Motivating guest speakers inspire HSDC Havant students

A range of guest speakers and thought-provoking workshops filled HSDC’s Havant Campus on Criminology, Law and Sociology’s ‘Career Day’.

A variety of industry professionals visited a large number of students to provide them with a detailed insight into their professions and what it would look like to work within their industries. 

The day started with a workshop session in the Studio Theatre with Claire Smith and David Knowles from the University of Portsmouth who focused on the Professional Policing Degree, incorporating elements of subjects such as Criminology, Sociology and Psychology.

The workshop was also centred around a realistic knife crime where a woman was robbed at knifepoint and students were tasked with interviewing the victim whilst considering police tactics for arresting the suspect, searching for evidence and dealing with the media. Some students became Senior Police Officers in a mock press conference where they dealt with tricky questions from journalists and understood the importance of open questions.

David, who explained that the Professional Policing Degree could support an application to join the police said:

“The HSDC students were such a pleasure to interact with and a huge credit to the College. We were impressed with their knowledge and interest in the subjects we discussed, and it made it enjoyable for us that they agreed to engage so well with the scenario.”

He added:

“We were particularly impressed with those students who volunteered to be Senior Police Officers in a mock press conference – they responded to challenging questions in a very professional manner. They would make excellent Police Officers.”

Claire Smith added:

Law students were also greeted by guest speakers, consisting of Charlotte and Courtney-Leigh who work as solicitors at Glanville’s. They spoke about their careers to date and how they got into their current positions. Both individuals also explained the type of pathways students could take if they are interested in the field, whilst also detailing the types of roles which included family law.

Students were also visited by the Counter Terrorism Policing Communications Network, Wessex Sussex County Council, Immigration Compliance Enforcement plus many more giving students a range of career options to think about.

A huge thank you to all the guest speakers, it was an excellent day.