Dorset Studio School welcomed a wide range of land-focused employers onto campus on Monday 1st December for a dynamic Employer Engagement Day designed to inspire Year 10 and Year 11 students through hands-on experience, expert guidance and real industry interaction.
Despite persistent heavy rain, the school pressed ahead with its outdoor schedule—mirroring the real working conditions many countryside careers involve. Students climbed into full-size tractors, tested professional riding simulators and explored an impressive collection of agricultural machinery brought on site by employers including Velcourt and GCS Agricentre.
One of the most memorable moments came when students operated specialist machinery under the supervision of Knighton Countryside Management, taking the controls of a Ditch Witch and turning classroom theory into confident, practical action.
Mark Gibbens, Governor and Managing Director at Knighton Countryside Management, emphasised the impact of this type of learning:
“Days like Employer Engagement Day matter because they make careers feel real, not remote. When students can touch the controls, climb into the cab, and understand the people and purpose behind our industries, ambition becomes something tangible they can act on today.
As both a school Governor and someone working in countryside operations for over 30 years, I’ve seen how the school does things differently, blending academic foundations with hands-on exposure to the tools that shape land-based futures.
Around 10% of our workforce are alumni, a testament to the school’s ability to inspire and prepare young people for meaningful careers in ecology, engineering and land stewardship.”
He added that the rainy conditions only highlighted the resilience and authenticity of the day:
The rain didn’t dampen a thing, it proved the point. These students were out in it, asking, learning and doing.”
The school expressed sincere gratitude to the many organisations who contributed their time, expertise and equipment, including:
Wessex Water
Kier Group
Velcourt
Knighton Countryside Management
Dorchester Town Council
Haddon Training
Maiden Castle Farm
Winscombe Shoot
MJ Fry’s Agricultural Engineering
JF Cobb & Sons
Birds of Poole Harbour
Lynwood School of Veterinary Nursing
Agricultural Contracting Services & Hire
AR Richards
WT Box Agricultural Services
Dorset Trading Standards
Plus insight and demonstrations from a working Gamekeeper and further industry specialists across key countryside sectors.
Employer Engagement Day reaffirmed Dorset Studio School’s unique educational approach—one that blends academic study with practical, vocational experience, opening doors into agriculture, ecology, engineering, animal care and wider land-based industries.
Jason Malone, Principal, praised both students and industry partners:
“A sincere thank you to every employer who stood with us, quite literally, in the rain and gave our students a glimpse into futures shaped by skill, purpose and stewardship.
These moments matter because they transform possibility into perspective. When young people can ask real questions, see real machinery in action and meet the people driving countryside industries, inspiration stops being theoretical—it becomes personal.
Education isn’t only about preparing students for exams. It’s about equipping them for life. Today was a reminder of the power of doing, of community and of opening doors early. That’s what defines us, and that’s what stays with them—eyes bright, questions fired, horizons widened, whatever the weather.”
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