Career insight days – engineering and finance in the spotlight

An oft quoted saying is that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ and with this in mind a number of career insight days during the summer term focused on sectors where females are under-represented. 

This included a trip to the state-of-the art Rolls-Royce Education Centre in Derby for aspiring engineers. The students were tested on their planning skills and engineering knowledge with a ‘design and make’ activity. They heard from recruiters about the different pathways into the business, including apprenticeships which include professional qualifications up to Master’s Degree level. There was also the opportunity to take part in a guided tour of the wonderful Heritage Centre, with some very impressive engines through the ages. 

The students brought with them huge enthusiam for the opportunity – one student travelled up from London straight after an exam as she was so keen to attend, and another’s well researched questioning demonstrated a real interest in the sector.

All of the students have been encouraged to make the most of the connection to the company to find out more or seek work experience opportunities. With 32% of positions at top graduate schemes going to people who have already had some experience at the firm, this link puts the students in an excellent position to get their foot in the door. 

A second insight day took place in the Internal Audit Team at Barclays headquarters in London, providing students with an opportunity to gain a fascinating insight into the financial sector. They heard how important technology and building relationships is to this part of the business.

In addition to GDST events, we partnered with the fantastic Women of the Future organisation to attend events at the Marriot, Lloyds Banking Group, Bloomberg and also at Admiralty House in the heart of government. 

Thank you to all students from across the network who attended, asked questions and demonstrated perfectly why all of these firms should hire GDST alumnae in the future!