MORE than 200 Year 10 students at Haygrove School were put through their paces when local employers took up the challenge to help them gain valuable interview skills.

Working in partnership with the Bridgwater Education Trust, over four days a total of 24 Somersetbased companies donated their staff time to the school.

The aim was to enable each and every Year 10 student to be interviewed for a job of their choice.

A work skills booklet was provided to the students that included descriptions of different jobs including purchasing manager, press officer and civil engineer, and they were asked to choose a role that they felt best suited their skills.

After completing a proper job application form and a covering letter, the students were invited to attend an interview designed to assess their 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.

Student Imogen Stocks said: “I was nervous when I sat down, but my interviewer soon made me feel comfortable and I was able to answer all the questions.

“I do feel that when I have to go for a job interview for real it won’t be as daunting after doing this.”

Local employers included Homes in Sedgemoor, DHL, Morrisons, Army Careers, Job Centre Plus, Mulberry, Higos Insurance, 1610 Workout Learning, EDF Energy and Keepmount Construction.

Mrs Mandy Plece, head of careers at Haygrove School said: “This is a really valuable experience for our students and I would like to thank all the local employers who gave their time to help our students understand what is really like to apply for a job and attend an interview.”