WINDOW INTO THE WORLD OF WORK FOR WIRKSWORTH STUDENTS

As part of their careers week, a group of 30 Year 9 students have been given a  first-hand view of the wide variety of jobs involved in operating a quarrying company.
 
The students, from Anthony Gell School in Wirksworth, spent the day with Longcliffe Quarries Ltd, one of the largest independent quarrying companies in the UK which employs 190 people. 
 
From its two quarries near Wirksworth, the company produces over 100 calcium carbonate products for use in a wide range of essential applications from animal feed and glass making to adhesives and construction aggregates.
 
The 13 and 14-year-olds were taken on a tour of many parts of the company’s operations including quarrying, logistics, finance, commercial and its wind farm.  For their lunch break they were based at Hoe Grange Quarry (a former Longcliffe quarry and now a nature reserve) where they were shown the work the company does on  biodiversity with local nature organisations.   
 
Anthony Gell Assistant Headteacher Katy Lowe said: “These types of visits provide a valuable window into the world of work for our students.  The trip to Longcliffe gave Year 9 a meaningful encounter with a potential employer and a very interesting view of the variety of jobs they offer. The students were surprised to see that the operation doesn’t just offer heavy duty work in the quarry. Among other jobs, they also got to see sales and finance teams in action.”