Ashton Park School’s careers fayre took place with huge success, as 50 organisations were welcomed to the Bristol secondary to introduce their businesses and answer questions about future careers. Excalibur Academies Trust, for which Ashton Park belongs, played a big part as it introduced – in conjunction with IWFM (Institute of Facilities Management) – the considerable, but relatively unknown, potential the estates and facilities management industry brings.

Students were fascinated to hear about the hard work going on behind the scenes at their own school, including fire & security, structural engineering, water hygiene, grounds maintenance and commercial kitchen maintenance. Neil Archibald, from Excalibur Academies Trust, and Paul Greatbanks from building services company Troup Bywaters + Anders (and representing IWFM), did a fantastic job inspiring and educating the hundreds of students who came through the doors.

The exhibitors’ industries which greeted the Year 9, 10 and 11 students as they arrived in the Sports Hall were very varied, with examples including the armed forces, further education establishments, law firms, housing developers, creative and digital media agencies, hairdressing academies and the banking sector. Students enjoyed the freedom to visit stalls which interested them, at the same time as picking up an equally wide ranging choice of freebies!

Neil Archibald, Central Facilities Estates Lead at Excalibur comments: “I am so proud to have been an integral part in the organising and orchestrating of Ashton Park’s first careers day introducing Estates & Facilities, as well it being the IWFM’s first pilot careers day. Students were genuinely pleased and interested in equal measure at what life beyond school could look like for them. In terms of our economy, UK’s FM market is valued at £120bn, with Facilities Management being responsible for as much as 8% of the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“My role was to introduce facilities management by explaining about all the things going on right under their noses! That’s the beauty of our industry though, while it’s vital to the running of a school, it also happens in a smooth and seamless manner leaving the students to get on with what they’re there to do – to gain an education.”

Paul Greatbanks, Partner at Troup Bywaters + Anders adds: “Our industry unfortunately is a shrinking one which is seeing more people leaving than joining. Events of this nature are therefore imperative to the raising of the profile of facilities management and encouraging engagement at a much younger age. A big thank you to all those involved in the success of this fayre, including the IWFM, who are doing a sterling job for our trade.”