A BBC presenter encouraged youngsters to pursue ethical careers on a visit to Portishead.

Gordano School hosted naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham on March 5 to talk to pupils about their professional aspirations for National Careers Week.

The Springwatch presenter hosted a conference with an expert panel, hoping to educate students on options for work and the ethical ramifications of their choices.

Pupils packed the hall to take part in a debate on environmental responsibility, in addition to gain valuable advice on professional paths they could follow.

Topics including equal opportunities, cyber security and the social responsibility of entrepreneurs in the modern world were also covered.

Environmentalists, academics, healthcare workers, technology gurus and transport experts formed the panel at the event, which was held in conjunction with online networking platform LikeToBe.

Its founder Antony Jinman said: “Issues such as the environment and equality are important to everyone, especially young people who are just starting out in the world.

“Many can feel like these concerns are a barrier to developing a career in certain subjects or they feel opportunities are closed to people from certain backgrounds.

“This is particularly true for hard-to-reach schools in rural or socially deprived locations.

“We want to show that this needn’t be the case and, along with these inspirational businesses and professionals, inspire and help pupils to aim for whatever they’d like to be.”

The talk was filmed by LikeToBe, and the video will be accessible online.

Dr Chris Beer, the school’s careers lead, said: “We were really excited for students across all year groups to engage with the speakers and online employers which to discuss environmental responsibility.

“We work hard to provide clear subject and community links to career paths and know how important it is to make learning interactive and relevant to our students.

“They all responded enthusiastically to the debate Chris Packham will ignite.”

To watch the conference, log on to www.liketobe.org