You're Hired
09/03/2010
Fujitsu gives local pupils the ‘Apprentice’ treatment
Pupils at Ashfield Girls’ High School will be put through their paces ‘Apprentice-style’ this month as Fujitsu launches a competition in conjunction with the school’s Careers Department.
The A2 Level class will have the opportunity to give the job application and interview process a ‘dry run’; benefiting from invaluable performance feedback from industry figures and receiving tips for tackling the real thing in the future.
Creating a mock graduate position, Fujitsu has invited the class of 40 to ‘apply’ online after receiving a comprehensive briefing from its staff. Ten pupils will then be invited to Fujitsu headquarters for a formal interview, at the end of which three pupils will be ‘hired’.
Commenting on the month-long process, Stephen Alford, HR Manager, Fujitsu said;
“Fujitsu has been working closely with Ashfield since the start of the year as part of Business in the Community’s ‘Adopt a School’ programme and we’re delighted to facilitate an initiative like this. Job applications and interviews can be daunting for most but never more so than when applying for your first major job. From speaking to the pupils, we discovered that many of them intend to study at university but are unsure of what happens after and what options will be open to them.
“With this in mind, we decided to launch a mock job application process, creating a graduate position which will look for the core competencies fundamental to any role irrespective of the industry, for example team work, leadership and initiative. Every girl will receive feedback on their application forms and again when it comes to interviewing the final 10 candidates. There will be prizes at the end for the three winners as an extra incentive to make the most of this invaluable opportunity. We wish the girls the best of luck and look forward to meeting some of them in the boardroom!”
Alison Mungavin, Principal of Ashfield Girls’ High School commented;
“As one of Northern Ireland’s Specialist ICT schools, we welcome the opportunity to establish an effective partnership with Fujitsu, and to bridge the gap between education and industry. This interview initiative does exactly that; giving the pupils fantastic insight into the world of employment and what is ahead of them. Even some universities hold entrance interviews these days, so the feedback the girls receive from industry figures may be useful a lot sooner than they think! I cannot stress to the pupils enough just how beneficial a process like this is.”
Stephen Alford, HR manager, Fujitsu giving the ‘Apprentice-style’ treatment to Year 14 pupil Nicola Elliott, Ashfield Girls' High School.
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