UTC Reading held their first virtual live-streamed open event on Tuesday 7 July, produced by a group of Year 12 students.  

To carry on celebrations from International Women in Engineering Day in June, Thames Water hosted a further virtual event, bringing together a team of speakers to recognise the impact of women in this field. 

Students across the Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET) were given an insight into multinational enterprise software company, Sage.

As part of the Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET) series of weekly Industry Insights with leading employers, on Thursday 4 June, students were given the opportunity to listen into a brilliant talk from representatives at Network Rail. 

Network Rail are responsible for running, maintaining and developing Britain's railway. From major architectural developments to simple overnight repairs, their engineers are shaping the future, designing and building transport infrastructure that will transform the railway for future generations – and there are so many different opportunities! 

During the talk, students gained an ‘Industry Insight’ into a variety of roles at Network Rail. Firstly, they heard from Daryoush Ashouri, who joined Network Rail in September 2019 as a graduate, after finishing his Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree at the University of Strathclyde.  

Daryoush passionately spoke to students about how he is constantly trying to push himself and come up with new ideas that will not only benefit himself but the company as a whole. He is pitching his ideas to the CEO of the company soon and we wish him well with his ambitious plans!  

When asked about the Industry Insight session, Daryoush said: “ it was a great opportunity to understand what the younger students are looking for from employers and see how they can support their development and present them with the right opportunity and advice”.  

Next up was Jordanna Mills, Train Maintenance Apprentice at Network Rail, who showcased apprenticeships at Network Rail brilliantly. If you would like to hear more from Jordanna about life as an apprentice, she answered questions for Network Rail here: https://campaign.n365.co.uk/your-career-track/2020/01/24/first-hand-account-of-what-its-like-to-be-an-engineering-apprentice/ 

Last but not least, it was great to have Amy Ellis on the call, to tell us about her role as Talent Acquisition Specialist at Network Rail and to give further details about all entry points into the company for students, graduates and job seekers.  

We had also hoped to also hear from Emma Dunne, Senior Asset Engineer Track, who joined Network Rail three and a half years ago. Emma is going from strength to strength thanks to the possibilities for personal growth and training within the company. Unfortunately, due to technical issues we were unable to welcome her onto the call, but would like to thank her for her input nonetheless.  

Thank you to all three speakers from Network Rail and to the very engaged audience! We appreciate your time and unique insight into industry.  

Please click on the video below to watch it back.  

The Baker Dearing Educational Trust (BDT) have published an Impact Report looking at how UTCs up and down the country have impacted the education landscape. 

Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET) have introduced a series of weekly Industry Insight talks with a range of leading employers.