WORK PLACEMENTS
Happy marriage: (From
left) Clare Riley from
Microsoft met IT Diploma
student Sadie Cooper
at a Diplomas Employer
Champions Network
event. Also there were
Sadie’s mother Lorraine
and Sir Alan Jones, the
lead employer champion
The perfect placement
Hands-on experience in the workplace is a core component of the new Diplomas, with students studying for the
qualification being required to undertake a minimum of 10 days in the workplace. IT Diploma student Sadie Cooper
was invited to participate in the Microsoft work experience programme led by Clare Riley after meeting her at a
Diploma Employer Champions Network event. We hear from them both about the placement and the new Diplomas
Clare Riley, Microsoft
do this and I can bring my own experiences to this.” It did not work with a computer until I was on my third a subject I am really interested in and it has also given
“We do all we can to increase diversity in our industry and made her more purposeful and she knew she was going job, whereas Sadie has been using one since she was me opportunities like the Microsoft visit that would not
it’s great to see talented young women like Sadie come to fit in. four-years-old. have happened otherwise.
into the business. We hope that hands-on experience and Sadie held her own in a group of incredibly impressive It is so important for employers to get involved in I think working with young people is a good thing
engagement will show girls what opportunities exist and teenagers invited into Microsoft for the week – students the Diploma. Microsoft, along with other organisations for employers because they will understand what we
encourage women to pursue careers in IT. were of all different ages and genders from all over the like Cisco, HP and John Lewis, is throwing its weight are studying and how much we know about their
Initially, Sadie came across as rather shy and I think world, some as far away as Australia and Switzerland. behind the Diploma because we need young people business. With IT you could think it is just about
that the time she spent with Microsoft has really boosted When you meet them you realise that technology coming into the workplace with a real understanding of knowing about computers, but actually there are
her confidence. You could tell she was thinking: “I can is changing the world of work at an incredible rate. I what employers need. lots of different people involved in the process from
It isn’t just about big companies or household technicians to marketing. You realise there are lots
names. Microsoft works in partnership with other IT of jobs you could have in IT that you may not have
Union address: ATL
companies who in total make up about 40 per cent of considered before.
those working in IT in the UK, and we need to ensure The Microsoft campus was amazing; from the
that there is plenty of young talent coming through if buildings to the technology we were shown. My
Rite of passage
our businesses are going to continue to succeed. favourite piece of technology was the Microsoft
If any business wants to know what the next Surface, which is like a computer monitor created in
generation is thinking, and what their needs will be, the shape of a table and you can drag things around on
then you have to get them involved with your business. it. It was amazing.
We must allow
staffroom would become without those entertaining They are the world we are designing for. A lot of the When I first arrived at Microsoft and met the other
discussions, mixed with mirth and often amazement, time our team find that young people are actually using students participating in the programme it was quite
some teenage
on the latest hair style or fashion craze which year the technology in ways they had not even considered, daunting, but we all made friends really quickly. The
10 and 11 students try to sneak unnoticed past the so it is very much a two-way process. They share a teams were made up of 14 to 17-year-olds so it was a
watching eyes of teachers. common language of technology, social media, music really nice mix.
rebellion if
And what would happen to school discipline and movies that are actually giving them the skills We were split into different teams of five during
without the uniform turf wars? In my experience, they need to succeed in the workplace of the future. the day so you got to meet everyone, and then in the
they are to grow into
many potentially serious disciplinary incidents are Knowledge is no longer enough and people skills are afternoon we went into a regular team of five to work
diffused before they escalate because there have becoming increasingly important. on our final presentation.
independent adults who
been negotiations on the question of how far The Diploma qualification offers students like Sadie In the end, my team came second out of five. We
on the windy side of the law a particular pupils’ a minimum of 10 days’ “hands-on” experience in the all got involved in the presentation, either in acting
appearance is. workplace, giving them a real insight into what employers out scenes or presenting a website we had built from
can get ahead in life, says
After the initial skirmish over the uniform, make- are going to expect of them. If we want to help young scratch to support our idea. The great thing is that I am
up, and hair, more sensitive issues can, sometimes, people find a good job, then not only will employers and taking the website project back to school to work on as
Dr Mary Bousted
be approached more safely, and with less chance of schools need to work more closely together, but parents part of my coursework.
