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As See it Be it in Sheffield is a Sheffield City Council campaign, we approached our Chief Executive Kate Josephs and her Executive Management Team to try and get more of our own employees involved in Careers Education and promoting the Council as a great place to work.
Ajman Ali, Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services, jumped at the chance to get involved when he found out we were working with his old school Firth Park Academy, so we organised an opportunity for him to meet with the whole of Year 9, to talk to them about his career journey.
Ajman also asked Apprentice Gasfitter Bryony Huckle to accompany him to ensure that the students also got to hear from someone close in age to themselves and early on in their career.
Ajman spoke to the students about how he started his career as a Refuse Collector, but quickly moved on to a variety of roles around Sheffield City Council before leaving the City to progress his career and then returning to Sheffield and his current Executive Director role in 2022. He then talked about all the different roles available in the Council, before handing over to Bryony who talked about the positives of taking an Apprenticeship route and shared her experiences of being a female Apprentice in a male dominated role.
Shoaib Azam, Careers Coordinator at Firth Park Academy said “it was a pleasure to host our alumnus Ajman Ali, as he shared his school experiences and how he overcame setbacks to lead a remarkable career. Bryony also challenged stereotypes by sharing with our students what motivated her to become a qualified gas engineer, whilst being a young mum".
Ajman Ali said “It was a privilege visit my former school to meet teachers and students and share my career pathway. The school’s student population (and teaching staff) is much more diverse and multi-cultural than it was when I studied there, which was fantastic to see. The school’s values and vision resonated with me very much, especially around each student being inspired to choose a Remarkable Life and I hope I was able to leave them feeling that with hard work and determination they could truly lead Remarkable Lives and have a fulfilling career”
Students hearing from alumni and members of their community is always a powerful message for young people, as is challenging stereotypes and talking about barriers overcome. If you’d like to get involved in activities in your old school and share your story with young people, contact us on seeitbeit@sheffield.gov.uk.
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