FUTURES Friday Seminar welcomed back Sarah Sabine (SMOG 1989–1994 & Shenstone 1994–1996) and Blake Adams (Pole 2013–2023) for an inspiring session with pupils from Thirds to Upper Sixth.

We were delighted to welcome back Sarah and Blake for an engaging seminar titled “From Cocoa Bean to Conveyor Belt: Manufacturing and Engineering in the World’s Favourite Chocolate Factory.” With a full Lecture Theatre, Sarah shared insights into a day in the life of an Operations Manager, while Blake spoke about his journey since leaving Solihull, from A Levels to studying at the University of Bath and undertaking an internship as a Process Engineer.

Pupils took part in fun challenges during the session, complete with chocolate rewards. Working in groups, they were asked to identify, from a selection of popular chocolates, which would be the most expensive, the cheapest, the hardest, and the easiest to make. Sarah also guided pupils through the key steps involved in quality assuring a Creme Egg, much to their delight!

A big thank you to Sarah and Blake for an inspirational seminar and for all the chocolate treats!

Our FUTURES team works hard to produce a varied programme of FUTURES Friday Seminars, designed to appeal to a broad range of pupils. We have a programme of FUTURES Friday Seminars, and so if you are interested in taking part, Mrs Chillcott would be grateful to hear from you: ChillcottR@SolSch.org.uk. There is no need to be an experienced public speaker, or particularly senior in your organisation, as what we are looking for is a taster of ‘real life’ within various sectors.