TIGHS inspires the next generation of leaders

A host of successful and influential female leaders went back to school to inspire the next generation of leaders at TIGHS. Pupils heard from a number of dynamic female speakers during the school’s annual Student Leadership Conference.

The theme of this year’s event on Friday, 15 February, was civic, moral and performance leadership skills – a fundamental element of the school’s character development and leadership specialism. The annual conference for Year 13 pupils aims to help them transition into the world of study and boost their career prospects. The event brought together pupils with a variety of successful women working in leadership roles across areas such as business, civic duties, exploration and technology.

The aim of event was to raise pupils’ awareness of the benefits of developing their skills and putting the school’s key specialism of leadership into practice. Through a number of workshops, pupils were helped to refine their career goals, address issues such as assertiveness and develop their public speaking abilities.

The event was the culmination of a programme of activities aimed at helping pupils with the transition from school to adult life, including everything from cookery and self-defence, to public speaking and leadership skills.

Pupils at heard from a range of key speakers:

• Christine Hodgeson – Chair of technology services firm Capgemini UK plc, Chair of UK Careers and Enterprise Company and Chair of the Capgemini Group Sustainability Board and the UK Women’s Business Network.
• Sharon Wills – Human Resources Director at Manchester Airport Group.
• Maya Dibley – Lancashire County Council’s lead officer for industrial innovation and digital technology.
• Murryam Anwar – public policy professional with 14 years’ experience within government.
• Sara Di Domenico – Lead Delivery Manager at the Joint Air Quality Unit project, in conjunction with the Department for Transport (DfT), the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and every Local Authority across the UK.
• Suzanne Jones – lead of the Government’s Gulf Science, Innovation & Knowledge Economy Programme.
• Misba Khan – NHS finance officer from Manchester and UK member of The Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition.
• Simone Roche – CEO and founder of Northern Power Women.
• Representatives from GCHQ, including a software engineer and linguist.

The women’s speeches highlighted how demonstrating leadership skills has helped them to achieve success in their working lives and lead their organisations.

Also at the conference to speak to the pupils about their next steps in education and their career paths were representatives of universities including Bradford University, University of Central Lancashire and Edge Hill University

Year 13 pupil Aaisha I Patel said:

“It was inspiring to meet so many women who have risen to the top of their professions and who are also giving back to their communities and encouraging young women to follow in their wake. It’s daunting thinking my time at school is almost over but I feel really positive about what I can achieve if I continue to work hard at university to achieve my goals.”

Assistant Principal Amina Modan  said:

“As a leadership specialism school, we aim to motivate our pupils to become tomorrow’s leaders. By introducing pupils to strong and successful women and hearing their first-hand experiences, we have empowered our pupils and showed them that they can achieve whatever they put their minds to. The conference also emphasised the wealth of careers and study pathways in which excellent leadership skills are of vital importance. The young women are hugely positive about, and ready to embrace, the next step in their lives.”

Successful female leaders inspired the next generation at TIGHS

Added By: Star Academies | Date Added: 18th Feb 2019 | Posted In: Latest News