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Warburtons Bring a Slice of the Graduate Careers World to The Sixth Form Bolton

We were delighted to welcome representatives from Warburtons to The Sixth Form last week for a workshop designed to widen our students’ understanding of the graduate labour market and how major employers recruit.

The session focused on the breadth of graduate trainee schemes available to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds. Speakers emphasised the transferable skills developed through studying subjects such as english, history, and other humanities, and how these skills translate into roles within large organisations.

One of the key voices was Shaquille Ebuje-Swarbrick, a current graduate trainee at Warburtons, who shared his journey from studying English at King’s College London to securing a place on the company’s competitive graduate programme. His story highlighted the value of strong communication, critical thinking, and adaptability in the recruitment process.

Students also heard from Kelly Watson, Category Development Manager, and Adele Bailey, Senior Customer Business Manager. They offered insight into Warburtons’ recruitment processes, including what the company looks for in applicants and the steps students can take during university to stand out in a crowded graduate market. Their advice covered gaining relevant experience, building commercial awareness, and demonstrating initiative.

Alongside career insights, the Warburtons team introduced students to the history of the company and the factors that have helped it become the UK’s best-known bakery brand.

The session concluded with ‘The Warburtons Challenge’, a simulated assessment‑centre task. Students worked in groups to select a Warburtons product and develop a pitch aimed at persuading A to stock it. The activity gave participants a hands‑on taste of the kind of teamwork, creativity, and commercial thinking expected in real graduate recruitment exercises.

Jill Whitham, Head of Careers at The Sixth Form outlined that it was a really valuable event for the students:

“The vast majority of our students progress to university after sixth form, and we wanted this session to help them understand the full value of degree-level education — particularly in terms of graduate employment prospects. We were also keen to emphasise that university is about far more than earning a qualification; it is an opportunity for personal growth, enrichment, and the development of transferable skills that strengthen a student’s CV. We were delighted to welcome Warburtons to our sixth form. As both a respected local employer and one of the UK’s best-known brands, their involvement was especially meaningful. We look forward to building on this partnership and creating further opportunities that enhance our students’ career awareness and skills development.”

Shaquille Ebuje-Swarbrick from Warburtons felt the event was a huge success saying:

A huge thank you to Shaquille, Kelly and Adele from Warburtons for delivering this event. Our students really enjoyed it and took a lot from it.