CAREERS NEWSLETTER
2018-‐19
ISSUE 1 – Friday 14 September 2018 We are very excited to feature Amrit & Bethan, dynamic students at different stages of
their own career paths. We also advertise the Kenilworth Arts Festival, which offers extension opportunities for the Bablake community, & remind you of our #18Before18 concept, in this first circular for 2018-‐ 19. What a summer it was too, with superb public examination grades for so many students & great feats beyond the classroom! Photo above: Aston Martin Valkyrie, by Amrit Bhandal.
A PERFECT SUMMER TO REMEMBER FOR AMRIT
With the press documenting the resurgence of Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd and chief executive officer Andy Palmer announcing the arrival of Penny Hughes, the company’s first female chair, in time to oversee a public flotation of a rumoured 5 billion pounds, this summer was an exciting time for Bablake Sixth Form student Amrit Bhandal to enjoy a projected two week work placement in Wellesbourne. Amrit arrived at Aston Martin on the first Monday in July, confident of confirming his intentions to study a degree in Finance and Accountancy. 9 weeks later, after an exhilarating experience at both Wellesbourne and Gaydon, he is about to sign a contract confirming his status from September 2019 as a fully sponsored Special Operations degree apprentice. This means he will study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Warwick on block release while working for Aston Martin. His Post 18 route is now set, almost a month before official applications for the company open online – a fantastic reward gained after a professional, purposeful summer spent with an employer he only dreamt of working for! In 32 years at Bablake, the Careers Department has always been privileged to learn from the school’s current and former students. This was no different when, earlier this week, Amrit, still beaming from ear to ear after his experience this summer, spent a full afternoon talking about his placement; it was a joy to witness his professional confidence, enthusiasm and humility. He claimed he had been in the right place in the right time, while we suspect his keen knowledge of the luxury c ar industry and confidence to take the initiative and devour opportunities offered over the summer thoroughly impressed the company. While with AML, he worked on the Valkyrie fuel system and was involved with research projects, contacting suppliers, developing and testing adhesives and presenting findings to senior colleagues. Our Economics department has already expressed its pleasure at how much ‘real’ knowledge Amrit has brought back into the classroom this term following his placement. He certainly impressed AML’s Q Advanced Operations team led by chief engineer Fraser Dunn, for he received the following glowing recommendations in his reference: “Amrit p roved to b e an exceptionally capable and h ardworking person, delivering high-‐quality results and contributing to the business. He is a self-‐starter, with a n impressive ability to work independently, proposing next steps for the projects he is working on and executing them… He did not shy from presenting his findings in front of senior management… (At 17) His performance was more representative of what one might expect from a university graduate.” Amrit’s impact is no surprise to Bablake’s Careers Department since he presented himself as dynamic, ambitious, well-‐researched, an excellent communicator and impressively professional in all consultations across the Lower Sixth. As he eagerly now crosses the days off his calendar until next September and enjoys his final year of A level studies, we are certain he will repay Aston Martin’s huge vote of confidence in his ability.
Amrit p roudly holds his Aston Martin polo shirt!
FOOTNOTE RE SIXTH FORM WORK EXPERIENCE (SUMMER 18)
It should be no shock to hear that so many Bablake students proved their exciting potential to future employers over the summer. We received a humbling array of work experience reports and references from a great range of professions, so please watch out for coverage of more of these in future circulars during the year.
@BablakeCareers