Get to Know the Team: Anja Koermer

Who are you?

Anja Koermer, Careers Manager for the Lydiate Learning Trust which includes Childwall Sports and Science Academy and Deyes High School.

When did you first become interested in careers?

I’ve always been fascinated by people and careers work gives me the opportunity to inspire people of all ages to discover possibilities, support them to create the lives they aspire to live and which they are proud of. Careers work creates ripple effects beyond one individual and supporting one individual can have a positive effect for their, family, and their community. Careers professionals hardly ever find out about the impact our work has, but when we find out what happened next and how this has impacted on the individual and their networks, that’s the greatest reward you can get.   

What was the last project you worked on, and did you enjoy it?

Every year we develop new projects and enhance the impact of long-standing programmes. At the end of the school year we’ve run Mock Interviews for all our Year 10 students who impressed with their maturity and confidence our 30 visiting professionals. As a Trust we are proud of our students achievements and encourage their personal development as much as their academic learning, watching them grow in front of our eyes into mature, responsible and confident young adults is a great opportunity to see how everything we have put in place has impacted on our students.   

How did you get involved with the ‘Drawing On Forced Marriage’ project?

I worked with Savera UK previously and believe in the importance of raising awareness around forced marriage in our schools to ensure potential victims are aware of support and peers can spot signs of somebody who might be a victim.  

What about the project excites you?

I strongly believe that the more people are aware of an issue , the more the issue can be addressed and prevented. Using a comic and lesson to educate all young people about forced marriage is a fantastic way of making young people aware of this issue. Our young people enjoyed the discussions and found the comic highly accessible.