Last Friday we ferried a group of bright eyed and bushy tailed year 10 students into Edspace as part of their 'World of Work' day. World of Work is designed to give our young people insight into a variety of industries, get a taste for working life, and pick up some valuable employability skills along the way.
They'd spent the morning at Twitter HQ, defying their assumption that Twitter was run by one guy sat at his computer in the dark of his bedroom. Really. The students had the chance to quiz a variety of employees on their respective roles, ranging from sales to technicians; and PR to analysts. They were given pearls of 'what I wish I knew at 15 years' wisdom and insider tips on interviewing for Twitter. And above all of that, they got to try out the hair straighteners in the toilet and make hot drinks from an iPad!
The group then spent the afternoon with app developing company, Locassa, who Yes Futures are fortunate enough to share an office with.
We kicked off with introductions, learning about the value of diversity in technology companies, before going behind the 'screens' with an IOS interface builder demo. Students were then split into groups and worked alongside our Locassa volunteers to come up with their own ideas for a new app, before pitching as a team, Dragons Den style. With the help of the guys at Locassa, students were guided to consider the USP of their app, its usability and how they would market it. The winning team blew City Mapper out of the water, with an app that informed you of seat availability and levels of comfort on your required bus.
A fantastic opportunity - not just for the kids, but also for Yes Futures working alongside Locassa and doing what Edspacers do best: collaborate!