‘It gave me an insight into what I could achieve”: Students inspired by one-of-a-kind taster days

Over the past two years, students have taken part in more than 350 industry taster day experiences, hosted by the Young People’s Support Service (YPSS) through funding from the National Citizen Service. From hands-on activities to site visits and chats with professionals, the sessions gave students a real feel for what these sectors have to offer, with a focus on providing community-based experiences at the grassroots level.

The programme was delivered in partnership with local industry specialists and training providers including CATCH, GPL Wind Ltd, Grimsby Seafood Humber Alliance, and Creating Positive Opportunity (CPO), who worked with young people to gain employability support, careers information, and local labour market information. Additionally, they helped young people build confidence and explore career paths they may never have considered.

These industry days are essential for young people starting their careers, especially with renewable energy and decarbonisation being major focuses along the South Humber Bank and Grimsby being a key player in the seafood industry. It is anticipated that thousands of jobs will become available in the coming decade, offering growing opportunities for skills development and investment within the region.

Mark Booth, Head of Skills Training Delivery at CATCH UK, spoke about the success of the collaborative efforts: “This joint venture delivering our ‘Introduction to Industry’ programmes offered students a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the intricate world of engineering, where hands-on experience aims to inspire the next generation of apprentice engineers.

“It is always pleasing to see the moment the student’s interest is sparked and their understanding and intrigue overcome their lack of knowledge,” said Mark.

Gary Leshone of GPL Wind Ltd brought real-world insight from Grimsby’s growing renewables industry. He said: “Renewable energy is a vital sector in North East Lincolnshire, so it was fantastic to provide young people with valuable information and a hands-on introduction. Through practical tasters in areas such as first aid, working at height, manual handling, and harness training, students gained real insight into the sector.”

Creating Positive Opportunity (CPO) lead on the employability aspect of the programme, with Managing Director Stephen Ryder adding: “Working to introduce and embed good work disciplines prior to the industry taster days, we worked with young people from different backgrounds and settings. One thing was consistent throughout and that was the positive engagement of young people and the amount of fun we all had.”

The final cohort, Learning4Life-Gy, explored careers in the seafood industry. Delivered by The Seafood Grimsby & Humber Alliance, the sessions sought to transform perceptions about careers in Grimsby's nationally recognised seafood sector. With over 5,000 direct employees and around 10,000 in the supply chain, the industry provides a plethora of local career opportunities, many of which are often overlooked or misunderstood.

Local seafood businesses such as New England Seafood, North Coast Seafoods, Alfred Enderby, Premier Seafoods, Fastnet Fish, and Hilton Seafood opened their doors to provide an immersive practical and educational experience. Some of their offerings included tasting sessions, fileting demonstrations, production line demonstrations, tours and professionals in the industry sharing their knowledge and personal career journeys.

At New England Seafood Jaque Berridge, a Species Expert, shared his journey from filleter to product development lead: “From starting as a filleter to working in machine programming, I now work as a Species Expert and lead on product development and finance.”

Jaque had just returned from Norway, meeting with suppliers as part of his job role. He spoke of the hidden opportunities in the seafood sector, saying “finance, tech, logistics, account holding – it’s not just getting messy, although that is still a great role to have!”

Following the taster days, 100 per cent of the young people attending agreed that they had learned about the industry and its potential career paths.

Joanne Woodhouse, Schools Ambassador for Seafood Grimsby and Humber Alliance, spoke about the success of the event: “It’s been a pleasure working with North East Lincolnshire Council and the other organisations to give young people a taste of the seafood industry and the opportunities. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with young people to help them make their decision about their best, next step.”

See what happened throughout the day and hear what young people had to say about their experience:

• Full film

• One word

These videos were filmed by First Media UK.

Councillor Margaret Cracknell, Portfolio Holder for Children and Education, said: "This was an exciting opportunity for the younger generation of North East Lincolnshire to learn not only about the borough’s rich fishing past, but also its future and what jobs are out there for them in the growing engineering and renewable energy sectors.

"These taster days offered a variety of career paths and helped those who are starting their journey into work build relationships with some of the most successful businesses in and around the area."

About the Young People’s Support Service (YPSS)

Young People’s Support Services (YPSS) offers employability support and careers guidance to young people across academic years 11, 12, and 13 and up to age 25 if a young person has additional needs or is care experienced.

Get in touch with the team at YPSS.MIS@nelincs.gov.uk to find out more about the service.