The group then crossed the road to visit Adur & Worthing Council Services to hear presentations about the world of Public Service and what the Council is looking for in potential employees. Matt Marchant explained the vast range of careers within the council from Community Engagement to Planning and IT Services. Tony Patching then gave an overview of the Waste and Cleansing Services and what attributes they look for in potential employees.  Finishing with Graham who explained the diversity of his role from repairing park equipment to serving on emergency planning teams for major incidents and volunteering opportunities within the council to gain valuable work experience.

Next the group visited Parafix Engineered Adhesive Solutions where Emma Pope and Vince Booker explained how their products can be found in medical equipment, luxury car manufacture, electrical devices and many more product areas. Emma outlined how the bespoke nature of their work requires a range of engineering and packing skills, along with how the company supports qualification training and career progression from within. Shaun Packham then gave the students a tour of the factory floor, demonstrating how the machinery produces the end products.

The students then toured the park to visit Paula Rosa Manhattan where they were very impressed by the kitchen showroom and met Lee Golby. Lee explained how the company has been manufacturing kitchens on the park since the 1960s and currently produces 300-400 kitchens a week, delivering to new build construction sites across the country. Lee outline the ten skill areas within the company, from designers, buyers to compliance and shared his colleague's journey from the production floor, all the way to working for Lee, helping to ensure the safe running of the whole facility. The students were then treated to a full tour of the production line within this vast former Railway Carriage Works, from initial wood blocks to finished products.

This was followed by a quick walk to Chartwell Business Centre where students met with Melanie Main and Cara Dzekawong from RR Donnelley to hear all about their outsourcing services. Melaine explained that RR Donnelley is the silent face behind many everyday financial and service companies, opening their mail, scanning their documents, processing and prioritising workflow. Melaine described how RRD are a flexible employer who cater for both full and part-time working patterns to match with employee needs. Melaine then gave the students a tour of the non-secure areas of the business and explained some areas are restricted access due to Data Protection.

The final company visit was to a major financial services company called Equiniti in Spencer Road, who have multiple sites throughout the UK employing 3500 staff and an additional 1500 staff internationally. Gavin Lane who kindly organised the visit introduced the students to Sue Clarke, Simon Smith and Georgina Hawes. Sue and Simon gave students a rundown of the services they provide, the career opportunities within Equiniti, what they are looking for in their new employees and how you can progress within the company.

By the end of the day the students had a better understanding of the route to work, how to present themselves to maximise opportunities and the range of local careers available to them.

LBP would like to thank all the companies involved and everyone for volunteering their time to help provide this invaluable student experience. LBP have already started working with SRWA on next year's event and hope to build this event further. If your company would like to be involved please click here to email your expression of interest.