In a fiercely competitive job market, employers can be increasingly demanding over candidates’ skills and experience. A solid, rounded education provided by Shiplake and further education which Sixth Formers may pursue following their departure from the College is all well and good, but work experience is also a vital component in making them strong candidates for job opportunities.
With this in mind, Year 12 pupils who have completed their exams spent last week on placement with firms to gain experience of life in the workplace. Some placements were organised by the pupil or their parents, but the vast majority were sourced by the College through our agency CBEBP.
There was a huge variety of placements undertaken by pupils, in local firms and large organisations further afield. Harry Berkley had the shortest commute as he spent the week helping our very own catering team. Many students travelled to London, including Thomas Moore who worked at Seven Seconds (E-Commerce) in Soho, Myles Smart Everett who was based at the London Film School and Toby Howe who went to Sky Sports in Osterley. Emma Haynes spent the week at Red Bull Technology in Milton Keynes. Whilst disappointed not to make a trip to the company’s head offices in Austria, Emma still enjoyed an informative and productive week.
Dr Bob Snellgrove, Head of Careers, popped into Reading on Thursday to see how our pupils were getting on. Firstly, he paid a visit to Mo Najeeb at the Mercure George Hotel who was busy serving customers and showing off his interpersonal skills. Next was Will Janes at SAS International, a market leading manufacturer and distributor of interior building products. Will cast his eye over interior design plans and used his creative nature to suggest new ideas.
Harrison Balchin (pictured above) and James Baker were both at the Trespass store in Broad Street Mall. The outdoor clothing retailer specialise in waterproof jackets, ski wear and equipment. Dr Snellgrove’s final stop was to see Ken Eshima at itsgonefunny.com in Caversham. Following exams on Monday and Tuesday, Ken spent the remaining three days at the computer repairs company.
All pupils appear to have had positive experiences whilst on placement, develop some valuable existing skills as well as learning a great deal of new ones. This week, they are exploring the world of higher education.
