New chair appointed at careers initiative

A careers initiative that has helped thousands of secondary school pupils across the city has appointed a leading figure from the University of Derby as its new chair.

Louise Pigden, the university’s deputy dean of the College of Science and Engineering, has taken up the post at E4E, a scheme backed by Derby City Council.

She replaces Mike Copestake, who has been involved with E4E since it was launched in 2014.

E4E was created in a bid to link employers with secondary schools and students in the city.

The public-private sector organisation offers mock interviews, CV workshops and mentoring, with employees from organisations in Derby – including Rolls-Royce, Alstom, Toyota and the university – who all volunteer their time.

Louise said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed chair of E4E – and I have some big boots to fill; Mike has done a brilliant job for the past eight years.

“The core mission of E4E has always been to inspire the school children of Derby to achieve great things, open their eyes to opportunities, and to do this by introducing them to fantastic volunteers from Derby’s employers.

“As a volunteer myself, I have witnessed first-hand how impactful it can be; it is a joy to talk to young people about their aspirations, to positively influence them, give them ideas or a little bit of practice by taking part in mock interviews or CV workshops.”