A guide to delivering effective school workshops

Supporting young people

When we work with schools, everyone benefits. Research shows that when young people meet and interact with employers, it helps them understand the world of work, build confidence, learn important skills, and feel more in control of their future choices.

Council employees benefit too. By engaging with schools, they can develop new skills that support their own career growth and strengthen the council’s reputation.

Your contribution can make a big difference

Engagement with employers can make a positive difference to a young person’s future job prospects. As one of Argyll and Bute’s largest employers we want to work with schools to:

• improve opportunities for young people and broaden their career horizons
• support the next generation of talent
• give back to our local communities and increase employee engagement
• promote specific skills such as STEM
• improve workforce diversity and social mobility
• improve educational and employment prospects for disadvantaged pupils
• develop employees personally and professionally
• embed our corporate social responsibility priorities
• promote our employer brand and reputation

This is a really important time to start building your links with our schools.

The council engages with all school aged pupils across Argyll and Bute, recognising the importance of early exposure to future careers and skills development. While we aim to work with young people throughout their school education journey, our engagement particularly focuses on secondary pupils from S1–S6, supporting them as they explore career related subjects and options, build confidence, and prepare for life beyond school.

We work with the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) team and our local schools throughout the year to give pupils different ways to learn about job types and career pathways, both in person and online. All DYW co-ordinated events are listed on MyCouncilWorks. These planned events help us (as an employer and educator) connect with pupils, but we can also offer other career related workshops during other points of the academic year e.g. application form sessions, employability skills workshops, and career workshops. If you’re interested in getting involved in any of these activities and would like to deliver a workshop, either as part of an event or independently, please read this guide and contact the Resourcing team via the HROD Helpdesk for more information. 

Here is a suggested plan to help you prepare and structure your workshop, along with some helpful tips on how to engage and interact with young people attending your session.

Workshop overview 

Start by creating a short overview of what the workshop is about and the target audience for your records and to help develop key learning outcomes and activities.

• Title of Workshop
• Year Group(s) i.e. Senior Phase pupils S4-S6
• Duration e.g. 45-60mins (max 2 periods)
• Format e.g. in person / virtual
• Number of school pupils / participants
• Facilitators (team representatives)

Key Learning Outcomes 

Be clear about the scope, duration and aims of the engagement. That way you have a framework for reviewing what’s been done, seeing how to make improvements and keeping the engagement relevant to the ever-changing contexts within the labour market, council and education.

Specify what pupils will be able to do by the end of the workshop. Here’s an example of simple, age-appropriate and action-focused learning outcomes:

• describe what the organisation does and the types of jobs it offers
• understand different job types and career pathways
• identify the skills and qualities that employers look for in professions

Workshop Structure

It’s important to give your workshop some structure so you and the pupils get the most out of the session and help you stay on track. There’s no set rule about how it should look (as its flexible), but here’s a suggested format to help you get started:

Before the visit

• Confirm the timing, class size, room layout, and any additional requirements
• Check for safeguarding requirements, including sign-in procedures
• Prepare material suitable for the age group (worksheets, props, digital content).
• Test any technology beforehand (videos, slides, devices, etc.)
• Ensure any activities are inclusive and suitable for different abilities and learning styles

Materials Checklist

Here’s an example of a materials checklist to support the delivery of your workshop:

• ❑ Activity instructions (printed or digital / online)
• ❑ Hands-on materials that bring the workshop to life (cards, props, markers, games, role-play items)
• ❑ Evaluation forms (if used)
• ❑ Certificates or takeaways (optional)
• ❑ Presentation (simple, visual, minimal text)

Different Learning Styles

Pupils learn in different ways. Here are some common learning styles to consider when delivering your workshop:

• Visual Learners (learn by seeing)
  • What helps them learn – images, diagrams, videos, colours
• Auditory Learners (learn by listening)
  • What helps them learn – explanations, discussions, reading aloud, music
• Kinaesthetic Learners (learn by doing)
  • What helps them learn – hands on activities, moving around, building, role play
• Reading / Writing Learners (learn through words)
  • What helps them learn – written instructions, note-taking, work / activity sheets
• Social Learners (learn with others)
  • What helps them learn – group work, teamwork, discussions

Principles for Engagement

• Keep it active – include movement, teamwork, creative tasks or videos/films.
• Use real-life examples – link concepts to everyday experiences and help pupils imagine what jobs and careers are like
• Make it visual – images, props, short demos
• Encourage curiosity – build in time for questions, let students explore, ask questions, solve problems. Encourage participants to bring a prepared question to get them to engage.
• Keep instructions simple – children learn best by doing, not solely listening

