On Tuesday 19th June 2018, Rahul Wadher from ASAMS Ltd took the opportunity to volunteer at Reepham High School and College who were running their annual Careers morning for Year 10 students. Rahul visited as a STEM Ambassador to give advice on early careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and shared his own experiences through education to his current role as a metallurgist.
The day included talks from employers of various sectors including art, music, banking and human resources. Each employer presented their subject area to Year 10 students, sharing their respective experiences and telling their own stories of getting to where they are now.
During his presentation, Rahul elaborated on the opportunities he took whilst at school such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme, school exchanges and cultural trips, taking part in volunteering and playing sports or other extra-curricular activities. He highlighted taking advantage of any work experience the students could organise and the benefits of being in a work environment at a young age. He also stressed to the students the importance to show exactly what they do on work experience, especially if taking the lead on projects as a way of displaying key skills such as authority, communication, and taking initiative on their placements.
Rahul described the various options students could take Post-16, be it university or apprenticeship schemes. Having been through the university route, Rahul shared his experiences of his 4 years studying at the University of Leicester (one of those 4 being spent in the US studying at the University of Tulsa), joining student societies such as Study Abroad Ambassadors, Student Support teams and Formula Student and what was gained from joining them. As well as this, he explained how apprenticeships are brilliant schemes for a getting a head start by working whilst learning on the job, picking up qualifications on the way. The structure and variety of current apprenticeship schemes, particularly within STEM subjects, are highly supportive and allows the student to learn a vast array of relevant skills.
Rahul concluded with talking about his most recent job roles, including his year graduate scheme at British Steel, taking on project roles in Mechanical and Technical areas of the Steelmaking process and now at ASAMS as a metallurgist. Students were shown a few metallic samples to give them a feel for the kind of daily work conducted in the lab.
Overall, the day was a great success and hopefully the students were able to gain something useful out of Rahul’s talk! It was a great day for ASAMS with the company showing its positive presence in the local community.