Applegate, the online marketplace which matches suppliers to buyers, have become known in North Devon for their work in supporting young people, Applegate not only offer a Workplace Degree Programme, but also offer a 12 weeks work experience for PETROC Students called the Applegate Academy. The Academy provides Work Experience as a way to experience the business, learn about what it does and can lead on to their Workplace Degree Scheme. The academy commenced in mid-January and takes place one day a week over the course of 12 weeks.
This year, there were six students that took part. Will Bird, Jack Fish and Caitlin Knox, who kindly agreed to share their experiences.
Caitlin commented "I wanted to apply for this work experience because I felt it would be useful to experience all aspects of a business, from admin to marketing to finance as I was unsure of what I wanted to do in the future."
Jack added "The reason I applied for the work experience was to gain an insight into an office environment and how the business operates. I felt it was a great pathway onto the workplace degree scheme and an opportunity I could not miss given the limited availability of experiences like this in North Devon."
Upon applying to the programme, students shared that they wanted to gain experience in a working environment which was relevant to their college course, as they are currently studying the Business BTEC Diploma at PETROC college. They agreed that they all wanted experience in different departments of the business, as many of them didn’t know what sector of business they wanted to go into when they leave college.
Throughout the Applegate Academy the students have partaken in a range of different tasks, many of which they have never done before. For example, they have written content for Applegate's website, along with formulating spreadsheets and data manipulation. This experience has allowed them to do things that normally would've been out of their comfort zones but has helped them to develop key skills needed to work in the industry.
Other tasks undertaken included, managing company profiles on the website, posting on social media pages, and acquiring business in marketing, chasing up invoices and developing Applegate's Taxonomy to assist their artificial intelligence system they are working towards.
They also got to experience a range of talks and seminars including one from a Professor Richard Everson from the University of Exeter regarding artificial intelligence and machine learning. As well as this they had help developing their CVs and personal statements for future jobs and advice on how to optimise them.
The students all benefitted from this scheme and have developed valuable skills which they can implement in their future roles.
Will concluded "The Applegate academy was a good way to spend time in a business and simulate what a job would be like in the industry, but also to improve skills and do things I haven't had the opportunity to do before like using a CRM for example."