SWITCHED-on students taking part in The Prince’s Trust Team programme in Warwickshire are getting connected with careers advice thanks to an IT company.
CDW, a configuration and IT solutions company which has an office in Rugby, has been supporting young people taking part in the programme at WCG’s Rugby College.
For the first event of the partnership, CDW teamed up with the college to organise a corporate careers event as part of International Women’s Day.
Staff, including female employees from the company’s offices in London and Manchester, gave the students a tour of the company’s warehouse and training site, held a session introducing them to CDW’s work and career opportunities, and held mock interviews to build confidence.
Team programme participants had the chance to get hands on with engraving equipment and create their own coaster to take home.
Aaliyah Robertson, 19, from Rugby, said: “I really enjoyed the event and I liked the fact that the employees we met were open about their own career journeys and struggles to succeed.
“It was really interesting experience and helped to change my mind about how possible it would be for females to work in the company, because I thought it would just be a male environment at first.”
Nichola Manzella, Prince’s Trust Team Leader for WCG, said: “Support from businesses such as CDW is vital to help us equip young people on the programme with the knowledge and skills to gain employment and thrive after completing the Team programme.
“The first session was a huge success, but this is just the start and we will be working closely with CDW to provide invaluable development opportunities.”
As part of its four-year partnership with The Prince’s Trust, CDW has supported T-Level students from Leamington College with industry placements, and plans to deliver professional CV workshops in Rugby.
Corrin Davis, Head of Configuration at CDW, said: “We’re proud to be supporting the The Prince’s Trust Team programme and highlighting the wide range of opportunities that participants could pursue to develop career in the IT sector.
“Our goal is to highlight how there are opportunities out there for everyone, regardless of their background, to grow and build a career.”
