Today Joseph and Stephanie took a day out from the office to support the community, and help prepare teenagers for entering the workplace. The Web Design Company were approached by Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh, and asked if we would be willing to come in to their school and participate in their “Preparation for the Workplace Programme”.

Having a teenage son ourselves Stephanie and I were pleased to support this initiative. We arrived at 11am and were greeted by a mixture of students, (who were drooling over our car – We decided to go in our 1928 bright yellow hotrod) and school staff. After being signed in and having the aims of the day explained to us, we were shown to our rooms, where a desk was prepared with our names and company details. Student then came in to be interviewed as if they were applying for an apprenticeship with our company.

(For all those reading this blog that are looking for companies to offer apprenticeships to their students, it is worth mentioning at this point that we are a small family company that do not provide apprenticeships. We are often asked and it isn’t a possibility for us. However we were happy to contribute by taking part in this programme.)

Out of all the students that we interviewed during the day, only 2 of them actually were interested in a career in Web Design. Many of them were interested in other fields ranging from banking and accountancy to programming and the arts. It was interesting to be able to help the students prepare for the workplace. Overall the students did very well in presenting themselves, they were understandably nervous, and I think that the process was very useful to them. After interviewing each student we gave them feedback on how they did, and on areas where they could come across better to a prospective employer.

One of the students, a master Bradley White, really stood out to me, a young man of around 17 years of age who was looking for a career in accounting. He was articulate, polite, maintained excellent eye contact and was clearly highly motivated to succeed. This particular young man had a lovely humble manner that was very appealing, an excellent work ethic and a desire to learn. If we had genuinely had a vacancy, we would have employed young Bradley White without any hesitation.

If there are any accounting firms out there that are looking for an apprentice you couldn’t possibly do any better than to employ this young man. If you contact The Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh and ask to be put in touch with young Mr Bradley White, they should be able to put you in touch. We had to select one student that had stood out as the best, and this young man was the clear choice, so they will know who he is.

We wish him & all the other students that we interviewed every possible success for their future.