TALENTED students have been offered a glimpse of their futures after securing prestigious work experience with one of the global leaders in pharmaceuticals.
Four Year 10 students from Richmond School and Sixth Form College successfully applied to be part of a three-day programme run by GSK’s manufacturing site in Barnard Castle.
Uchenna Anyadiegwu, Millie Aston, Sam Potter and Dan O’Reilly, all 15, from Richmond, joined 22 other students from schools across the North in a pilot project designed to inspire young people in their career choices.
Senior staff at GSK organised a range of talks, plant and laboratory tours and a series of team-building challenges, as well as offering advice on interview techniques and CV writing.
GSK engineering project manager Rachael Graves worked with the students on the challenges which explored the importance of effective communications and product transport designs, which included invoicing and budgets.
Rachael said: “It’s interesting to see their progression; how they begin to interact and think around the various issues rather than simply follow the instructions.”
GSK learning advisor and work experience lead Ildiko Vasarhely added: “Our aim is to give students an overview of what we do at GSK Barnard Castle and the wide range of career opportunities there are for talented and ambitious people.
“It was great to see so many enthusiastic students getting involved and learning more about what we do at the site, and what it could be like to work here. We hope that by spending time with us they can gain better understanding of where their studies can take them and which career path is best for them.”
Richmond School and Sixth Form College’s careers and employability manager Liz Mannion said: “We are absolutely over the moon with the level of interest in this pilot from our students and the quality of the programme offered by GSK. It has given them an incredible insight into the opportunities offered by one of the world’s leading employers.”
Sam, who is interested in a possible career in science, added: “The experience has been far better than I could have ever imagined and, for me, GSK offers everything I could ever wish from a career.”