Ben Marshall, 17 years old, a gaming enthusiast from Peterborough loves cars and knew he wanted to work with McClaren as an engineer, he just wasn’t sure how to get there. With help from Form the Future, his mum, and abcam, Ben is now headed in the right direction.
Last year, lacking confidence, Ben was hesitant in applying for a work experience placement with abcam. However, with a little cajoling from his mother, Ben eventually applied for one of the non-STEM places offered by abcam. Form the Future spotted his potential and put him forward. Ben joined 21 other successful students from across Cambridgeshire last summer for a week of work experience at abcam.
Ben was located in the work placement team who support all the departments at the abcam facility based at the Biomedical campus, Cambridge. His work varied across the business, not just site support, fixing and installing equipment, but within labs too. Ben’s interest and hands-on skills meant this was a perfect fit for the team. For example, he recently helped set-up a lab ready for use by one of the many STEM teams within abcam.
Lisa Bamber, abcam, explained “work experience is not just lab based, but across the businesses. Ben is an example of how his willingness to learn, and practise, combined with his hands-on approach meant he rose to the challenges students were given in the lab”. Through work experience, Ben understands how all teams support the company to achieve their goals.
Through his experience at abcam, Ben broadened his understanding of what engineering means and with this knowledge has been able to map out his options to working as an engineer, even if not for McClaren. With the insights he has gained, Ben has realised that to gain experience and understanding of the work environment, you don’t need to be prescriptive and Ben’s advice to any student considering work experience is “be yourself, don’t try to be someone you’re not…and choose a sector that interests you”. Lisa Bamber also said, “work experience not only allows students to have first-hand experience in their field of interest, but also offers the opportunity to experience and rule out those areas they are no longer interested in”. Lisa concluded by saying “the building is a buzz during work experiences weeks, but the most rewarding part is seeing the students’ growth and how the experience has impacted them”.
Ben is currently studying a Level 2 Engineering course at College of West Anglia and plans to apply for an engineering or maintenance apprenticeship. Due to his experience with abcam Ben said he has expanded his knowledge of the different types of engineering.
abcam are committed to promoting the study of STEM subjects by young people, encouraging and creating scientific careers particularly for those groups and individuals for whom careers in science are generally inaccessible. They offer valuable work-based experiences in STEM and careers in a STEM company to students with diverse backgrounds which will not only benefit abcam, but also their customers & the life sciences community as whole. Opportunities are available in various businesses across the company, including science/lab based, finance, logistics, sales, service & marketing and, of course, the workplace.
“The partnership between abcam and Form the Future gives students like Ben the opportunity to grow. Ben didn’t lack enthusiasm or aspiration even. He had never been given the chance to experience working in an immersive workplace, however now he has had the chance his future looks so different, all for the better”.
Work Experience empowers young people by giving them a taste of the working world. Students gain valuable insights into different sectors and businesses in the workplace. It provides them with a sense of independence and the belief that they can succeed in their chosen field.
Students report an increase in confidence from the opportunity to be immersed in a professional environment and helps them to make informed decisions about their future careers.
Form the Future is proud to be working with the companies below in offering world-class project-based placements for young people across the region.
Current opportunities for students who have an interest in STEM or the business support departments in organisations such as finance, logistics, sales, service & marketing, and the workplace.
Please visit Form the Future’s work experience page for more details about opportunities at abcam, PA Consulting and MRC LMB.
