Students at Victoria College have been challenged during National Careers Week with designing and planning a sustainable hotel in the countryside of Jersey.
The aim of the project is to show them how each of their lessons relates to the real world and different professions.
To support this project, a number of industry professionals have been invited into College to speak to the students and guide their planning. Each department has also been tasked with delivering related activities during lesson time to inspire and inform their students.
In Maths, students heard from the Jersey Development Company about sustainability in construction and the importance of Maths in the planning and delivery of projects. In Information Technology lessons, Jersey Telecom shared their knowledge and expertise on the role of technology in minimising our impact on the world around us. In Religious Studies students have had an introduction to the importance of ethics and ethical design, looking at examples from around the world and identifying the ten most important aspects of green architecture that they may want to include in their own designs. Working with an architect, in DT students have had the opportunity to experiment with paper and board to create different architectural designs.
Head of Careers, Suzanne Job, said: “We are always looking for new ways to demonstrate to our students how each subject relates to the real world as well as to specific careers.
“Every subject has a role to play in designing, building and constructing a sustainable hotel. Students and teachers have fully embraced the project in all areas of the curriculum and we are really looking forward to judging the final hotel designs at the end of the week.”
Following input and support from teachers and industry professionals all week, students will spend tutor time working in groups to design their hotels. Their designs will then be presented to a mixed panel of teachers and industry professionals at the end of the week, following which, a winning design will be chosen.
Headteacher, Dr Gareth Hughes, said: “Academic achievement is only part of the story at Victoria College – we are delighted to add this new program to our already wide and rich range of co-curricular and enrichment opportunities, bringing subjects to life and giving students important employability skills for the future including teamwork, leadership, communication, presentation, problem solving, adaptability, organisational and time management skills.
“We are grateful for strong links with industry in the Island via our Careers Program and our work with the Institute of Directors, and appreciate the continued support from all of our industry partners to enrich our students’ learning from Y7 right through to Sixth Form as our students go on to choose their higher education and career
pathways.”
