Wiseup Host Inspiring Industry Talks for T Level Students at The Manchester College

Wiseup is proud to announce that last week we hosted eight industry talks in tandem with some fantastic Manchester businesses, aimed at inspiring the next generation of talent. This engaging event took place on the 26th of June at The Manchester College’s Openshaw Campus and involved eight different speakers delivering invaluable insights to over 100 T Level students.

The event featured a diverse range of companies from Manchester, offering students a rare opportunity to glean real-world insights from leading industry professionals. The talks were delivered to T Level students from various fields, including digital, business, engineering, construction, automotive, applied science, and health and social care.

The talks & speakers

Apadmi

Experts in all things mobile, Apadmi boasts over 260 specialists based at their headquarters in Manchester's Media City. Apadmi designs, develops, and optimises mobile apps for prominent brands, such as Dominos. The students loved learning about the different programming languages, what goes into building an app and the many routes into industry. Apadmi’s strong culture and emphasis on employee wellbeing particularly shone, with students impressed with the range of activities Apadmi champions for their staff. As a result, a number of students ended the talk expressing their interest in doing a placement there.

AtkinsRéalis

AtkinsRealis are an International firm employing over 50,000 people around the world. Their building design team employs many different professions, including Architecture, Structural Engineering, Building Services and Fire Engineering.

Our guest speaker – Neil presented the opportunities that exist in the design of buildings, with particular emphasis on engineering services such as Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Electrical Power design, together with the knowledge required to design buildings that are environmentally sustainable and with net zero carbon emissions. As a result of this insightful talk, many students were left inspired to pursue a career in this area.

Avalere Health

Avalere Health is a commercialisation partner for the biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and wellness sectors. Their team combines their knowledge and expertise across core disciplines—Consulting, Medical, Policy, Value, Evidence, and Access, Marketing, and Digital Experience Technology.

Our speaker – Nick – VP Employee Experience went into great detail about his varied career to date, from beginning as an actor to managing all things HR and culture at Avalere Health.

Forward Role Recruitment

Forward Role is a recruitment expert focusing on marketing, data, and technology sectors, who’ve partnered with leading UK businesses such as Boohoo, The Co-operative Bank, and AO.com. Holding her talk for T Level Business students, Business Manager – Dani provided a thorough breakdown of what a career in recruitment entails, the potential for progression and the different ways to enter the industry. So much so, that by the end of her talk, a student commented “you’ve sold me the dream of recruitment.”

Kier Group

Kier is a multi-division building and infrastructure solutions firm, with construction, transportation, property, and energy divisions. They are a strategic supplier to the UK Government, with key strengths in education, healthcare, custodial services, transport, and defence. A number of graduate speakers took the time to visit the college for this talk.

Shayma, Ankit and Tom all provided in depth details on their careers to date, giving their audience a refreshing understanding of a day in the life of a graduate in this sector.

Mills & Reeve

Mills & Reeve is a celebrated law firm with multiple UK locations. Our speaker – Ankita held an insightful talk for Digital students, combining her past experience in coding with her current role in the ever-increasingly vital area of ESG as ESG Advisor for Mills & Reeve.

Ankita impressed the students with her expertise in ESG – with many students not having heard of or considered a career in this area before. With the future of the digital sphere relying heavily on businesses' sustainable practices, it’s fantastic to see the next generation showing an interest in pursuing this key area.

Sedulo

Sedulo offers expert financial and business advisory services to the UK's leading corporate entities, SMEs, not-for-profits, and private clients. Their services include accounting, wealth management, tax advisory, and financial consultancy.

Helena & Jess from Sedulo’s talk showed the TMC students the different routes into this industry, as well as highlighting the heights an individual can reach within finance. They also made sure to shatter the misconception that finance companies are always ‘traditional’. Their presentation showed that life at Sedulo is anything but, with the students thoroughly enjoying learning about the employee-led culture and Sedulo’s numerous community commitments.

STADA Thornton & Ross

STADA Thornton & Ross focuses on consumer healthcare products, generics, and speciality pharmaceuticals. As one of the UK's leading producers of consumer healthcare products, their brands include Savlon and Zoflora, which are purchased by over two million households.

Our speaker – James held an insightful talk for students, delivering value by outlining how one of the UK’s leading multi-division pharma/healthcare product companies operates. James’ talk led to many fantastic questions from the students, who all demonstrated a keen interest in an area previously unheard of for them.

Transformative Experience for Students

The day was designed to offer more than just information; these talks are specifically curated to help students understand the multitude of career paths available to them and the skills required to succeed in these dynamic fields. By hearing directly from industry leaders, students gained unique insights into day-to-day roles and the various professional opportunities available within these organisations.

Joe Wood, Co-Founder of Wiseup, expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating, “The feedback so far has been fantastic, with students identifying new career routes and roles previously unheard of to them. We’ve had many students expressing their interest in taking part in work experience at the companies as a result.”

This event represents another successful year of collaboration between Wiseup and The Manchester College. Together, we are committed to providing students with practical knowledge and opportunities to connect with industry professionals, seamlessly blending the transition from education to professional life.

The partnership is a testament to our shared vision of empowering students and preparing them for the challenges of the professional world. By bringing together education and industry, we are able to uplift a new generation of skilled and confident professionals ready to take on the future.