Our second ‘Discovery Work Experience Programme’ for GCSE and A Level students took place from 19th - 30th June 2017 at our Tubney Woods site. A group of nine students from local schools participated in this year’s programme, consisting of two weeks of work-based learning activities. The programme included classroom-style briefings, practical tasks, presentations and work-shadowing across a range of functional disciplines. The programme aims to provide a valuable insight into Oxford Instruments, and available options for future careers. We would like to thank all the students who took part in the programme, and wish them all the very best for the future.

Competition

The participants took active part in several competitions. Here is an example of one of the competitions - In a marketing workshop, the participants working in two groups were asked to develop a new product and come up with a marketing plan for promoting the product. Both the teams had new innovative ideas. Click the following image to view the presentation by the winning team.

Practical Exercise

The students took part in several practical exercises as part of the programme. In this example, from a Marketing workshop, the students were divided into two groups and asked to develop a new product and come up with a plan for promoting it.

Feedback from participants of 2017 programme:

"I am happy to say that the Oxford Instruments Discovery Work Experience Programme was definitely a valuable use of my time and I have learned a lot - not only about physics but also about how OI is run as a business. I'd recommend this program to anyone interested in science and engineering, and also anyone who wants to go into management or business."

"The Oxford Instruments Discovery Work Experience Programme was a brilliant opportunity as it allowed me to explore how the company integrates world leading technology with business management. Learning about the cutting edge scientific endeavors was truly inspirational, and it was an experience, which I will never forget. I would like to thank all at Oxford Instruments for their kindness and hospitality; they have created a fantastic culture!"

"I would like to express my thanks to everyone at Oxford Instruments who have worked with us. This experience has helped me (and I'm sure all the other participants) to understand much more not only about the research the company carries out but how the business side works. From marketing and how to make money from the inventions to intellectual property and how to protect those inventions, I have learnt so much simply about the adult world of business."

"The Discovery Work Experience Programme was a thoroughly enriching and enjoyable experience, and taught me so much about both business and science. The hands-on activities enabled me to have a comprehension of what Oxford Instruments does beyond what can be taught in a classroom. The wide range of activities, as well as the variety between business and science, gave me a deep insight into how a company such as OI works. It was an amazing opportunity to do something different and I would like to thank Zoe Brown and everyone at OI for this opportunity."

"I would just like to say thank you to Zoe for organising the two weeks; it was a great experience! The work experience was very enriching, and offered a great insight into not only the science that Oxford Instruments use, but also the business side of the company. The talks on marketing were very useful, as we are not taught these things at school, and they will be very useful for the future. I would like to thank Zoe again for all the work she put in - I really enjoyed the two weeks!"

"I really enjoyed the Oxford Instruments Discovery Work Experience Programme. I learned a lot about both the science behind the instruments manufactured and the technical aspects of running a company, many of which I hadn't considered before. I also gained lots of practical experience thanks to the enjoyable activities organised, and learned about Oxford Instruments' unique position as a research & manufacturing company and its consequences. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in both science and business."

"I think it is a great opportunity for anyone who would want to go into science. The products that OI produce are fascinating and have many uses in the real world. The marketing side of the company is useful to understand as this is what a job in science would entail. It gives a rounded image of what a career would be like and I am very grateful for the opportunity."