As part of the Higher Education Programme for the Sixth Form, the Higher Education and Global Initiatives Department (HEGI) organise a series of talks designed to help the girls to make meaningful and informed decisions on the next stage of their education and future career choices.

Lower Sixth girls and their parents were invited to a fascinating talk by Mr Martin Birchall, Managing Director of High Fliers, which has been a leader in graduate recruitment research at the UK’s leading universities for the last two decades.

Lower Sixth girls, Olivia and Georgia report on the event,

“Given his huge experience and expertise in higher education, it really was a privilege to hear Mr Birchall’s advice and opinions on the best way for us to plan what to do after we finish at Downe House.

One thing from his talk that really stood out for us was the importance of work experience and the major role this can play in your chances of being offered a good job after graduating. The statistics from last year showed us that many people do not end up with a job despite graduating with first class degrees from top universities because of a lack of forward planning.