Applied Students on trip to Medimmune

 Students from Applied Science joined their teachers today in a trip to Medimmune at Granta Park, Great Abington, as part of their Career Ready Programme.  This programme aims to introduce aspiring students to key businesses in the community, opening up new experiences and broadening horizons towards potential progression routes.  Activities on the day included an opportunity to speak with Apprentices and university students on one-year industrial placements. The aim was to help our students to get a feel for what it is like to work in such a business, from people of a similar age and background. This was followed by a guided tour around the main site, with exposure to company layout and structure.  For many students, it was the first time they had seen inside a major business.  Laboratories nestled closely to busy office spaces, breakout rooms allowed staff to engage in more focussed meetings, and students soaked it all up excitedly. 

The day was rounded off with a fantastic virtual activity:  A bespoke exhibition at Medimmune houses a layout of elements of a new Research and Development building being built by parent company AstraZeneca, next to our college.  Students were able to   able to take a virtual tour to look at the intended interior, via VR glasses.  They were then asked to complete a timed exercise, working their way through a series of small puzzles within mock rooms, set up intentionally to imitate how things will look in the new building: laboratories, offices, “huddles” (small, sound-proofed meeting spaces) and a restaurant, all showed what it should be like when the new R&D centre is finished.  Everyone enjoyed the activity, and many comments were made about how it really demonstrated how the company is interested in ensuring that the future sustainable working environment will not only be world-class in its business endeavours, but will also try to ensure that staff are looked after and enjoy working in such a positive space.