Over the past three weeks, students from Ardnashee School and College and Knockavoe School have been partaking in GEMX’s new work experience initiative, SuperGEMs.
This project connects education and industry and allows students to meet people that they may not meet in their everyday life. Placing them in a workplace environment together fosters discussion and conversation, which will lead to students having more informed career choices in their future.
Initiatives like this give students the opportunity to gain real-world experience, develop workplace confidence, and explore careers they may not otherwise have considered accessible to them. By spending time in engineering and manufacturing environments, students can build practical skills, strengthen communication skills, and gain a better understanding of their own strengths and interests. Programmes like this also help create stronger connections between education and industry, ensuring more young people can see a future for themselves within the sector.
One group went to Mechanical Installations and Maintenance NI (MIM NI). Here, the students got to use tools and take part in the building of some products. On their final week, they also had a party where they engaged with employees and had plenty of discussion. Darren Gibson, Director of Ardnashee’s Post-16, said the students had a “blast” trying new things.
Students from Knockavoe completed their work experience in McColgan’s Foods factory in Strabane. They learned about how to package orders, how food is made, and how to keep a clean work station. Caoimhe, a student in this group, said that she had lots of fun and that the staff at McColgan’s were “so nice” to her.
Students from Ardnashee split into four groups. One group went to Hunter Apparel Solutions, where they met Chief Talent and Culture Officer, Bláthanid McCole. Bláthanid hopes the students, “got as much out of it”, as they have, and feels as though the project is “very worthwhile.” Students in this group were packaging orders for customers, learning from employees in the embroidery unit, and acting as personal assistants to the CEO.
Another group from Ardnashee went to Seagate Technologies. Here, the students gained hands-on experience packing orders for international companies, in Seagate’s health and safety department, and within their highly specialied clean room facilities. Seagate’s Community Partnerships Lead, Gemma Breslin, stated that she noticed the students’, “growth in confidence, communication skills and their independence from week to week.”
Foyle Port also hosted a group of students. One pupil, Aaron, shared that he found learning new things “interesting” and that this experience has given him “an idea of what to do in the future.” They thoroughly enjoyed boarding a boat and learning about the controls in the cockpit. They also completed some HR tasks and learned about radio systems.
