Andy Pickles Speaker | Enterprise & Careers & Assemblies and Celebrations Events & Music

Andy Pickles

Life is about expression, so express yourself!

Having spent over 30 years in the entertainment industry and 10 years working in the education sector as CEO of the careers guidance company U-Explore, Andy pulls on all his experiences as a number one selling artist, international DJ and business leader to deliver motivating talks and key note speeches to audiences of all ages.

His particular passion is working with young people and helping them unlock their potential, no matter what their background or circumstance. By using his back story as the dyslexic kid from Ridgewood Comprehensive in Doncaster, he takes young people (and staff) on a journey through the art of the possible which saw him achieve three number 1 singles and 10 million record sales with the infamous Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers and all the ups and downs that came with that.

The underlying theme and the ‘takeaway’ for young people is about skills, competencies and the attitude you need if you want to achieve success and unlock your true potential.

Having developedthe countries leading careers information platform, Andy is well positioned to deliver year assemblies to help young people focus on the key things they need to do to help them make positive transitions at those key moments of choice.

Andy is also a popular choice for celebration and awards evenings as mums, dads and carers are always entertained by the story of how a rabbit from Rotherham could take the charts by storm and have three number ones in 1989!

Testimonials from Teachers

"It was good. We had so few Yp with 2 of them EAL which we weren’t expecting!! The aim was for 20-30 GCSE students so our frustrations were great. Andy worked well with the Yp he was presented with, so thank you."

– Kathryn Holland, Lead Education Adviser, Children in Care Education Service (North)

"Andy gave an inspiring and motivational talk to years 7-11 about how he has progressed from being an entertainer to a successful businessman. The students were engrossed for the full session which left them thinking 'I could do that' which should have a positive impact upon their attainment and progression into the world of work."

– Barbara Trayer, Assistant Principal. South Leeds Academy.

"Andy was the keynote speaker at our annual youth conference in November 2011 and the workshop he delivered to the young people from across the Babergh district was informative and inspirational. He is a fantastic presenter - he created a real buzz and related exceptionally well with his audience. It made for a fantastic youth event"

– Karina Coghlin, Event Manager

"Andy Pickles fitted in very well with our careers programme. His background and anecdotes really appealed to students."

– Chris McAllister, Deputy Head, Mount St Mary's School