Some of the Academy team recently completed our annual Harvest Run to Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate, on behalf of Thanet Food Link.
Helen and Louise collecting the donations at Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate.
Helen, Jacob and Louise were delighted to collect the generous donations contributed by the wonderful children, families and staff at the school. The donated goods were then transported to the Thanet Food Link hub, where volunteers sort and prepare items for distribution to local families in need across the community.
The donations arriving at the Thanet Food Link hub, ready to be sorted.
This annual event is a fantastic example of how young people can make a real difference through kindness, generosity and community spirit. Every donation helps to support individuals and families facing difficult circumstances, particularly as we head into the colder months.
A huge thank you to everyone at Chilton Primary School for their continued support and generosity. We are proud to work alongside Thanet Food Link to help strengthen our local community and support those who need it most.
The Certificate of Recognition from EBP Kent following the day.
Last month, Helen Harris (our Community & Apprenticeship Lead) and Sarah Joisce (our HR & Admin Manager) spent the day at Dover Grammar School for Boys’ Employability Day, run by EBP Kent at Discovery Park, the Sandwich-based business park that regularly hosts community events of this kind. The event gives Year 10 students their first proper interview experience: real interviewers, real feedback, in a controlled environment that lets them stumble safely before it counts.
One hundred 14- and 15-year-olds went through interviews across the day. Helen and Sarah each contributed five hours of one-to-one time across the cohort, with EBP Kent recognising the contribution against four themes: workplace skills, the job application process, personal confidence, and careers impact.
What EBP Kent does
Education Business Partnership Kent (EBP Kent for short) is a Kent-based charity that connects local employers with schools to support young people building employability skills. Their Employability Days bring volunteers from across local businesses together to interview students, offer feedback, and give a glimpse of what real workplace expectations look like.
This is the third consecutive year EBP Kent has run the event at Dover Grammar. The school sees it as a genuine positive impact on the personal confidence and aspirations of each student.
What the day looked like
Both Helen and Sarah spent the day as interviewers, sitting across from Year 10 students in 15-to-20-minute slots, working through realistic questions and providing immediate verbal feedback afterwards. For most of the boys, it was the first time they had been through anything resembling a job interview.
The pace was tight, with strict timings between sessions to make sure every student got a turn. The impact was visible by the end of the day.
What the students said
EBP Kent collected comments from students as they left their sessions:
“I really enjoyed having an interview. I didn’t think it would be a nice experience, but I was completely wrong.”
“Very useful. My interview gave me some really good feedback. Very kind and seemed impressed with my answers.”
“I think it’s really good for confidence. Especially as I haven’t done anything like this before.”
“Would have loved for it to be longer. I got on really well with my interviewer and found their feedback to be very useful.”
EBP Kent’s Natalie Coleman sent through a note of thanks afterwards:
“Giving up your time in the way that you have is an incredible gift for our charity and the school. It is becoming more and more vital that young people are able to build up a profile and evidence of experiences with employers, and your feedback, both written and verbal, will be utilised as they make their way gradually into the workplace.”
Natalie Coleman, EBP Kent
Why it matters
A Year 10 student’s first interview will happen one way or another. Saturday job applications, work experience placements, sixth form or apprenticeship interviews. EBP Kent’s Employability Days mean that interview can take place in a low-stakes setting, with someone qualified to give honest, kind feedback, before the stakes are higher.
It’s hard to overstate how much one positive interview experience can shift a young person’s confidence. The quotes above tell that story better than any report could.
We’re proud to have been part of the day, and we’re looking forward to year four. It echoes our work at Herne Bay High in April for their Year 10 mock interviews: same valuable exercise, different cohort, never stops being worthwhile.
In late May, Helen attended Kent Training & Apprenticeships‘ careers fair in Margate, talking to local residents about pathways into work and what opportunities Watkins can offer the community.
What the Work Ready programme is
Kent Training & Apprenticeships runs the “Work Ready” programme, part of Kent County Council’s effort to support young people and adults into employment. The course covers essential employability skills like CV writing, interview confidence and workplace expectations, and includes a period of work experience with a local employer.
It’s a vital programme. Across the UK, around 1 million young people aren’t currently in education, employment or training, and Kent is no exception. Courses like Work Ready are one of the few practical routes that help people break that pattern, especially in communities where employer access can be limited.
What Watkins is doing
We’re providing a work experience placement in July, across our administration and Health & Safety teams. The placement gives a Work Ready participant first-hand experience inside a working business, alongside our teams during a normal working week.
It’s the first placement we’ve offered through this route, and hopefully the first of many.
Why it matters
Programmes like this only work if local employers turn up. Without practical placements, the qualification doesn’t connect to real-world experience, and participants don’t get the confidence boost that comes from being inside a real workplace.
Watkins has a long history of supporting apprenticeships and community programmes across Kent. The Academy team itself includes several people who came into HSEQ from completely different roles through internal training and apprentice routes. We know first-hand how powerful the “grown our own” model can be.
If you’re an employer in Kent considering supporting the Work Ready programme or an equivalent apprentice initiative, we’d warmly encourage it. Local careers depend on local employers showing up.
