Last week we opened the doors of our office to a group of Year 9 & 10 students from a nearby school.

Last Tuesday’s office visit was just one way in which we’re trying to enhance employability in our local area and offer opportunities for students to meet with employers.

‘Step into Hireserve’ began with a speed networking session. The students were divided into small groups and each spent ten minutes with a member of the Hireserve team before moving on to the next person. From talking to Lewis about his route into employment through an apprenticeship to finding out about Dan’s university course, the students got to discover how we found our way into a career into IT.

“I was surprised to learn how younger people had a broader knowledge of the different career paths available,  they were more open to choosing apprenticeships and internships.”  – Lewis, Apprentice Web Developer

After a short break we then held a social media workshop, looking at the pitfalls and positives of having a social media profile. It was great to open up a discussion with the students, from their own social bug bears (namely people moaning on Facebook!) to their thoughts on cases like Paris Brown, who resigned after offensive tweets were unearthed from when she was younger.

In addition to our office visitors, last week was Learning at Work Week – a time for businesses to commit to developing employees’ skills and enhancing employee engagement.

‘Step into Hireserve’ not only offered the students the chance to learn something new; it also meant that we learnt more about the challenges facing young people today. We learnt about their knowledge and understanding of routes into employment, and we discovered more about their perception of social media and its uses. We found out about their knowledge of the digital world and how advanced it is.

“It was particularly interesting to see how young people’s perspectives on IT in general seem to have changed in the last fifteen years – most obvious in their familiarity with the mobile app industry, which wasn’t even a concept when I was their age.” – Simon, Applications Developer

It was a well-spent morning, and is hopefully something we’ll do again next year. If a simple office visit can inspire even just one school student to pursue a career in IT and feel confident they can make it, then that’s a real result.

Find out more:

Meet Dan, our Industrial Placement Student

Find out about the Question of Education event

Discover why SMEs need to be shouting about apprenticeships

Interested in a career in IT? We’re hiring!