From Monday 15th until Friday 19th July, We successfully hosted our first ever pupils for work experience from Bradley Stoke School.
The two Year 10 pupils completed a week of fun filled activities in one of our offices at the Bristol and Bath Science Park. This took place with our ‘Work Experience Team’ which was predominantly led by our Graduate and Junior team members. Activities included: presentations, interviews, mini projects and supporting Project Management tasks.
Preparation for the week commenced in Q1 2024 and the team worked well together using many of the key principles identified in Project Management to establish an exciting week of work. This involved initially understanding the requirement, then defining the scope of work and finally planning appropriate activities for the pupils. Key skills such as communication and teamwork were utilised throughout to ensure the project remained on track.
The Work Experience team also worked in conjunction with the Head of Business Development and Business Manager using monthly stand ups to present, review and make changes to the plan. It also followed ‘Agile Methodology’ and used iterative cycles as this was our first-time hosting pupils for work experience and we wanted to develop the best possible experience.
Throughout the planning cycle, the team consistently engaged with Celia the ‘Careers and Employability’ staff member at Bradley Stoke School to ensure all administration activities were completed correctly including those related to health and safety and risk management.
With all the planning finalised, the week then began on Monday 15th July. Pupils initially completed their onboarding process, and this was then followed up with interactive presentations from different areas of the business. This included an ‘Introduction to Bidding’ where pupils understood how companies compete to secure work. An ‘Introduction to Project Management’ where pupils understood the key phases within this area and key artefacts used, such as a delivery plan. Pupils also had the chance to interview our Head of Business Development to understand more about this role and how it specifically works on a day-to-day basis.
Tuesday followed with more interactive presentations from other areas of the business including specialist P3M roles related to finance and cost modelling which looked at key concepts such as estimating. ‘Software Engineering’ which included an introduction to algorithms and software development tools. Finally, an introduction to the UK Defence Sector which provided an overview of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces using appropriately sourced information. Pupils also had another chance to interview on Tuesday with two of our Graduates, Emma and Toby, to understand their educational career path and how this has allowed them to commence work at Apache iX.
Wednesday and Thursday involved the completion of two mini projects combined with supporting project management tasks such as a RAIDO where pupils identified risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies, and opportunities related to their projects. The first project focused on ‘Data Analysis’ and pupils used Microsoft Excel and Power BI to present their findings from pre-made data on defence analytics and the Olympics. The second mini project focused on ‘The UK Defence Sector’ where pupils researched different topics related to defence such as technology, conflicts and AI using suitable sources from the internet. For both projects, the pupils then transferred their findings to a PowerPoint.
Friday, the last day of the week, involved pupils finalising the planning of a presentation which overviewed their week of work, mini projects and supporting project management tasks. They then went on to lead the presentation highly successfully to three members of the Senior Leadership Team!
Alex, a Junior P3M Consultant at Apache iX said “I really enjoyed the whole process of work experience week. This included the planning and preparation with the team and then going on to deliver fun and exciting tasks. I think it was a great success!”
Emma, a graduate at Apache iX said “It was a great to see how the pupils improved their confidence during the week and flourished with the different tasks we developed. I really enjoyed working with the two pupils as well as the wider work experience team on this.”
The pupils also expressed during the week how well organised it was, how friendly the team were and how much they enjoyed the interactive nature of the week. The game of Perudo which was used to help pupils understand the concept of bidding was particularly popular!
Finally, a big thank you from Apache iX to all the staff involved in the planning and delivery of work experience!
