From Classroom to Code: How One Student’s Work Experience is Shaping Futures at 1956 Individuals

Learning Beyond the Code

While the technical skills were central to her project, Elissa’s placement offered much more. “You’ve learned comms within the business,” Rachel noted, “and how to professionally respond to emails, Teams messages, how to use Outlook and shared calendars. She did that without asking anyone. We were very impressed.”

Elissa also tackled company policy and health and safety handbooks, and even presentation skills in a business setting, by presenting her project to the CEO at the end of the placement.

Elissa’s biggest challenge? Adapting to unfamiliar coding practices. “We learn source code at school… but not how to pull data from other sources,” she said. “It took two days to figure it out with the support from my mentor. One day we wrote one line of code that worked, and then broke it the following day.”

Rachel reassured her: “Coding is all about breaking things so you can fix it. When you fix it, sometimes you break two other things.” By the end of the placement, Rachel confirms “our QA tester reviewed her code and couldn’t break it! He was very impressed.”

Culture and Confidence

One of the biggest surprises for Elissa was the team’s atmosphere. “They’re all very playful, which I like,” she said. “I expected it to be intense, ‘here’s your project, get your head down,’ but they’re very fun and interactive.”

That supportive environment helped her navigate creative blocks. “I tend to use creative avoidance,” she admitted. “I’ll colour-code my Excel database to make it perfect, then look at the code and draw a blank.” Rachel saw this as a positive: “It’s a form of mindfulness. When you’re stuck, doing something different helps reset your brain.”

The team also shared their own experiences with creative blocks, helping Elissa realise she wasn’t alone. “All the team’s arms went up when I asked who gets creative blocks,” Rachel continued, “It’s normal in a workplace.”

Bridging School and Work

Elissa’s school subjects include statistics, computing, history, geography, triple science, and higher maths; all are exam-based. “That’s the way I learn,” she said. “I like exams. If you set me coursework, I wouldn’t come out with a good grade.”

She acknowledged that while some school content was applicable, much of the work experience required learning new skills. “Pulling things from spreadsheets isn’t in the curriculum. It’s completely new and one of my mentors stepped me through this so I could understand the process.”

Rachel agreed. “Students go through a real learning curve. The way they communicate with friends is different from professional communication. Soft skills like time management are crucial. At school, tasks are lesson-based. In business, you manage multiple tasks concurrently.”

To help Elissa adjust, she was given tasks with and without deadlines. “Her skills really came in,” Rachel said. “She’s walking away with skills that will help her outside school.”

Advice for Businesses and Students

Both Rachel and Elissa had advice for others considering work experience.

“Do it,” Rachel urged. “Be flexible. Be prepared to tweak the project. It’s very worth it.” She also stressed the importance of safeguarding, insurance, and parental communication. “I’ve been DBS checked and so has our CEO. You need to be prepared at every level and don’t underestimate how talking with the parents helps smooth things along.”

Elissa’s advice was equally insightful: “Do something you wouldn’t do every day. You gain skills that might help you later. I didn’t do my placement with a finance company, but I learned data analysis using programming, which is all numbers work that will help me in my career. I’d never have got extra experience if I was in an accountancy practice.”

She also encouraged students to follow up persistently. “Pester them, but don’t be annoying. Don’t be shy either.”

Rachel added, “A nudge does not go amiss. But students find it incredibly difficult. Many don’t have contacts or support. Schools should build affiliations with companies willing to offer placements.”

Elissa agreed. “I had no idea who to go to until I looked at the companies at The EpiCentre.”

Rachel highlighted the need for support: “Placements are limited with many companies receiving a high number of requests. Once these places are taken, students have to look further afield which can be prohibitive due to travel costs. If companies could afford to cover bus fares, it would help families. It’s sad because this is a valuable opportunity. We’d love to take more students, and will look to build capacity to do this, as our business grows.”

Mutual Benefits

For Elissa, the placement offered real-world experience, confidence, and new skills in programming and data analysis. For 1956 Individuals, it was a chance to nurture talent, learn from a fresh perspective, and strengthen their team’s mentoring capabilities.

“We learn all the time,” Rachel said. “Each student is unique. Hosting work experience helps our team develop leadership and mentoring skills and adapt themselves to different learning styles.”

As Elissa prepares to return to school, she’ll take with her not just a USB stick with her project, but a wealth of experience that will shape her future. And the team at 1956 Individuals will continue to grow from the lessons learned through hosting students like her.