Monday 26 October 2015

PwC Actuary Visits Y5&6

Year 5&6 pupils had a fantastic opportunity to meet an actuary from Price Waterhouse Coopers. We believe that it is vital for the pupils to hear from professionals in order to inspire them to aim for great careers for themselves and see the purpose in their everyday maths and literacy lessons.

Graham Oswald has been an actuary with Price Waterhouse Coopers for over 12 years and now leads a team of professionals who work in the insurance and reinsurance industry.

What is an actuary?
Actuaries manage risk. They work for companies in a range of fields, but especially in insurance and pensions, analyzing the potential for undesirable events to occur and helping to plan for (or avoid) those events. Actuaries are key players in management teams that help businesses plan for the future.

It was explained to be like the probability in our maths lessons. The more likely that an event is to occur, the more expensive the risk. You also have to create a good plan in case that event happens. If you have too many likely risks then your business may well fail!
Endurance Hartford

Do they have to use our learning behaviours?
Graham explained to our pupils that the 4Rs are very important in his line of work:
We have to use resilience, as deals can take a very long time to complete. If you gave up then you wouldn't achieve very much. Reciprocity is vital. Our company is huge. There are over 4,000 employees in just the London office where I am based. We also have to work with clients - many of whom are overseas. It is vital that we listen to our clients and the team so that we achieve the best results we can.

Pupil Feedback
I could see that maths is a vital skill for the work that Graham does. It sounded quite exciting having to manage risk and help companies. Now I can see why we have to understand about probability and how I can use that skill!
Sophie Lewis - Year 5

Graham made being an actuary sound fun. I'd love to be able to lead a team and travel to foreign countries as part of my job. I will have to concentrate in class though as he had to get GCSEs, A Levels and a degree! It took him a long time to achieve his current position
Isaac Stevens

What was the impact of the visit?
100% of those who took part had a better understanding of how maths can be used in a career
100% felt able to explain what an actuary does for a living
100% recognised that Higher Education is vital to achieve access to professional careers

We were delighted that Graham was able to give up some of his time, in what is a very busy diary. By coming out and speaking to our pupils, they have left the session inspired to work even harder in their maths lessons. We believe that it is vital to expose our most able pupils to careers they may never have considered, or heard of, so that they have a renewed sense of purpose in their studies and an aspirational target for where they want to get to.
Mr Drakes - Headteacher

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