Career Ready prepares young people for the world of work by delivering a programme of mentoring, masterclasses, workplace visits and internships.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, Brain Manco was one of our students that took part in the programme and this is what he had to say.

Brain’s experience

I came to London from Spain in 2016 and went to a secondary school where I completed year 11. I was new in the country, and there was a great difference in the educational system and this contributed to failing my GCSEs. Then, I went to another college to re-do my GCSEs and I was very happy to finally achieve them.

This allowed me to go to Lambeth College, where I had one of the best academic years of my life. I got to study something that really interested me, which gave me a lot of motivation, but what really made it great was the Career Ready (CR) programme.

Before my CR experience, I knew I wanted to become a robotic engineer, but I didn’t know anything about the real world of work, but all of this changed thanks to the programme. My mentor, Stephen Luff, helped me to gain a better understanding of the workplace. I had the opportunity to attend our monthly meetings with him in a real business environment, something that I never expected to do when I came to this country. He guided me on what the employers are looking for, for example I learned how to identify my skills, what were my strengths and areas of improvement, so I that I could work on them and demonstrate the skills employers want. This really helped me to understand myself better and articulate my strengths. I learned how to prepare for interviews and write a CV, an important thing that was totally new for me.

Through my mentor’s support, I feel very confident to attend interviews, and I understand how to write an effective CV. The master classes also gave me a better understanding of the world of work, and they were the perfect preparation for my CR internship.

The internship was a wonderful experience, it was an opportunity that I never knew I would have. I got the opportunity to work at ADS (Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space) a company that helps and guides other businesses in these sectors, by providing industry knowledge, advice on how to invest, information on new developments etc.

I worked in the aerospace team and my role involved updating the webpage, looking for articles, and finding useful information for the company. At the beginning I didn’t know if I was going to like it, I was looking for something more related to playing with electronic devices and robotics more than desktop jobs, but I’m happy to say that it was great. I learned a lot about new developments in robotics, it gave me a better view of the sector and how it is going to improve. It helped me to see that what I want to do is real and possible, which gave me a lot of motivation to continue with my studies and go to university.

The Career Ready programme is something that should be in every college, and as many people as possible should have this opportunity. It really changes your life, you will learn to understand yourself better and what skills you have, which is a key factor when you are looking for a job. There is going to be a lot of people with the same degree as you so it is important to understand yourself and know what you can offer that no one else can. Now I understand that, I am more confident, I have a lot of motivation to follow my career path and feel more prepared for the real world of work.

Thank you again for making a positive difference to my life!