CAREERS advice video tips have been produced by secondary school pupils from Chipping Sodbury.

A group of sixth form Media Studies students from Chipping Sodbury School have helped to produce video clips for YouTube which offer employment advice to other young people.

Their video was entitled First Job: Thrive in the Job Market, and it was supported by the Aspire Academy who aim to help 15 - 21 year olds to find work when they leave the education system.

The founder Barry Jackson used his experience of helping students to find employment to make a video program, and recruited the media students to assist.

“I may have done the research, but an old man like me was never going to be the ideal presenter, said Mr Jackson.

“It’s also a great way to offer young people work experience producing a genuine commercial program.”

A government-funded training provider called Professional Apprenticeships, also assisted with the project and helped to spread awareness about it. They have similar aims and help young people find work experience, offering IT, digital marketing, business administration and customer service support.

Professional Apprenticeships manager, Adam Rooke, said, “We partnered with this Aspire Academy because we find many young people leave school relatively ill-informed of the progression opportunities, and how best to take their first steps on the career ladder.

“This film goes a long way to address this need, and having been created by young people it engages them on the right level.”

Mr Jackson was inspired to help young people and founded his company Aspire Academy after he spoke to a university student who was unable to find work in a career she had trained for.

He said: “I spoke to a young girl on the supermarket check-out. She had a 2:1 degree and told me it was the best job she could get - a job she was qualified to do if she’d left school after GCSE’s.”

To research for the video advice was sought from corporate executives from companies including Rolly Royce, Land Rover, and Barclay’s Bank.

Everyone involved is happy from the response they have had from the video, and from the business community.

He praised the staff who got involved and the students who helped: “Working with them has been tremendous fun and I’m very proud of them.”

“It is a joy to partner schools like Chipping Sodbury where preparation for the world of work goes beyond mere exam results.”

The program, which features a book of the same title, is due to be launched by Easter.