Last Wednesday, our Yes Futures Year 9 cohort were in for another exciting day when they were given the chance to experience the ‘World of Work’ at the offices of Hewlett Packard in Bracknell. The students arrived at HP a little overwhelmed by the size and sophistication a modern, open plan office. They were particularly amazed by the amount of hard working employees the building accommodated in various areas and teams. The students were first presented to by a number of employees at the company from various levels and roles which gave them an insight into the range of jobs that existed in a company such as HP. It certainly had the desired effect of motivating the group and getting them to think about what sort of career they might be interested in. Some more fantastic presentations happened and really got students thinking about the endless opportunities that are available today and they compared how some of the most successful people in the world began their journeys. A key point that kept coming up whilst comparing the likes of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates was their ability to experience failures, learn from their mistakes and continues to work extremely hard towards their dreams and ultimate goals.
After playing with some of the most Hi-tech products that HP have to offer, the group was given their task for the day which consisted of creating a product that they would later pitch to the HP design and sales team. So off the students went with their coaches and begun creating, collaborating and planning their products. After some time, some excellent student presentations brought us products such as the ‘Hybrid’ and ‘AirPad’ which were presented in a mature and confident way to the HP team. HP were very impressed by the group and had a tough decision to make regarding the winning team. Congratulations to Richie, Aaron, and Liam for presenting a Hi-tech watch (complete with wall projector) to the HP team with such confidence and professionalism.
I’d like to thank the team from HP for their fantastic hospitality and support for our students in what was a very insightful day for them. Well done to all students for completing their final trip with Yes Futures and we look forward to them graduating the course next week.