Case Study: Southco
Where did you go? Southco Engineering Company
Who visited? Jake and Rachel
- Links to Gatsby Benchmarks 1,2,3,4,5, & 6
- Increase employer engagement
- Workings of a workplace
- Raise students’ aspiration
- Raising industry sectors profile and appeal to students
- Providing LMI learning Future apprenticeships
Did it link to any specific subjects/ careers?
Yes, linked to apprenticeships and work experience
How many pupils were interested in this visit/ visitor prior to the visit/ visitor?
0 students they had no awareness of the company
How many pupils were interested in this visit/ visitor afterwards?
2 students, as local to area and different travel routes to get there.
Was it a meaningful experience?
Absolutely. students thinking now about apprenticeship’s and opening their horizons for their life after school. There are opportunities to work around the world.
Would you complete this visit / have this visitor back into school again?
Yes
If this visit/ visitor took place again, how could we improve it?
Look at the company before attending, look at grades for apprenticeships and expectations for work experience, the range of opportunities open to students from HR, Customer services, Design, Engineering, finance in all apprenticeships also opportunities to work within other places of work around the world in there many other sites. Jake and Rachel explained their roles in detail and spoke about progression within the company, pensions and health care.
Comments from pupils attending
Found the machines interesting were amazed that they could handle the equipment and watch as the machines produced the products.
The students got to see the design team make a 3D drawing of a door handle for a HGV lorry, they could see the drawing come to life on the computer screen, it was then rotated into a handle and all dimensions were matched to standards of the companies’ policies. The product was then sent to a 3D machine to be created then sent over to the production factory to start to be made, this turn around can be completed in 2 days. The students were very impressed.
The students listened to conversations in different languages 1 student was amazed to hear the workers speaking up to 4 different languages. Suzanne spoke to the students about the HR department, what skills you need to have and how they can help achieve this, also spoke about company perks and what rewards they get in return.
Good rates of pay for apprenticeship
Was remarkably interesting and worthwhile, was astonished at the size of the company and items the company create
Jake and Rachel made us all feel so welcome; they were both very kind and understanding to our students, letting the students see these opportunities first hand is good for them as this gets them ready for their next chapter.
