40 students from across London were given the chance to enter the world of a technology consultant at an event organised by e-skills UK and Capgemini, hosted at their Soho offices.

The theme of the day was ‘Entrepreneurs at Work’. The students, aged between 15 and 19, learnt about the skills required to be an entrepreneur in business and worked in groups to design products of their own. They were invited to act as consultants and solve a business problem presented by a real-life client of Capgemini. They were tasked with reviewing the market of existing products, putting together their own solution and pitching it to an audience of their peers, Capgemini consultants and the client.

Feedback was positive, with students saying they loved the chance to see behind the scenes in an exciting workplace, and enjoyed working with consultants and Diploma students from other schools to design their own product.

Jon Wilson, IT teacher at Lilian Baylis school, said: “The students got such a lot out of the day.  As well as learning about project planning and delivery, which is essential to their Diploma, they also had the opportunity to develop the soft skills of communicating with others, presenting and problem solving.”

Michelle Perkins, Engagement Director, Sustainability Team at Capgemini said, “Learning comes in so many forms, and it was great to work with e-skills UK and the schools to expose the Diploma in IT students to a different environment.  Getting students to undertake real life problem solving for a client gives them a valuable insight into the world of work.  It was also a good challenge for us to ensure the day was effective and inspiring to see the progress the students made.