Work experience refers to practical or soft skills, knowledge and understanding that can be gained from participating in a professional environment. It has become increasingly more important to Year 12 students, as they can also use it to demonstrate their endeavours on their university personal statements. My name is Micha, and I am a Year 12 student studying Geography, Physics and Mathematics A Levels. 

Recently, I completed my work experience with the Women’s Association, participating in the Executive Challenge. At the beginning, I was partnered with a company based on my aspirations for the future,  called Alfa Financial Software. Alfa is a fintech company whose headquarters are based in Moorgate, Central London. Each girl was also given a mentor at the company they were partnered with, which gave us the opportunity to work on specific skills that we outlined on our application forms. 

The actual work experience entailed 4 days of arduous but exciting work with four different companies: Alfa Financial Software, Leo Burnett, British Business Bank and Bloom & Wild. The fifth day was presentation day, which was quite nerve-wracking to think about, but each company gave us plenty of time to rehearse throughout the week. On Day One, we were at Bloom & Wild HQs in Vauxhall. This was a super relaxed day, where we got into our respective groups and worked on our beginning slides of our presentations. The team also prepared several workshops for us, which introduced us to life at B&W. At the end of the workshops, I remember talking to my friends about how many different jobs were needed at Bloom and Wild, including software engineers and technicians. It really opened my eyes to the diverse range of skill sets that are needed within every team. At the end of the day, we were able to attempt flower arranging, which was a super fun end to the day, and a nice way to become familiar with the other girls participating. 

Days Two, Three and Four followed the same sort of format; we would be given the resources we needed to complete our slides, so we could work together in our groups and define our ideas. Each business gave us a lot of freedom, which helped me to become disciplined, and focus on the task at hand. 

Overall, this experience has equipped me with so many new experiences and ideas for my future career. Not only was I able to network with the other girls from other schools, I also got valuable advice from the Executives and mentors from the companies. As for soft skills, I practiced communication, teamwork and focus. I had to think creatively to come up with ideas, and also for designing my presentation.  

Micha S, 12E