6th December 2019
Thursday was a busy day at St Brendan’s, with a number of guest speakers visiting throughout the afternoon to inspire and inform students with a range of interests.
Alex Richards
Taking the lead and presenting to a full room of interested first and second years was Alex Richards. An Apprenticeship guru, Alex works with a network of training providers across the city as well as the National Apprenticeship Service. He spoke to students about the basics of apprenticeships; how they work and their structure, and then went on to discuss how students can obtain one within such a crowded and competitive market. Alex explained the many benefits of taking on an apprenticeship at 18; how they will enable students to continuously invest in and develop their career for free and offer skills and experience which is only available within the workplace. Alex also spoke about how apprenticeships are designed by the employers themselves and are used to bridge gaps in the job market; making apprentices well sought-after with invaluable skills.
Next door to Alex’s insightful talk was ex student Lee Coles, who came in to College to talk about the world of finance; from the personal to the global. Lee set the scene by explaining a bit more about his background, career and current role, and went on to talk about his journey from St Brendan’s, to a Law degree and ending up in financial services. He spoke in detail about how the financial industry works.
As well as apprenticeships and finance, students interested in robotics and computer science were thrilled to welcome Dyson Engineers to College. The representatives led an interactive workshop which gave insight into Dyson and the design processes that they follow.
Students were also challenged to programme automatic robots themselves and were introduced to The Dyson Institute. The Institute of Engineering and Technology is on the path to becoming the best engineering university in the world and develops engineers for a rapidly changing world. As an Dyson Undergraduate Engineer, students are able to work alongside the Global Engineering team and are responsible for live projects, whilst studying for their degree and earning a competitive salary. With no fees to pay, Dyson students graduate debt-free!
