows speakers to share their own journey with young people and share tips for entering their industry, how to stand out in applications and interviews. Speakers for Schools was established in response to leading figures with national profiles frequently being invited to fee-paying private schools, but rarely receiving invitations from state schools due to lack of connections with potential speakers.
The online delivery of our broadcasts make the speakers’ talks more accessible and less time consuming for educators in comparison to organising an in-person talk at a school. Schools are not limited by the number of broadcasts they can register their young people for.
Young people will need to have their school join the Speakers for Schools network to get emails relating to opportunities which they can register for.
The resource is free of charge
The programme provides technical support to users, including videos to help with joining broadcasts.
This resource has been endorsed by Truro and Penrith College in Cornwall in the United Kingdom.
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