College’s business brunch inspires ‘tomorrow’s women’

The College Merthyr Tydfil hosted a brunch event aiming to inspire the next generation of young women in business.

‘Business Brunch for Tomorrow’s Women’ saw over 80 girls from across local secondary schools, together with college learners attend three separate sessions hosted by inspiring women on Wednesday, March 20.

The three sessions included talks on Women in STEM and Construction; Women in the Arts; and Women Who Did it their Way, with each talk featuring a number of empowering role models from each of the sectors and a Q&A period in each session.

The first session entitled ‘Women in STEM and Construction’ was chaired by Siobhan Price and featured Louise Pennell from USW, Lilly Phillips from Tenneco, Kirsten Postle and Taylor Hedditch from Willmott Dixon and Dinda Yenon and Amber Murphy from General Dynamics.

‘Women in the Arts’ was the title of the second session and the panel was chaired by Non Stevens from Into Film. She was accompanied by Danny Marie Elias from Square Peg Studio, Isabel Benavides, an independent writer and illustrator, and Finnuala Buckley, a content creator for Get Into Film.

A final session, entitled ‘Women who did it their Way’, pupils heard from three inspirational women Fay Trowbridge, owner of Daisy Chain Florist, followed by Hannah Phillips, social runner and entrepreneur, and Rhian Lewis, an award-winning member of NHS Cwm Taf Morgannwg.

During the event, pupils were also fortunate to have an exhibition from Jenna McDonnell who showcased her fantastic theatrical creations and who spoke to pupils about running her own hair and beauty company.

All engaged with students on their respective fields, having a positive impact on their views of the industries discussed.

Alanis Andriola, student at the college, said: “I believe personally schools don’t give enough information about construction courses especially to young women.

“So, I am glad they’ve had an opportunity to learn more about the industry”.

Organised jointly with the Merthyr Tydfil Business Education Partnership to mark the International Women’s Day programme, the event aimed to inspire school pupils and college students by showcasing the achievements of successful women in these fields.

The Business Education Together Partnership (BETP) and SEAL (Schools Employers Aspiring Learners) agreement launched on Wednesday, January 31, and aims to link careers advice and guidance to key curriculum areas to ensure pupils and students across Merthyr Tydfil can explore future pathways on offer.

A spokesperson for the college said: “We were delighted to work with the Business Education Together Partnership to host this event and give young girls an insight of the future career pathways that are available to them.”

Members of staff from the college’s science, construction and creative arts teams were also on hand to chat to school students and answer any questions they may have about exploring their next steps, while a number of the students also displayed some of their work at the event.