As part of Advania’s mission to be ‘the tech company with people at heart’, our people are always keen to give back to the local community and inspire the next generation.
Recently, SMB Sales Director, Mel Mackenzie and Head of Procurement and Vendor Alliances, Steve Chalkley – both based in Advania’s Manchester office – spent the day at The Albion Academy in Salford. Here are Mel’s recollections of their day back at school inspiring the next tech generation.
It’s always a rewarding experience when we can engage with young minds eager to learn about the world of technology, and our recent visit to The Albion Academy in Salford was no exception. As Advania’s Enterprise Advisors, Steve and I volunteer with the Greater Manchester Enterprise Advisor Network, serving as a liaison between educational institutions and employers, and facilitating strategic collaborations with school leaders to help shape and execute innovative career guidance and employer engagement strategies.
Our intended outcome is for young people to be equipped with the necessary networks and insights to reach their maximum potential.
We recently had the privilege of attending the academy’s ‘World of Work’ event, where we interacted with enthusiastic Year 9 students about the prospects of future careers in technology. Small groups of 10 allowed us to enjoy a great deal of interaction with the students, and the structure of the day meant we were able to speak to more than 140 pupils.
Exploring career routes into technology
We shared our personal experiences and journeys into the technology industry with each group and our stories, unique in their own ways, highlighted that there is no one-size-fits-all path into this dynamic field. My own journey followed the more traditional path of GCSEs, A-Levels and University Degree, whereas Steve was less educational-led, with more learning and building experience on the job. That we are both successful in our own right shows that there is no one single correct path to working in our industry – a point that was crucial to explain to the students we spoke to.
Furthermore, speaking as individuals who are employed in non-technical roles, we were able to talk about our own experiences, as well as the more common technical positions that the students may have expected. This allowed us to present the multiple opportunities that are available in technology, no matter a person’s passion and skill set.
Advania: what do we do?
In order to answer the question “What does a technology company do?”, we gave the students an overview of all the services we offer at Advania. We began by asking the students to tell us what they thought a technology company did, which opened up a number of very interesting discussions, starting with the traditional technology we’d expect to hear (IT support, Managed Services, hardware, software) through to the more cutting-edge and exciting technology such as AI.
Following this icebreaker, we then linked these to real-world scenarios, bringing Advania to life for the students and having them consider how clients could find value in our services.
AI and the future of work
The most fulfilling part of the session was undoubtedly our interactive Q&A. The students asked a host of insightful questions that ranged from specifics about different roles within a technology company to broader queries about skills needed, trends shaping the future of technology and even a couple of cheeky “How much do you earn?” questions thrown in for good measure!
While many of the questions were broad, covering the basics of Advania and our responsibilities, some students had specific interests and concerns. Not surprisingly, many of these revolved around AI, with one student asking specifically “Will it take over all future jobs?” It was very satisfying to answer this question based on our own individual perceptions of AI and we stressed to our groups that tools such as Microsoft Copilot are, in fact, just that: Copilots, not an auto pilot. The human user remains in control, guiding and instigating the AI technology to propel us to better, more efficient processes.
I truly believe this helped the students better understand where AI sits currently and potentially in the future, removing some of the potential fear that the questioners originally felt. Their enthusiasm was very clear throughout – a testament to their curiosity and eagerness to learn.
Inspiring the next tech generation
Feedback from both the teachers and their students indicated that they found our sessions incredibly valuable. The Academy’s Assistant Head, who had overall responsibility for running the day, told us that “The feedback from the pupils, specifically surrounding your station, has been overwhelmingly positive. I really appreciate your positive attitude and engagement in the session”.
For us, those sparks of excitement from young people as they begin envisioning their potential place in this fast-paced industry make days like this totally worthwhile.
Our day at ‘The World of Work’ with Albion Academy wasn’t just another event, it was an opportunity for us at Advania to inspire future technologists and the entire next tech generation. Judging by those bright faces filled with promise and intrigue, I’d say we’re going to be seeing some incredible tech leaders emerging from the year 9 class at The Albion Academy.
