Students Learn from Business Insiders

On 12 October, USP College students took part in a Continued Professional Development Day where they heard from industry professionals from their chosen career path and took part in skill-building activities.

We spoke to three BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Business students about what they learnt from the day and how it influenced their career aspirations. 

Kacey Darch, 17, started the day with a talk from Scott Goodfellow, who is the Managing Director at Tiptree Jam, and Jane Rose from the Essex Chambers of Commerce. Scott and Jane spoke to business students about international trade and the challenges of protectionism (where countries put measures in place to protect national trade). 

Kacey said, “I found the talk from Scott Goodfellow to be very inspiring and it certainly helped me with my Insight project, which is a part of our college company. Jane Rose told us what they do to help UK business start trading internationally and advice for businesses looking to import into the UK, which is relevant to the unit I am studying. I also found Jane to be interesting and engaging. It gave me a good insight into what their role is as an organisation and how they help companies in Essex.”

Next, Kacey heard from Chris Haynes, Chief Finance Officer for SureCloud, a leading cyber security software. Kacey said, “Chris spoke to us all about his career in finance and accounting which was extremely interesting for me as it is a potential career idea for me in the future when I leave USP College.”

Goncalo Rodrigues, 17, was inspired by a talk from Mark Walmsley, who is the director of branding and marketing agency Chufd.

“During the talk, Mark Walmsley asked us a thought-provoking question, ‘How would you build a spice rack for a blind person?'. Whilst most would think of different designs for spice racks, Mark’s answer was very simple, but in terms of business, something crucial that any business should take into account. He said that we should ask some blind people, as they are the ones that have to deal with these issues and would know how they would like things to be.”

The talk encouraged Goncalo to consider the importance of market research when he entered the ‘The Tycoon Challenge’ later that day. The competition, which was open to all business students, allowed the students to demonstrate what they had learnt throughout the CPD Day such as product design, branding, and marketing. 

Goncalo Rodrigues won the Tycoon Challenge and took home a £60 Amazon voucher for his entry. He said, “The brief was to create a product brand for a business like Nike and come up with a design as well as viewing different strategies to help promote the product. My product was a new, modernised pair of Nike shoes that would be fitting for the teenage market. I looked into celebrities that were partnered with Nike and decided that a deal with Cristiano Ronaldo could be done to be able to promote the pair of shoes.”

The students learnt a lot throughout the day and enjoyed meeting with inspirational speakers.

Alvina Newman, 17, who listened to a variety of talks from local business owners said: “Throughout CPD day I felt that I learnt how to present myself to future employers and how to stand out in a competitive sector such as business. It was a great chance to network and meet employers and learn more about business topics in a realistic way.”

The College runs CPD Days throughout the year, allowing all students to develop their soft skills as well as hear from industry professionals.