We teamed up with Which?, the organisation protecting consumers, to bring a career insight day during October half term.
We welcomed over 30 young people from across London and from diverse backgrounds at Which?'s offices in central London. Students learnt about Which?'s business and charitable arm, including how they protect consumers from harm. They had the opportunity to network with various departments.
Which? opened up with a talk from their Chief Operating Officer Anabel Hoult and then participated in an interactive networking session.
Students were able to ask questions about what it's like to work in various departments and gain insights into the skills they'd need to enter the sector. They also engaged in a practical consumer protection activity and presented feedback to the group.
Our insight days are all about preparing young people for the world of work and ensuring they have the softer skills they need to thrive, such as presenting and team-working.
"The consumer protection activity was a great chance for young people to learn directly from people within the business about real life consumer concerns. They applied problem-solving skills to tackle issues Which? consumers face." - Ralph McBaiden, Co-Founder and Trustee at Open Palm
The speakers were very impressed with the proactivity and confidence that students demonstrated throughout the day. Many students did not know each other at the outset but developed good rapport and new connections with each other and Which? staff. The ability to enter a room and network is vital for success in the workplace.
"It truly astounds me to see how amazing the young people who attend our career insight days, are", said Lara Akala, a Trustee at Open Palm. "One of the young people asked me, puzzled "why do you do this as a volunteer?".
My 'why' for becoming a Trustee at Open Palm is that not too long ago, I was in the position of these young people - ambitious, curious, with no clue what I wanted to do career-wise and no-one that looked like me to guide me. Knowing that dots were connected for some of our young people and that some felt inspired or made new friends, assured me that the work we do at Open Palm is necessary." - Lara Akala, Trustee at Open Palm
It was a great day and incredibly well structured by Which?. Feedback from young people has been overwhelmingly positive, with many students gaining exposure to the world of work for the first time. Many students left with an improved understanding of the role that Which? plays to protect consumers on a day to day basis.
To top it all off, attendees are eligible to apply for a 1-week work experience placement with Which? in February half term 2024. We're delighted to have been able to collaborate with Which? to offer these opportunities and ensure that ethnically underrepresented young people have work exposure that is vital for their career development.
If you're interested in attending our career insight days in future or securing work experience, be sure to sign up to our fully funded WYZ For Work course.