WITH increasing competition for college places and jobs the ability to shine in and out of the classroom has never been as important.

So, with this is mind, mock interviews are being staged alongside mock exams for Turton School’s year 11 pupils.

Every GCSE student at the Bromley Cross school is offered the chance to take advantage of the scheme.

This academic year, 190 teenagers put themselves through the nerve-racking process — facing a panel of interviewers.

Learning mentor, Diane Ault, said: “There is fierce competition for college places, including for the sixth form at this school, and for jobs.

“Academic achievements alone are not enough, young people need to be able to prove themselves in an interview, something which they may never have had to do before.”

Mrs Ault said the interviews are designed to be as close to the real thing as possible and professionals — who are also parents of pupils at the school — conduct them. This year they included recruitment directors, accountants, human resources managers, police officers, civil servants and doctors. Pupils also have to complete an application form.

Two special tutorials are timetabled to help prepare the teenagers for the interview, where they are given tips on everything, from how to dress to filling in application forms.

Mrs Ault said: “This is taken very seriously — the children are undergoing a proper selection process.

“Those who don’t want to do it have to phone up and say they are not going to attend. But the uptake is very high, even though sometimes some of the young people do say they can’t go through with it because nerves get the better of them “But they are buzzing when they leave because the whole experience is positive.

“They are given feedback from the panel on how well they have done and how to improve. They receive grades for how they performed.”

Pupils agreed that the mock interview was a worthwhile experience.

Sam Glover, aged 15, said: “I was a little nervous and it was quite challenging, but I did better than I thought.

“My application form let me down. I was told to be more concise.”

Sophie Draper, aged 15, said she was given positive feedback on how to answer questions.

She said: “One thing the interviewer picked up on was the fact I had nail varnish on.

“I have a college interview soon and feel much more confident as a result the exercise.”

Mrs Ault said that the adults conducting the interviews were given a positive picture of young people.

She said: “Comments have included that some graduates had not interviewed as well as pupils at Turton and on how well-presented and confident the young people were.”