A CAPTAIN of industry gave an inspirational talk to students at Harris C of E Academy.
Former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King took Year 10 students through a brief history of his career, from his first job on the production line at Mars to becoming boss of the retail giant.
Justin led Sainsbury’s for a decade, taking the 145-year old supermarket through huge shifts such as the growth of online retail and the rise of discounters. He also introduced the Nectar card, partnered with Jamie Oliver and opened small convenience stores.
He told the students about his career and how he progressed in the sector while giving valuable advice on how to stand out, become workforce ready and succeed.
He emphasised the need to choose university subjects and careers that interest them and that they enjoy – and urged them to consider a career in retail.
Mr King then took questions from students and staff, which included asking for advice about buying shares, the future of retail, what values drive him – and his salary at Sainsbury’s!
Deputy head teacher Roberta Harrison said: “Justin’s talk was very inspirational and extremely valuable to students considering their future careers. It was very engaging and encouraged students to build on their strengths and to work hard to achieve their life goals.”
A Year 10 student said: “I had never really thought about a career in retail, but it is something I am going to research further, as the opportunities look good.”
The talk was part of a programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance for which Harris Academy recently achieved the National Quality Award though Investors in Careers – the only school in the area to have achieved this.
It was arranged through Speakers for Schools, a charity which helps schools access influential speakers with the aim of levelling the playing field for young people of all backgrounds. Visit www.speakers4schools.org for more information.