a broadside from a hot teenage temper. and teachers also need to offer their support. For example, I absolutely loved the experience and it has made
We must expect the young to rail against the Sadie’s mum gave up an entire week to accompany her me even more determined to do well. I am still not sure
STANDING IN the queue at a leading retail outlet injustice of the world. We must recognise that they daughter – an incredibly supportive thing to do.” what I might do, I have always been interested in web
the other day I became vaguely aware of a little girl need to rebel against authority if they are to become design and thought it would be the way to go, however,
jumping about with glee. On closer inspection, I saw independent and to make their own way in life. • Clare Riley runs a work experience programme after being at Microsoft, I have become more interested
that she was hugging an item of clothing – namely a Secondary school teachers choose to work with for Microsoft and is the company’s group manager, in social media and networking so that might be another
school jumper, which was the lovely shade of bottle teenagers, and all that this brings. If the downside education relations. area to consider. It has completely opened my eyes to
green peculiar to schools in the UK. is that they can be obstreperous and difficult, and all the options available to me.”
In a pile by the cash till were the other essential unfortunately sometimes more besides, their worst
Sadie Cooper, IT Diploma student

components of school uniform – a grey skirt, white excesses are, in most cases, balanced by their “I had always been interested in IT and the Diploma is • Sadie Cooper is an IT Diploma student at the South
cotton blouses, knee-length socks, and sensible adolescent passions – their trenchant views of right one of the best things I have ever done. I am studying Holland Post-16 Centre in Lincolnshire.
black shoes. and wrong, their emerging personalities, their sense
The little girl’s request to be allowed to wear her of fun, their energy and excitement, and their sense
new outfit when she got home was met with a gentle of potential – both for the world and for their place
Clare Riley’s tips on what employers look for in students
smile by her mother, who then laid down the ground in it. It is essential when meeting a potential boss that you pay attention. Slouching at the back
rules. She could put on the uniform that night to I recently saw a sign which, I think, says
of the classroom or chatting and giggling will not send out a good impression. As in the
show her dad and grandma, but then it was going to something important about the difficult rite of
classroom, showing an interest and asking lots of questions will ensure the student gets
be packed away carefully until she started school the passage that is adolescence: “Teenagers: Tired of
following Monday. being harassed by your stupid parents? Act Now!
noticed. It is always impressive if a student has made an effort to look smart – with tucked
Oh, if only it would last, I thought, as I paid for Move out, get a job, pay your own bills while you
in shirts and fastened ties. Students should people in the eye when they are talking.
my purchases. If only that sense of pride at starting still know everything.”
school were to be retained. Wouldn’t it be wonderful The teenage certainty that they know all there
What Sadie learnt from her work experience
if all adolescents wore their uniform with pride? is to be known about everything can often be
Do not be afraid of going into a workplace. It can seem scary at first, but work hard and
What a relief it would be for teachers to no longer infuriating, but it is also fascinating and, quite
you will have a brilliant time. Be yourself. Don’t put on an act and pretend you know it
have to deal with the thousand minor infringements frankly, admirable.
– tie too short, shirt not tucked in, skirt too high As secondary school teachers start the new term,
all, as people will soon suss you out. You’ll find people will like you for who you are. Ask
above the knee, the wrong kind of shoes, the wrong they know, most of the time anyway, that although
questions. If you don’t, you won’t learn anything. Even if the question seems stupid, you’ll
hair cut – which beset their working lives as they the skirmishes may sometimes be fierce, the battle is find people are happy to help. Get to know other people. Although I was shy at first, I
walk down the school corridor. worth winning.
found that once I got to know everyone they were really nice. If you retreat into yourself,
And then I came to my senses. Where would
you’ll miss out on finding new things and making new friends. Be polite and treat people
we be without the adolescent desire to “customise” • Dr Mary Bousted is general secretary of the
their school attire; to add that sense of individuality Association of Teachers and Lecturers. Visit
with respect. In the workplace, how you treat other people influences how they treat you.
with which uniformity is enlivened? How boring the www.atl.org.uk
Just be yourself.
14 SecEd • September 10 2009
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