PART OF WYMONDHAM COLLEGE CAMPUS ‘SOLD’ IN STUDENT AUCTION

Three parcels of property at Wymondham College have been auctioned off by Year 9 students – as part of a programme of activity designed to develop their teamwork and leadership skills.

The one day workshop, devised and delivered by seven senior surveyors, estate agents and property professionals from Norfolk-based property firm Arnolds Keys, saw 18 Year 9 students evaluate, market and ‘sell off’ parts of the college campus in a realistic exercise designed to mirror the residential, commercial and agricultural property business.

The day culminated in the auction with teachers and students made up the ‘bidders’, which saw bids of up to £450,000 made to ‘buy back’ a playing field, the college’s reception building and staff accommodation.

The workshop was part of the Shine Programme, which is working with a selected group of Year 9 boys to encourage their engagement with academic and college life.  It was organised by school careers leader Liz Edwards, SHINE Programme lead Becky Arnold and school enterprise adviser Jan Hÿtch, operations partner at Arnolds Keys.

“The boys have worked fantastically today.  It is quite daunting walking into a room of professionals and knowing that you’ll be doing their job with them watching you!  Everyone rose to the challenge and I can’t thank the Arnold Keys team enough for giving their time to support our students,” said Becky Arnold, SHINE Programme lead and deputy head teacher at the college. 

Jan Hÿtch added, “The corporate world sometimes bemoans the fact that young people leaving education don’t always understand the world of work.  We believe that it is up to us in business to do what we can to put that right.

“It is vital for businesses to engage with young people while they are still in education, to demonstrate in a practical way how what they are learning in the classroom is relevant to the skills that they will need when they enter the world of employment.

The SHINE Programme is funded by the Times Educational Supplement and SHINE, which is a charity that gives children the opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence they need to turn their potential into success at school and beyond.

As the school’s enterprise adviser, Jan Hÿtch is working with staff at the school to advise on their employer engagement strategy, and helping the school build a better network of business contacts.

This is the second year that the college and Arnolds Keys have worked together to deliver such a workshop.