Towards the end of the summer term, our Year 12 cohort stepped into the world of careers, undertaking a week of work experience placements across a wide range of industries and organisations. From global corporations and luxury brands to local businesses, charitable organisations, and cutting-edge technology firms, pupils embraced opportunities to explore potential career pathways while developing vital employability skills.
Placements this year included renowned organisations such as EY Global, The Spectator, Procter & Gamble, Gilead Sciences, Aston Martin, Addleshaw Goddard LLP, Savills, Softcat, and the Aston Martin Formula One Team at Silverstone. Others gained experience in sectors including hospitality, politics, education, engineering, property, healthcare, marketing, media, fashion, and agriculture.
Head of Careers, Mrs Louise Rapple Moore, said: “Work experience is an invaluable experience for our young people. A placement will give them transferable skills that they don't even realise they are gaining, such as taking orders, working under pressure and the importance of being pro-active and working as part of a team. They may be able to build contacts for the future, or even get an offer of more work at a later date, and even if the type of work is not something they are considering, they will have gained a good understanding of the reality of life in the workplace.”
The placements provided pupils with meaningful insight into professional environments and allowed them to contribute to genuine projects. Ryan Bloor, who completed his placement at Bloor Homes, worked across several departments, creating social media content, researching competitors, and producing reports. Reflecting on the experience, he said: “I did different tasks at Bloor Homes across different departments including creating posts for the social media, reports on competitors and lots of spreadsheet work. I learned how to use certain platforms such as Canva and Excel. I enjoyed my time in marketing, commercial, and health and safety, including being on a building site.”
For some pupils, the experience helped confirm career aspirations. Luca Terziu, who spent the week with Aston Martin, said: “It was really interesting to get an insight into the potential area I would like to go work in and to do it at such an amazing firm such as Aston Martin. We all really enjoyed ourselves and learnt so much. I really appreciate having this amazing opportunity.”
Others gained valuable experience in service and hospitality. Talia Lee spent her week at the prestigious Milestone Hotel & Residences in Kensington: “The experience gave me a strong insight into how a five-star hotel operates and showed me the importance of professionalism and delivering customer service. The week has helped me build my confidence in a professional environment and has given me a better understanding of the hospitality industry.”
Meanwhile, Zac Fisher enjoyed a hands-on placement with the Rivertime Boat Trust, supporting trips along the Thames for children with special educational needs. “I especially enjoyed taking the SEN children for their trips down the Thames, learning to use the locks on the river and I even enjoyed cleaning the boat!”
The week also highlighted the variety of opportunities available to young people. Niamh Quinn, who worked with Mr Freddie van Mierlo MP, contributed to projects aimed at engaging younger voters, researched issues affecting young people, designed communications materials, and drafted correspondence on behalf of the office. Elsewhere, Clemmie Cullen worked on upcoming projects for popular brands Ben's Original and Dolmio at Mars Food and Nutrition, while Harry Moon gained experience in marketing and artificial intelligence, helping test software and conduct SWOT analyses at 2112 Marketing.
It was wonderful to read so much positive feedback from those overseeing the placements. Our pupils made positive impressions on everyone they met and demonstrated good work ethics, a willingness to learn, and excellent attitudes.
Here are just a few of the comments received:
- Zak has been great this week. He has really immersed himself within the world of human performance and commercial within our world at Aston Martin Formula One Team. We have loved having him here – we have been very impressed with his charisma, interest, commitment and knowledge.
Gio was an absolute pleasure to host, such a lovely young lad. We had a lot of fun with him, and hopefully he now has a solid understanding of the commercial property lease advisory world. He fitted in really well with the team, and the experience seemed to give him a good sense of the pace and social nature of the industry.
Harriet was a pleasure to have; she is very polite and although a lot of information was thrown her way she seemed happy to listen and undertake tasks when asked.
Bella did so well last week, she really came out of her shell and became a valued member of the team.
Work experience remains a key part of the Shiplake College careers programme, helping pupils transition between education and employment while developing confidence, independence, and professional skills. We are extremely grateful to all the employers, organisations, parents, and members of the wider Shiplake community who supported our pupils this year and helped make the programme such a success. We look forward to seeing how the experience shapes our pupils' future ambitions as they continue their journeys beyond Shiplake College.
