Guest Speakers

We regularly welcome guest speakers from well known companies and local businesses into school. The knowledge and wisdom that they can share with students, focusing on their particular sector is unparalleled. Students enjoy the career stories, especially those shared by the apprentices that often come along to take part. All talks and presentations cover the current routes into employment and discuss the link of the career to the curriculum subject.

Here are some of our 'regulars':

Sam Teale Video Productions

Sam visited Woodkirk Academy last year to deliver his ‘motivational’ talk to our Year 10 students, since then he has won a multitude of awards, to include ‘Rising Star’, ‘Independent Company of the Year’ and ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’, this one he has won twice!

His highly skilled and passionate team (with a very impressive average age of 21 years) specialises in crafting emotive and engaging video content for brands, businesses and organisations worldwide.

In December 2022, his creative video production company gained international recognition with their viral Christmas advert, The Go-Kart, which resonated with over 40 million people across 120 countries, proving that powerful storytelling can inspire global audiences. This project, celebrating the message that "Christmas is made, not bought," won multiple awards, including the Advertising Campaign of the Year Under £50K at the Prolific North Creative Awards.

Their innovative and cinematic approach has attracted collaborations with leading brands, including Booking.com, Santander, Budweiser, RockFace, the BBC, as well as partnerships with local businesses and charities.

His team has recently created a film based on the true stories of knife crime victims in West Yorkshire, which has now been released to raise awareness of the dangers of carrying blades. The project secured funding from Safer Kirklees and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership and will be shown in schools.

This year, he has been incredibly busy (no surprise to us), but he still found time to record his own video for our students. Sam & team - you are an inspiration, and we are very grateful for your support.

Sam Teale Productions

Gregg Jowitt - From Teacher to Gym Owner

Gregg Jowitt joined the Sixth Form during a Careers assembly to share his knowledge and life experience when it comes to the world of work. 

Gregg trained the traditional route to become a PE teacher, found his love of personal training in his spare time, and risked his steady income and lifestyle to follow his passion.

He now owns the local, successful ‘Gainzfit’ gym in Morley. 

He talked about resilience, mental health, the competitive world and networking for success, and the students found his talk thought provoking and were able to ask questions within the session.

Phil Fraser - Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

Woodkirk Academy have welcomed Phil Fraser to host a Sixth Form Careers assembly. 

Phil successfully founded, ran and subsequently sold a multi award-winning online business in a multi-million-pound sale to a plc. 

Sixth form students were entertained by his career story: starting a business from within his home, his failure to secure a loan, and then taking a completely different business direction, which ultimately leaded to his immense success. 

Students were intrigued throughout his talk and found his presentation thought-provoking, creating a vibrant environment where lots of questions were asked! 

Student comments included ‘he was realistic and relatable’, ‘it made me feel more prepared for an interview’, ‘I was thankful for the different examples on career websites’ and ‘I found it all useful’. 

Yorkshire Post have recently published an article on Phil, link is attached.