Inside Our Autumn Term Futures Programme

Over the course of the Autumn Term 2025, we enjoyed an incredibly broad programme of talks as part of our Futures Programme.

On Monday 22nd September, James Darley visited Churcher’s and spoke to pupils about ‘The State of the Graduate Job Market’. It was a brilliant insight for those considering university, with James talking about the realities of securing a graduate role, how to maximise your chances of success, and alternative routes with less or no debt. James is the driving force behind the organisation Transform Society. With more than 25 years’ experience in graduate recruitment, his talk left us with plenty of food for thought and lots of practical pointers on how to develop a strong portfolio of experience at university.

Hot on James’ heels was Old Churcherian Thomas Gore Brown (23), a student at the University of Nottingham and an intern at Beyond 2050. He spoke from personal experience about ‘Why you don’t have to have it all figured out’. This was a hugely reassuring talk, emphasising that not having everything mapped out is normal, while also making the important point that this doesn’t mean you can sit back and wait for things to happen. Thomas highlighted the value of working hard, showing up, and pushing yourself, even when you don’t feel like the “top student”. He shared lessons learned since school, from the power of discipline in sport to bouncing back from setbacks, and using platforms such as LinkedIn to help build your future. As he put it, ‘If you’re willing to give things your best shot – even when it’s tough – you’ll be amazed at where that mindset can take you.’

Our next talk was delivered by Chris Cheesman, Founder of SisuPeople, who spoke about ‘The power of LinkedIn… it’s never too early to start’. Chris explained what LinkedIn is, how it can be used, how to create a strong profile and network, and how to build a ‘personal brand’. The talk gave a clear and practical overview of why pupils should start thinking about LinkedIn now, and why it is much more than just a platform to use when you need a new job.

In mid-November, Pip Henderson, Programme Manager at Intact Insurance (formerly Royal & Sun Alliance), followed with a highly informative online talk on writing a CV. Her session focused on tailoring the right CV for the right job. With the job market tougher than ever, putting together a strong CV can make all the difference in getting through the door to the next stage of the process. Pip’s talk certainly gave pupils a valuable advantage in this area.

Later in November, Tim Ireland, Principal Exploration Geologist at First Quantum Minerals Ltd, delivered an engaging online presentation with a clever play on the title ‘Mining Lives’ – highlighting that mining careers are still very much alive, but also that your life can become mining. It was a fascinating deep dive into the vast opportunities for travel and working in diverse, multinational teams.

At the end of the month, Tom Whittaker from The University Guys spoke about opportunities to study abroad. He covered topics including differences and similarities in course structures and curricula, the transferability of qualifications back to the UK, costs, application processes, the pros and cons of studying abroad, and how best to prepare for an application.

Our second Old Churcherian, Carl Flohr (19), joined us on Teams in early December, giving a whistle-stop tour of the steps that took him from leaving Ramshill to working at WT Architecture. He described how the small architectural team shapes some of Scotland’s most wild and beautiful landscapes from their seaside studio just outside Edinburgh.

Last, but certainly not least, was an in-person talk in the Lecture Theatre a week before the end of term by Alan Wight MRCVS on ‘A career as a veterinary investigation officer’. Alan delivered a wonderfully informative and engaging talk about his journey from rural practitioner to conducting post-mortems on exotic animals. It was a must for those aspiring to careers in medical, veterinary, or healthcare professions, as well as anyone with an interest in animal welfare and the biological sciences.

To celebrate a brilliant term of talks, and with Alan’s delivery providing a fitting finale, we headed to the Pavilion for tea and cake, reflecting on what had been a highly successful Autumn Term Futures programme.