Career Guidance and Practical Training – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 practical skills 10 lecture theatre 11 brick wall 12 vegetarian curry

13 animation 14 cameras 15 mentor

16 presentation 17 certificate 18 graphic design

Liam: Hi everyone, my name’s Liam, and I’m here to tell you about a fantastic experience I had last month. My secondary school arranged for a group of us to spend a week at the local further education college for a vocational taster course. My teachers suggested it would be good for my university applications, but actually, I just wanted a break from normal school and the chance to try out some practical skills instead of sitting at a desk all day studying theory.

On Monday morning, we arrived feeling a bit anxious. We didn’t go to a normal classroom. We were expecting to meet in the sports hall because there were over a hundred of us, but instead, we all gathered in the lecture theatre for a welcome speech from the college principal. He told us to keep an open mind and try everything.

We were split into groups, and our first session was in the construction department. I thought we’d be doing woodwork, which I enjoy and have done a bit of before, however, the instructors had us working on a brick wall to see who could build it the straightest. It was incredibly messy, but very satisfying to see it go up.

The next day, we moved over to the hospitality and catering section. The head chef told us we were going to prepare a main course for our own lunch. Lots of people hoped we’d make pizzas, as that’s a classic teenage favourite, but we actually had to follow a recipe for a vegetarian curry which turned out to be absolutely delicious, even for the meat-eaters among us!

Wednesday was definitely my favourite day because we spent it in the digital media department. We were given a brief and told we could design a website or make a short film. In the end, my group opted to create an animation, which took ages because it required drawing so many individual frames, but it was really fun to watch it come to life.

I was absolutely amazed by the facilities in the media studio. The lighting rigs were very modern and the computers were super fast, but it was the cameras that really impressed me because they were exactly the same models that professionals use in the television industry.

Throughout the week, we weren’t just taught by the college tutors. Some older teenagers currently studying at the college were there to guide us too. I was assigned a mentor who gave me loads of useful advice about what college life is really like, the workload, and the independence you get.

Of course, the week wasn’t entirely easy. Getting up early to catch a different bus was tough, but the real test came on Friday afternoon. We didn’t have to take a written exam to pass the course, thank goodness, but doing a presentation in front of our parents and all the teachers made me quite nervous. We had to explain what we’d learned, and my hands were shaking!

After we’d finished speaking, everyone got a massive round of applause. We thought we might get a college hoodie as a souvenir, or maybe a nice badge, instead, the principal handed each of us a certificate to prove we’d completed the taster week. I’ve already framed mine!

The whole experience was brilliant and has really made me think about my future path. I used to be convinced that I wanted to be an architect, but after the media workshop, I’m seriously considering aiming for a career in graphic design when I finish school. I’d definitely recommend a taster course if you get the chance!

9 carpentry 10 skills assessment 11 black tunics 12 hand plane

13 wooden box 14 furniture designer 15 safety glasses

16 time management 17 local business 18 workshop owner

Liam: Hello everyone. My name is Liam, and I’m here today to talk about my experiences on the career guidance and practical training programme I’ve been doing for the last year. It’s been an incredible journey. When I first thought about a trade, my parents assumed I’d go for plumbing, because my uncle does that, and I briefly considered mechanics since I love cars. But actually, it was carpentry that really caught my imagination, largely because I enjoy working with raw materials and creating something from scratch.

Getting onto the course wasn’t quite what I anticipated. To get onto the career guidance programme, I thought we’d have to sit a formal interview with the principal, or maybe take an online quiz about our interests. Instead, everyone was required to complete a comprehensive skills assessment to see where our practical and logical strengths lay. It was quite challenging but really helped point me in the right direction.

Once accepted, we started our practical workshops at the academy. I remember the first day clearly. I’d imagined we would just wear heavy overalls, or maybe thick leather aprons to protect our clothes. However, we were told to leave our standard school uniforms at home and put on black tunics for all our practical sessions. Apparently, it’s a tradition at this academy, and they are quite comfortable to move around in.

Learning to use the equipment was fascinating, though a bit intimidating at first. I expected the electric saw to be the trickiest thing to learn, or perhaps the heavy power drill. But surprisingly, getting the hang of the hand plane proved to be the most difficult. You need a lot of physical control and patience to shave the wood down perfectly flat.

For our introductory task, we were all eager to build something complex. Most of my mates wanted to make a small chair, or perhaps a decorative birdhouse for their gardens. Our tutor, though, brought us back down to earth and instructed us to construct a simple wooden box so we could practice making perfect corner joints. It sounds boring, but getting it completely square was incredibly tough.

We are extremely lucky with our main instructor, Mr. Davies. He’s a brilliant guy. You might think he’s a traditional teacher, or a retired civil engineer given how precise he is, but he actually spent twenty years working as a furniture designer before joining the academy. He really brings a creative edge to the technical stuff we do.

He’s also incredibly strict about health and safety, which is a huge priority in the workshop. They don’t insist on heavy-duty gloves, as they can actually get caught in machinery, and steel-toed boots are recommended but optional. On the other hand, wearing safety glasses is an absolute rule the moment you step inside. If you forget them, you are sent straight back out.

The course has taught me a lot of things beyond just cutting wood. Obviously, my mental maths has improved from doing all the measurements, and teamwork is a big part of cleaning up the shop. Yet, the biggest takeaway for me has been time management, because meeting project deadlines is crucial if you want to pass the modules.

Looking ahead, I’m really excited about the spring term. The next step isn’t going straight to a technical college for more theory, nor are we being sent to a large manufacturing factory as I first feared. Instead, we are all placed in a local business for a six-week apprenticeship to gain real-world, hands-on experience with actual clients. I’ve been paired with a cabinet maker in town.

As for my long-term future, the career guidance sessions have really helped me figure out my goals. Some guys on the course want to become site managers in construction, and others hope to eventually teach the trade. For me, though, I’m determined to become a workshop owner and run my own custom cabinetry company one day. I know it will take years of hard work, but this programme has given me the perfect foundation. Thanks for listening!