School Programme Alumni:
Murat
Cyber Security Student at the University of Warwick
‘I found out where my passions within tech lie with the help of Career Accelerator, they were able to help me on my journey by introducing me to a variety of fields along with the opportunities that they present, such as work-life benefits, flexible work and opportunities for students. Being on Career Accelerator was a rewarding experience and was stimulating
enough to learn more about yourself. It allowed me to set my professional goals and plans so I can clearly define my next steps. This definitely helped me feel at ease especially when the workload piled on the following year. Career Accelerator has helped me organise my time which was convenient since I used the same skills in order to organise my A-level studies. I had to manage my newly created LinkedIn network, meetings with mentor as well as the plethora of other opportunities Career Accelerator had to offer such as potential summer experience.’
Naomi Hunter
Student at the University of Cambridge
‘Careers Accelerator was a careers programme like no other. As someone who doesn’t take STEM subjects and had little prior knowledge about a career in the tech industry, I really didn’t know what to expect. From watching the initial assembly introducing me to the programme, to getting an interactive tour of Just Eat’s head office, I was exposed to a diverse range of careers in the world of tech. As well as taking part in 1-1 mentoring with a range of mentors from large tech firms who specialised in different fields relating to my interests and plans for future education (such as an Oxford graduate), I also worked with more grassroots organisations and learned about the projects they run to support young people as entrepreneurs eg. Founders of the Future. Careers Accelerator has empowered me to understand that there are jobs in the tech industry for young people who do not like coding and don’t plan on being a t-shirt wearing Harvard dropout (myself included). Prior to
starting the programme the only thing I really did know was that the tech industry had a deficit of diversity, however Careers Accelerator has shown me that there are people within the industry actively working to change this. Hence, I finished the programme feeling that change within the industry was possible and that by pursuing a career in tech, I too could lead change.’
Hadi Muhammad
Student at the University of Oxford
Hadi was mentored by someone from Vodafone, and stayed in touch with his mentor over
the course of the following year. He worked with his mentor to successfully apply for a work placement at Microsoft. Since then, he has gone on to study at the University of Oxford. He continues to contribute to the Career Accelerator network as a member of our Youth Advisory Board.
Daphne Hemmings
Sixth Form student
Daphne originally took part in Vodafone mentoring, and then secured a second round of mentoring from someone from Onfido in Autumn 2020. Following her mentoring, she became Head Girl at her school, and has since had the opportunity to complete work
experience at Just Eat. She now continues to contribute to the Career Accelerator network as a member of our Youth Advisory Board. The mentoring also helped her become confident in networking which led to her taking on a role as Head of People and social media manager for the Maths Organisation Pioneer which aims to encourage girls to take STEM courses.
