August 2019
Robotics, internet sensors and augmented reality were among the digital technologies explored by Oxford Academy students at Unipart House in July.
For the second year running, Unipart welcomed more than 100 year 10 students to spend the day learning about digital skills in the workplace. Oxford Academy is Unipart Group’s partner school, as part of a Business in the Community initiative.
Renee Watson from curiosity-box.com joined Unipart subject matter experts to give interactive workshops on video, internet sensors, AR/VR and robotics, all designed to inspire young people with digital learning and open up knowledge of subjects and career choices they may not have considered before.
Alistair Drummond, Unipart Group communications manager, said: “We know at Unipart digital skills are becoming ever more important. By sharing knowledge of digital technology and digital skills with young people we are inspiring the next generation of employees to embrace the skills they can use to have a successful career.”
Tom Peterson, Oxford Academy careers lead, said: “It’s really important for the students to learn about digital technology in a working environment. A lot of them are aware of digital technologies within their own social groups, but they’re not really aware of the applications these things have in the working world.
“For example, they see augmented reality when they’re using social media and putting different effects on photos, but they haven’t really thought about how that could be used in the workplace. This then shows them how those technologies, things they’re actually interested in, can be used in their future career.”
Renee Watson, curiosity-box.com founder and head of explosions, said: “I’m a really passionate believer in how important it is for us to skill up the future generation when it comes to tech and science.
“I think hands on experience and interaction with the wider world through the business community is the most effective way for us to get young people engaged, learning about and understanding what the future of work looks like.”