On Tuesday 26 March, KS5 students attended their final UTC Pipeline Programme day of the academic year.
Since September, students in Year 12 and 13 have teamed up with their chosen industry expert for four sessions across the year, to help develop the skills that are needed in the workplace.
The programme is designed to develop a talent pipeline, as students and employers work together on employability skills workshops, technical briefings and work placements.
For their final session of the year, Fujitsu, Network Rail and Wiltshire Police each worked with their groups on a wide range of innovative and engaging activities, before working through all of the valuable lessons taught since the start of the year.
Network Rail offered their students the chance to experience a typical recruitment day, by challenging them to a group bridge-building exercise. Each student was watched closely by a member of the Network Rail team and assessed on their individual performance. Students were then shown in detail, each of the set criteria they were being assessed on, and were able to receive real feedback from industry experts. This session highlighted the importance of teamwork, leadership and communication skills.
Meanwhile, Wiltshire Police introduced students to the role drones play in policing investigations. This included viewing and analysing the footage that the drone had taken. Students also learned about the role of Digital Media Investigators in relation to digital opportunities within different aspects of policing. The students were introduced to internet investigations, and set challenges to obtain information using the techniques they had learned. The day ended with an introduction to the dog section, where students heard about the valuable role of dogs within missing person, public order and investigative situations.
Those in with Fujitsu looked closely at the role of a Chief Information Security Officer – the responsibilities, what a typical day is like and a real-world view of how to win friends and influence people. Students were also engaged in various cyber activities, such as exploring whether the latest smartphone is more secure than an RAF Typhoon and what would happen if it were lost. The day finished with a quiz, testing learnings from all four sessions and the chance to win the prize!
Year 12 student, Ronan, said: “I have really enjoyed each of the pipeline sessions. I love the way Fujitsu have run the practicals. I would definitely consider aiming for a career in Fujitsu when I finish my studies.”
Linda, Cyber Security and Network Solutions Practice Lead at Fujitsu, said: “Over the course of the four sessions I’ve seen the student’s confidence grow and a shift in the way they work, which has been fantastic. We invited and used feedback from each session to tweak future activities and I believe this has further enhanced engagement and value. It has been a privilege working with the students – we have thoroughly enjoyed it and are looking forward to the year ahead.”
Head of Employer Engagement Strategy, Mike Halliday, said: “The Pipeline has enabled the UTC to build strong relationships with employers while addressing their recruitment challenges, but more importantly, to provide students with the skills they need to prepare them for their next career move following their time at the UTC. With more partners signed up for the next year, we are offering a unique learning journey that delivers a great experience for our students”.
Thank you to our UTC Pipeline partners for their commitment to our students and for continuing to run such engaging, invaluable sessions.
