The importance of 'doing'

Following on from last months public speaking, Tiffany tells us about her experience at the Employer Excellence in Careers Education seminar.

​Last Friday, I stood at the front of an auditorium, microphone in hand, facing a diverse audience of professionals, educators, and employers from a wide range of sectors. I had the honor of speaking at the Careers Excellence Seminar 2024 at the Wellcome Collection, as part of the Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC) Youth Advisory Group (YAG). Having been a member of the YAG for over a year, I’ve had the privilege of accessing incredible opportunities, including speaking at the House of Lords earlier this year and participating in the CEC’s annual company day.

The seminar featured an accomplished panel of employers from tech, construction, and healthcare, alongside experienced educators and advocates for young peoples’ careers development. Together, they passionately shared insights drawn from their work with young people in occupational settings. Their reflections were rich and the discussions highlighted disparities in careers education and engagement. They reminded us of the monumental role a young person’s socioeconomic background can play when it comes to professional applications and their respective success. Other factors such as neurodiversity, mental health struggles, academic achievement and the school’s careers curriculum play a pivotal role in the young person’s career readiness.

While preparing young people for the professional world comes with its challenges, employers are increasingly aware of this and are taking steps to bridge certain gaps. One message stood out: potential matters most. Employers aren’t looking for fully-formed professionals; they value traits like self-motivation and a willingness to learn. Opportunities such as work experience, internships, volunteering, and apprenticeships provide spaces to grow skills, not showcase perfection. The main messages of the panel were hopeful, optimistic and encouraging.

The overarching themes of the seminar revolved around self-efficacy and initiative. Perceived disadvantages can be reframed as strengths. Lack of experience in one field doesn’t have to be a barrier. Transferable skills from life experiences - like leadership as a netball captain, time management during exam prep, or proactivity in caregiving roles - are highly sought after by employers.

During the seminar, I joined another young speaker to share reflections on insight days, application processes, and work experience. I focused on the impact of experiential learning, drawing inspiration from a podcast I’d recently listened to on neuroplasticity and procedural learning. The key idea? Our brains learn best through repetition - not just of information but of actions.

To illustrate this, I posed a simple analogy: you don’t learn to swim by reading a manual. While theory can deepen understanding, true growth comes from hands-on experience. Similarly, in the workplace, practice refines problem-solving skills, teamwork, and the ability to take initiative. These qualities are highly valued by employers and can only develop in environments that challenge you to adapt and think on your feet. This is why interactive work experiences stand out. Building a model plane or participating in a mock trial not only engages you but also exposes you to the type of thinking required for specific roles. It’s one of the best ways to figure out if a career suits your personality, interests, and abilities. Passive learning - a.k.a being spoken at for hours - simply doesn’t compare.

The Takeaway
Be proactive. Explore. Get your hands dirty. Every new experience sharpens your skills, builds your confidence, and offers clarity about your future. Plus, employers love to see it. Your brain will thank you - and so will your CV.

Author

Tiffany Igharoro is a university student.

For me, writing has become the perfect medium to  process my experiences and formulate them into well-considered expressions and stories. Through writing for PUSH, I hope to share insights I gain throughout my journey (whether academic or personal) with other young people across the UK! I am a strong believer in the power of personal development and its ability to shape our lives, help us forge career paths and nurture relationships with others and ourselves. My blogs, often peppered with personal anecdotes, always carry a touch of "this is a tool to add to your character building collection"...