Influential Academy 2022: Skyrocketing Interest in Tech
Last week Influential Academy 2022 class welcomed young students from St Augustine’s for work experience week. They joined our delivery office in Maidstone and we walked them through the day-to-day of our architects, developers, and support technicians.
Day 1:
The week started with an introduction about everything we do at Influential Software, as well as valuable insight into the tech industry and the potential career paths our students could take. We explored potential career options as they got older, ranging from internships, apprenticeships, student placements, and full time careers.
We also kickstarted their learning journey, with the afternoon spent learning core web development skills.
Day 2:
We continued with their online courses, alongside an introduction in Microsoft 365. An in-demand skill for businesses around the world, and a wise career path for any budding technician.
Day 3:
We introduced them to Ethan, our apprentice of the month who was happy to talk them through his experience in the company & share advice on a career in tech.
Day 3 was also when our students were introduced to the Support team, development team, and their project for the week. Our lead developer Kye talked them through Visual Studio, a Microsoft web development tool. We made sure the rest of our team were on hand to help them through their first development project.
Day 4:
Day 4 was a continuation of the previous day, with a brief break to meet Andy to discuss careers in software development, and shadow our delivery team.
Day 5:
We introduced them to the rest of the company – from sales to marketing. We felt it was imperative to show the students that there’s a variety of career options open to them.
Should they decide to take up a career in tech, understanding all the other cogs that keep an IT business running like a well oiled machine is vital.
A quote from our People Partner:
“We are delighted to be hosting a work experience for students from St. Augustine’s Academy this week. We believe it is a fantastic opportunity for young people to access the labour market in the future.
Young people can often struggle to find suitable work upon completing their studies, as they still don’t have some of the particular skills that employers are asking for, having no prior experience. They also may be anxious about the transition from school to “office” life, and I think work experience helps to close that gap, allowing students to become familiar with the work environment and step into this new stage with more confidence.
We would be happy to see them pursue further education or a career in tech in the coming years and perhaps welcome them again at Influential.
We run the Influential Academy programme designed specifically for young talents who want to put a foot in the industry while still actively learning.”
—Magdalena Kowalczyk, People Partner
