We at Jack Hunt School have an ongoing project with one of the Peterborough Keys Academy Trust Members, Ms Penny Walkinshaw. Ms Walkinshaw has many great connections in our wider community and we work with her on a project called ‘Changes by Ones’ to open up opportunities to our students, this was one such opportunity. Benjamyn Damazer who is a highly successful Business Consultant and also a Justice for the Peace came into school to talk to Y11 and 12 students who have indicated an interest in pursuing a career in Business or Law. At Jack Hunt School we have an extensive Careers programme and part of this is to give students access to the expertise and experience of successful individuals such as Mr Damazer. These sessions give a real insight into fields of work that students are not aware of, or may think are out of their reach and Mr Damazer was very clear that it is hard work and application which gives people opportunities.

Mr Damazer gave an extremely interesting and engaging presentation on his experiences as a Business Consultant, he has travelled all over the world working with some of the biggest corporate companies. Something that made the presentation especially interesting was the personal journey which brought context to the picture as well as fascinating anecdotes that show how exciting this type of work can be. It was especially enjoyable to hear about the time he spent in Iraq and Afghanistan as both are conflicts we have heard a lot about, but had no idea how management consultancy fitted into the birth of new countries.

Mr Damazer also detailed what it requires to become a Business Consultant, the skills and attributes needed in order to be successful in this role. The students were amazed at the variety of work in this field and how much travel maybe involved, a real opportunity to see the world during your working life.

As a school we would like to thank Mr Damazer and Ms Walkinshaw for taking the time to organise this event and come into the school to give such an informative presentation. We look forward to the next visit on Tuesday 14 May from Claire Ruskin, who will be talking to a group of Y10 and 12 students about her experiences as an Engineer.