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17 November 2025
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‘The feedback we collected from students was positive and they really engaged with the different companies in the careers fair.’
Heidi Quenby and Emma Mills
Taking an entire year group off timetable is a daunting task, throwing in a mix of employers to talk to them even more so. But this was what we planned in the autumn of 2023.
A day was booked in June 2024 and the task began. We know that GIS and geospatial is a growing industry and many careers are now based around their use – see the Geogspatial sector market report 2024 here.
However, in our limited curriculum time we are often unable to stress this enough, so what better way than to bring in the people that do this in real life and show what they do.
We chose year 8, a year that has often been considered a dip year since it is not the first year of secondary, nor are students taking options and thinking about GCSEs. We wanted to capture the attention of students before they made up their minds for their GCSE options which they choose in year 9.
It was also a year we didn’t yet have a careers event planned so it fitted well in our careers curriculum. We chose June as a month where there is more space in the school after exams and it allowed us to make the day part of our year 8 curriculum as our students study their local place at this point.
The day followed a format where each student participated in a visit to the local town to collect data, a computer lesson where students use the data to produce spatial analysis using ArcGIS software, a session where they carry out analysis to answer the question ‘Is Maidstone an attractive place to visit?’ and a session with a variety of employers who demonstrate how they use geospatial in their work (students have questions they need to find answers to, which keeps them focused). This is on rotation so that we never have more than 60 students in any one place.
Our first year started small with companies such as The British Army and Medway Council Planning Department, and this year we were able to increase this number and included over seven different companies including JBA Consulting, Jacobs and Apex Contractors.
The tasks set by the employers involved were designed so students gain crucial experience in data collection and analysis, mathematics, map work, observation and investigation, computer and technology skills and communications, plus an appreciation for how these transferable skills can work within different industries in the world of work.
The feedback we collected from students was positive and they really engaged with the different companies in the careers fair. It is a lot of planning, which we shared between geography and careers, but the planning does get easier as we become more adept at working out what we need.
Written by Heidi Quenby, Head of Geography, and Emma Mills, Careers Leader, at The Maplesden Noakes School, Maidstone.
©Heidi Quenby and Emma Mills, and the Geographical Association, 2025
