Rock Assembly: Get your free tickets to a careers fair with awesome live music performances!

This guest blog was written by Amy Leonard, Chief Executive Officer of The Transformation Trust.

Planning for a life after school can be intimidating for any young person, particularly when they consider the overwhelming range of options available to them. However, it’s even worse for those without a real understanding of the opportunities available, who don’t even know what they’re missing out on.

Everyone is amazing at something

The work of the Transformation Trust is rooted in the belief that everyone is amazing at something, and that no-one should suffer from a lack of opportunity. We do this by working with some of the most challenged schools in the country, schools where young people may not have had access to the same opportunities as their more affluent peers.

This is unfair. No student should feel like their future is decided for them by the accident of their birth, but without widening access to enrichment opportunities our least advantaged students will face the most obstacles to a bright future.

Our mission is to ensure young people discover what they are amazing at. We do this by making sure that the enrichment activities the most privileged take for granted are open to all young people. More than ever, young people need to leave school or college with the broader skills that we know employers look for. Our programmes help participants develop their communication, problem-solving and networking skills, as well as placing academic subjects in a real-world context. This gives students the opportunity to see how their classroom learning can apply to realistic business scenarios.

Follow the path that best suits you

Aside from purely developing the soft skills young people will need to succeed in later life, the sessions encourage participants to think about their ambitions, attitudes and goals for the short- and long-term future. Our facilitators work with the students during this process to ensure that they fully understand the range of options available to them, and are encouraged to think of new possibilities.

One central feature across all of the Transformation Trust’s programmes is the importance of emphasising the range of options available to young people after school. We promote the value of high-quality apprenticeships as equal to university, and encourage students to follow the path that best suits them.

Of course, when it comes to careers advice, just learning about what options are out there is not enough. A central aim of the Trust’s programmes is to ensure students understand the different skills and qualities that come into play when applying for jobs and in interview situations, and how they can develop those to fulfil their full potential.

Rock Assembly: A careers fair with a musical twist

Our work to help young people understand the options available to them in life, and provide them with the necessary skills to get there, culminates in our annual Rock Assembly. Part careers fair, part pop concert, Rock Assembly attracts 10,000 students from across the country, and has become the epitome of our efforts to combine education, inspiration and motivation for the future with fun, memorable experiences.

The day opens students’ eyes to a range of different industries, including media, engineering, finance, tech, publishing, the arts, retail and public services. Students have the opportunity to engage directly with apprenticeship schemes, school leaver programmes, and think about higher education opportunities. Putting these all in the same place ensures they are given equal footing, and no one option is held up as the preferred destination.

Big names and a star-studded line-up

Students engage directly with major employers, including the likes of Barclays, Co-op, Dell, Sky, the BBC, the NHS and many more. Not only will they get the chance to find out more about these high-profile organisations, but there will also be the opportunity to apply for prestigious apprenticeships and find out more about work experience placements.

That’s the serious part, but there’s more to come. Following the careers fair, students are treated to a star-studded pop concert – previous artists include Example, Professor Green, Lethal Bizzle, The Saturdays and The Wanted. Although the line-up is a closely guarded secret at this stage – we only release it two weeks ahead of the event – we’re very excited by some of the names signing up!

And for the music students we’ve brought back Class Act: our fantastic competition which gives students the chance to perform on the Wembley stage in front of the 10,000-strong crowd. Interested candidates can find information on how to apply after booking their tickets.

For a lot of attendees, seeing their musical stars live is the main attraction, but the careers advice and experience they receive along the way is where we see them getting real value from the day.

Get your tickets!

As with all Transformation Trust programmes, Rock Assembly is free to attend, and all tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Rock Assembly will take place on July 11 from 9.30am – 4.30pm. Tickets are still available through the Rock Assembly 2019 booking form.