The future of tech is on the horizon
The professional world can only become more diverse if there's greater visibility over the roles available, for all. For many students, by the time they leave school, they've had minimal contact with the professional world. Limited access to office-based work experience, no direct access to people in those roles, and a lack of network to reach out to all contribute to this.
We've partnered with LAE Tottenham to provide their students with an understanding of the jobs available in an organisation like ours.
The partnership programme includes:
- Speed Networking – Quickfire Q&As with our staff to break down their job roles and functions
- Confidence Building Workshops – Identifying their strengths, discovering which roles suit them best, exercises in confidence building, interviewing and networking
- Career Coaching – Putting together a LinkedIn profile, CV and cover letter
- Programming and coding sessions – Working with our software engineers to gain confidence in what will be a key skill for future generations
In January, we launched a pilot session with fourteen students. For our employees, who have all carved out successful careers in the tech industry from varying backgrounds, it's an opportunity to share their knowledge.
"I did a similar day in sixth form as part of a leadership day, and it was an utter disaster. I took absolutely zilch from it and left the day feeling less confident in myself. Having the opportunity to be involved in an important day for these students and offering them some of the tools and tips I wish I'd had was great. Something we should do a lot more of."
- Keiran Jakeman, Training Manager
During the day, the students met with volunteers from different Paymentsense departments for a variety of sessions. These sessions included personality profiling, a panel on initiating and nurturing mentor relationships, understanding body language and non-verbal cues and top tips for stellar presentations.
"Mentors have played an enormous role in my career, so it was fantastic to share my experiences of developing relationships with the people that have opened doors for me. I hope it gave the LAE students the confidence to reach out to people that could make the difference for them."
- Luke Bishop, Head of Copy
The day ended with high spirits all-round. The stories, ideas and perspectives presented throughout the day gave our team a lot of food for thought. We're looking forward to continuing our partnership with LAE Tottenham.
"The opportunity to meet such an inspired bunch of students and be part of their emerging professional journey is a small contribution but huge on personal fulfilment."
- Hugo Sousa, Head of Channel Marketing
About LAE Tottenham
LAE is a selective 16-19 free school that brings together the resources and expertise of several leading London independent schools and organisations. The school prioritises local students most likely to benefit from an academically-rigorous curriculum and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, giving Tottenham's brightest students the best possible chance of accessing top universities.
