HUNDREDS of students were inspired by businesses at an event designed to showcase different career options.

Around 40 companies attended the second Get Inspired event at The Apollo Hotel, organised by Basingstoke Consortium.

A total of 440 students from 12 schools in Basingstoke and Deane attended throughout the day, to take part in activities and talks from different companies including Gillette, Basingstoke College of Technology, Conrad Manning Racing and Fortem Financial Management.

Cath Longhurst, chief executive of Basingstoke Consortium, said: “The first year was such a great success we have followed it up with another event with more schools, students and businesses. The idea is to inspire people who live in Basingstoke to understand the amazing opportunities available so they can aspire to a fantastic career in the local area. It’s raising aspirations.”

Among the businesses showcasing what they do was Wote Street People, a recruitment company from Basingstoke.

Maxine Hart from the Basing View based business, was challenging pupils to take part in a shape sorting task, putting shapes into the right holes in the quickest time.

She said: “Recruitment is often under pressure. This challenge is completed under pressure, it’s not easy to put a square shape into a square hole when you are under pressure.”

John Thompson, construction director for Jacobs Engineering, tasked pupils to build a bridge using domino pieces.

He said: “We build airports and design airport, working with airports all over the world.”

Will Verney, 13, from The Clere School, managed to complete the challenge, and said: “I want to do engineering so this is a pretty good challenge. It’s opened me to new things I didn’t know about, I didn’t know about this company before.”

Pupils could also listen to talks from apprentices, including Michaela Rennie, an apprentice with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

The 22-year-old who is doing a housing apprenticeship, said: “I really love it. It’s really strange being in a job every day where I want to go to work.”

Sarah Roberts, head of careers at Bishop Challoner School, was impressed by the event, and said: “The children are really engaged and there’s lots of different activities for them to do. I think it’s really opening their eyes to the range of careers and the colleges are also here so it shows them the routes they might need to take.”