Pupils Monica (Form 5) and Zara (Form 6) recently carried out work experience with Photocentric Ltd, a 3D Manufacturer, and Williams Commerce – Cloudfy, a leading B2B eCommerce platform, respectively. Their placements gave them an insight into the world of work, helping them decide on future careers and demonstrating their potential to prospective employers or universities.
Zara commented, “During my placement at Williams Commerce – Cloudfy, I learnt how they presented themselves to potential clients and watched a demo. I also helped set up a virtual machine and then started researching front doors and various Azure CDNs to determine the differences. I worked with the testing team on a new app, helping find bugs. I wish to study computer science at university, so this experience was beneficial as I learnt a lot about the industry. The company was very welcoming, with team members helping me understand how a business like this is run.”
Monica said, “At Photoscentric, I shadowed a production team member who was making RFI chips for a company, and I helped set up the 3D printers to make them. I also 3D printed a ring using the stereolithography method and resin, then chemically cleaned it, washed it, and cured it. I made some formulations for resins with the leader of the chemistry team, and we used the resin to 3D print some dog bones and tested their properties. I then tested some properties using the machine that stretches it and produces a stress/ strain graph that can calculate the modulus. I tested multiple resins and did a cure speed test using UV light and seeing how much exposure would lead to the desired 100-micron thickness of the cured resin. Additionally, I learned about investment casting and a project that is currently being worked on.
I also talked with some employees about university choices, career paths, the future and how best to conduct myself to follow the engineering route. The work experience was good, and I enjoyed the chemistry side more than I thought.”
If any employers could offer a work experience placement to one of our pupils next summer, please contact Caroline Atkinson at CLA@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
