North Hertfordshire College’s Business T Level students recently met with our employer partners for a networking and interview session to help match them up for their industry placements.
Representatives from Fleet Source, Crane Building Services, FB Chain, LP Display, WENTA and Heales Medical joined us at our brand new T Level Business Suite in Hitchin campus, for a chance to meet the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Each of the representatives gave a brief presentation about their organisation and the sort of work our T Levellers could expect to do during their placements. Our students were then split into two groups, with one taking part in speed interviews with each employer and the other completing a work-based interview task before swapping.
This was a great opportunity for our students to prepare for their placements, helping them plan how this experience will help them reach their future career goals. It also provided a safe space to practice crucial business skills such as networking, interviewing, and communicating effectively, all within the familiar walls of the new Business T Level classroom.
This support from employers is essential in ensuring the success of our T Level students, and feedback from the employers themselves, shows how important this type of collaboration is for both students and businesses. Paul Gibbons, Business Support Manager at Heales Innovation Group said of the event:
“Having the opportunity to meet with your students has been very beneficial in understanding the calibre of student undertaking the course and who will later take up placements. The event, which included an opportunity for employers to present ourselves to the students, undertake short interviews and observe presentations from the students themselves certainly allowed me to gain a real understanding of the aspirations of the students and identify those who might be more suited to Heales as a business. Having been involved with the College for the past 3 years, this certainly feels like a great step up and one that our business could well benefit from.
And Steve Taylor, Head of Operations and Development at Fleet Source also commented:
“I was particularly impressed by all the students who attended and showed the courage and professionalism to speak in front of the companies present. The students who presented should be extremely proud of themselves and take encouragement from their achievements. I am looking forward to working with one of them and helping them develop their skills further.”
Liz Chatman, Head of Curriculum for Sport, Protective Services, Business, and Travel at North Hertfordshire College, commented:
“A huge shoutout to Diandre Magrin [T Level Course Team Leader] and Jacqueline Smith [Work Experience Coordinator] for their outstanding effort in coordinating our very first employer event for T Level Business students! The feedback from students, employers, and staff has been overwhelmingly positive – it’s so rewarding to see the impact of this collaboration firsthand.”
Check out some of the student feedback:
“The networking event gave me and everyone else an insight into how businesses run and their procedure when hiring new employees. It helped us face challenges, overcome our fears and go outside of our comfort zones. The employers taught us the values and operations behind their businesses and gave us key information about future vacancies available to us.”
“The meeting with the employers was insightful and productive. It provided us with valuable time to develop our skills in presenting in front of people we don’t know. We also worked on our interview skills as well. The employers engaged with us very well, and I believe the networking was good. Overall, I thought the whole thing was fun, very interesting, and a success.”
“The networking event gave me a different perspective on my course. The employers inspired us and gave tips on how we could improve our presentation skills by making us reflect on what we do well and what we can work on. Overall, it was a very positive experience and the feedback from the employers was really useful. I’m now excited for the next employer day.”
Many thanks to Fleet Source, Crane Building Services, and Heales Medical for taking the time to meet with our students!
Could your organisation inspire the next generation of students? Visit NHC’s Give a Future campaign to find out how you can get involved and make a positive impact on our young people!
