Harry Deffley, one of North Hertfordshire College’s Level 3 Business students, has been working with local accountancy firm Deards Associates through NHC’s Give a Future campaign!
Deards Associates is a family-run practice based in Old Knebworth. The organisation provides accountancy services for companies and self-employed businesses, working as a small team to share their expertise with their clients. Paula Timberlake, who works with Deards Associates as an Accountant, got in touch with North Hertfordshire College to discuss opportunities within the firm for students to gain some practical experience.
The firm provides a broad range of services to its clients, including ensuring annual accounts are completed and submitted on time, that VAT is calculated accurately, and that payroll is managed in accordance with legislation. This made Deards Associates the perfect placement provider for one of our amazing Business students to build their workplace experience.
Enter Harry, who joined the team as an Administrative Assistant for his industry placement! Harry was responsible for carrying out a range of administrative tasks for the Deards Associates team, and even got to try his hand at basic accounting tasks and client communication.
His contributions have already made a positive impression on the team during his placement. A representative from Deards Associates told us: “Harry has settled into the office really well. He is reliable and works well with the team. He will take on any task assigned to him and will ask for help if needed. Working with the College has been seamless and Jacquie [Work Experience Coordinator at North Hertfordshire College] has been on hand whenever we have needed clarification.”
Harry is also extremely pleased with how his industry placement is going. Reflecting on his experience so far, he said: “Deards Associates more than exceeded my expectations in the quality of support given to me by the team. I have three professional team members supporting me in my placement. This has helped me take on board various pieces of information to make confident decisions and apply myself to my work. I have seen a marked improvement in my organisational skills, too. Although I rate my computer skills as being very good already, these have improved more – especially in using Excel and new software programmes.”
Thank you to Deards Associates for helping to Give a Future to the next generation!
If your business is interested in supporting the next generation to prepare for their careers, you can find more information about our Give a Future campaign on our website.