LOCAL employers have interviewed over 200 students in a week to prepare them for the world of work.

Students at Haygrove School were interviewed by 21 local business men and women.

The school’s ‘Work Skills’ required students to select a job they felt matched their skills and aspirations from a Mulberry recruitment booklet, complete a genuine Mulberry application form and attend a ten-minute interview with a local business person.

Whether they were applying to be a Payroll Administrator, Maintenance Engineering Assistant, Planning Assistant or Production Operative, the interviews were designed to assess the students’ ability to answer probing questions about their skills, experiences and qualities, how prepared they were for the interview and how well they presented themselves on the day.

Year 10 student Alice Edmonds said: “I was nervous and not sure what to expect but my interviewer was very nice and the feedback she has given me is really useful. When I have to do this for real I will feel more confident and better prepared.”

Local employers including Foot Anstey, C2 Safety, Pardoes, Neale Accounting, DHL, Misted Langdon, The Job Centre, Sedgemoor Council and Homes in Sedgemoor all contributed to the project.

Mandy Plece, Head of Careers at Haygrove School said: “We are so grateful to all the local employers who gave up their time to provide so many Bridgwater youngsters with this valuable experience and also to the staff at the Bridgwater Education Trust whose support made it a success.”