Computing students at Chichester College were given a confidence boost, thanks to a recent visit from some industry experts.
The students, who are studying towards their higher national diploma (HND) in computing, took part in a day-long development centre which was designed to assess their graduate attributes.
The day provided them with a range of business-related challenges, testing their professionalism, interpersonal skills, independence and creativity.
They were joined by former student Luke Mead, who is now the chief executive of the LMS Group, and Chris Pegrum, the technical team leader at LMS Group who provided an insight into their careers and backgrounds.
They were also keen to offer the students a stepping stone towards their own professional futures, highlighting some potential employment opportunities at the Chichester-based tech company.
Luke, who studied computing at the college in 2009/10, said: “It was a pleasure to come back to the college for the day.
“My colleague, Chris, and I loved the enthusiasm of the students, especially those who were looking to work in a business like LMS Group.
“From the activity and challenges we took part in; it was clear that a lot of the students have successful futures in the industry. ”
The 12 students taking part in the day said it had helped them to gain in confidence and had developed their understanding of future career paths.
Holly said: “It was a great experience, which gave us insightful information about the industry.
“I feel more confident applying for jobs in the future, thanks to the team at LMS.”
Classmate Rhys agreed, adding: “I gained a lot of insight into how a tech company handles certain situations and what difficulties they encounter as a business.”
Lianne Grogan, Higher Education Progression Coach at the Chichester College Group, said: “This was a really successful development centre for our students.
“Luke and Chris were so generous with their time, and were really inspirational role models for our students.
“We were delighted to see how the students rose to the occasion, and we are grateful to LMS for providing some amazing employment opportunities and experiences to our students.”