Suggested Activity Types

Employer workshop activities can be grouped into the following categories and dependent on the ages of the pupils:

• Team challenges (i.e. small groups solving a task)
• Role play or scenarios
• Build or create something
• Decision-making tasks
• Interactive quizzes
• Rotation stations with different mini activities

Here are some practical and ready to ‑to‑use examples and exercises / activities for school pupils during your workshop session:

Prior to the session

• Give teachers a short question prompt sheet e.g. what do you want to know about their job?
• Ask pupils to write one question on a sticky note before entering the room
• Let them choose from categories i.e. salary, pathways, subjects, skills etc (lessons the pressure of inventing a question on the spot)

During the session

• Use a warm-up activity at the start – before you begin have pupils talk in pairs for 60 seconds about:
  • What they already know about the topic
  • One thing they’ like to know from the session
• Structured Q&A methods:
  • Question Lottery- pupils write their questions anonymously, you pick them from a container, thereby removing fear of asking questions verbally
  • ‘Ask it’ basket – questions go into a box during the talk and you answer them later
  • ‘Model the behaviour’ – you pose your own question first i.e. “what do you think my job involves”? or “how long do you think it took me to train?” This is a good way to increase pupil engagement
• Create a safe and relaxed atmosphere –
  • Encourage a ‘no wrong question’ culture

Closing the session

• Close with a reflective question- end the session asking pupils “what question(s) do you still have that didn’t get answered?” A student may volunteer out loud
• Signpost pupils to resources – including relevant websites i.e. Argyll and Bute Council, subject areas to explore, upcoming events etc
• Share your work email – with the teacher, so pupils can contact you if they want to know more about any of the topics / content you covered during your workshop

Ensure your workshop:

• Uses clear, simple and age-appropriate language and visuals (avoid jargon)
• Is delivered at a steady pace
• Avoids assumptions about prior knowledge of career and education routes
• Is suitable for all pupils and encourages their contributions
• Supports visual, auditory, and hands-on learners

Follow all council and school protocols and local safeguarding procedures ensuring you:

• Avoid taking photographs unless authorised
• Use positive, respectful communication
• Managing group behaviour and any issues that arise, in keeping with the guidance of teaching staff attending.

You may wish to gather feedback using the following methods:

• Quick reflection questions i.e. what’s the one thing you’re taking away from today’s session?
• A simple emoji-scale survey (👍 😐 👎)
• Teacher / Council feedback form

Feedback will help to improve future workshops and the overall pupil experience.

These tips will help ensure you deliver a successful workshop

• Smile, be enthusiastic and personable
• Make room for dialogue not just delivery (interact with pupils)
• Praise effort, creativity, problem solving and teamwork
• Allow quiet reflection time
• Stay flexible and adapt to the group’s energy

Online sessions are a newer way for us to reach pupils, especially those in schools located in remote parts of Argyll and Bute. While we encourage in-person ‑person workshops wherever possible, we also support teams to deliver sessions online when travelling to schools is difficult because of their geographical location or due to resource constraints.

Whilst all the guidance above still applies when delivering online workshops, there are a few differences to keep in mind when engaging remotely. Here’s some helpful tips for running virtual engagement sessions with school pupils:

Before the Virtual Workshop 

• Test your technology – check your camera, microphone, screen‑sharing and internet connection in advance of your session
• Keep your slides simple and visual – minimal text, use images / icons to support your message
• Plan short, interactive segments – attention can decrease faster online, so break up the session periodically
• Send any materials early – teachers can help prepare pupils and ensure accessibility needs are met
• Set expectations – let the teacher know if you need cameras on/off, chat use, breakout rooms, or pre‑prepared questions

During the Virtual Workshop 

• Start with warmth – a friendly welcome, a quick poll, or a fun question helps pupils relax (refer to Workshop Structure section)
• Use multiple ways to engage – polls, chat box questions, hand‑raise icons, short tasks, quizzes etc.
• Keep a steady pace – speak clearly and avoid talking for long periods. Switch activities to maintain energy (if possible)
• Encourage questions– use the chat function or ask pupils to vote on questions asked (also refer to Making Your Workshop Interactive section). You might also ask the school to help gather a list of questions from pupils before the session and send them to you in advance

Ending the Virtual Workshop 

Bringing an online session to a close can follow the same approach as an in-‑person workshop (refer to Closing the Session section). However, you may consider using a quick online poll / survey to gauge learning or capture any reflections before wrapping up.