At Sussex Innovation, we believe that offering work experience placements is more than just a chance for students to spend a week in a professional setting. It’s about opening doors, sharing knowledge, and showing young people how businesses operate in the real world. We see it as an investment in the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers. By welcoming students to observe our team in action, we give them an early opportunity to learn about different aspects of a business and see how experienced professionals approach their roles.

Recently, we welcomed Year 12 student Oliver Ginzler for a week’s school work experience with our team. During his placement, Oliver got to observe staff across different areas of the business, including marketing, finance, sustainability, and enterprise education, shadowing meetings and day-to-day activities to learn about how the teams operate. Here’s what he had to say about his experience:

 

Gaining insight into the world of business

“After working at Sussex Innovation for the last week, I have gained valuable insight into how not only Sussex Innovation works but also how companies work in many different job sectors. I have met incredibly smart people who both work within the company but also people who work with the company on their own business ventures such as the incubator programme and the enterprise education programme.”

Understanding the importance of every role

“I have been educated on every aspect of business, from marketing and finance to HR and building supervision and now I understand how every role in the business is important and having people you can trust in these roles helps keep the business running smoothly. Every step from the first email sent to a client until they get given the keys to their office is meticulously planned in order to give the client the easiest and smoothest experience.”

Finding confidence and having a voice

“One of my key takeaways from this is that it showed that business doesn’t need to be a harsh and unforgiving thing, everyone who I worked with was supportive and kind they allowed me to float ideas without getting shut down due to a lack of age or experience, it gave me the confidence to propose my own ideas, which ended up getting good responses from others. There are few times at my age where you feel like you have the opportunity to push your ideas to a group of people who are genuinely listening and it’s even less likely that people will use those ideas that you propose however during my week here I have felt heard and supported and the ideas have been encouraged.”

Experiencing business in action

“I have been involved in marketing meetings, finance meetings, EDI meetings and sustainability meetings and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. Anyone lucky enough to get work experience or an internship, will get key insight into many branches of business and skills that can be used for the rest of their lives. I am incredibly grateful and thankful for this opportunity and will be using the skills I have learnt here in business for the rest of my life. It’s one of those things where I’m actually disappointed that I have to go back to college now instead of continuing here.”

 

If you are a student in Year 10 to 13 looking for junior-level work experience, Sussex Innovation offers short, observational placements where you can shadow our team and learn how a professional business operates. Find out more about how to apply for our work experience programme here.