Now 18 months into the partnership and the project is going strong, as pupils at Auchmuty High School continue to benefit from the range of projects and opportunities the Glenrothes manufacturing firm provides.
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The partnership was formed as part of Leviton’s 50th Anniversary celebrations and is led by HR officer Sarah Williamson, senior director of operations Mike Curnyn and operations engineering director Paul Richardson, who were eager to build a relationship with the local high school to give back to the community.
They worked together with Derek O’Brien, the Developing the Young workforce co-ordinator at Auchmuty High School, to set the partnership in motion. We spoke to Sarah and Derek to find out more about the project.
Sarah told us: “Our aim was to build a long-term relationship with our local high school. We initially started off with speaker sessions. Some of our engineers went to the school and gave a talk to S4 Engineering Science pupils.
“Our engineers all have different backgrounds. They each told their individual story to demonstrate how many career paths and options are available. From there, pupils were then invited to Leviton for an interactive site tour where they met staff and learnt more about the work we do.”
A growing partnership
An ever-evolving partnership, all departments across Leviton are now involved. Derek told us what other initiatives the pupils have been getting involved in.
Derek said: “The various initiatives we have worked collaboratively with Leviton on over this last year or so have included work experience opportunities, teacher insight days, factory tours and industry insight days for pupils, career routes and pathways presentations and more.”
Leviton also assists the school with its Green Powered Car project. Sarah told us more: “We met with the pupils who were working on the project to build a kit car, we supplied tools and resources to help them.
“We also sourced a shipping container that we refurbished and delivered to the school to give them storage for their equipment. A couple of members of our maintenance department are also on hand to help them overcome any challenges or supply any tools.”
Informing future career choices
The partnership with Leviton is also instrumental in helping to inform career choices of pupils. Derek explained: “Six of our senior pupils had the opportunity to undertake a week of work experience at Leviton. They were able to work in areas they had an interest in possibly moving onto a career in.
“Each pupil undertook a project within their allocated department, and at the end of the week they each gave a presentation about their experience to teachers, and the managers and colleagues they had been working with.”
“Employers like Leviton provide inspirational opportunities for young people to help them understand and develop the skills they need to succeed.”
A pupil that participated in the work experience programme said: “I learned a lot researching employment law legislation during my project, this gave me a good insight into how HR must align its company policies with government legislation.
“The work experience also allowed me to gain and develop research, presentation and communication skills, which I will certainly go on to use in the future.”
Inspiring confidence on both sides
Parents of the pupils are also delighted with the opportunities being offered to their children, with one parent commenting on their daughter’s experience, saying: “She enjoyed the whole experience and came home each evening, looking forward to going back in the following day.
“Leah was placed with the accountancy team for the week and was made to feel welcome and supported by the team around her. It was nice to listen to her talking about her day so enthusiastically.
“She was given a real insight into the job of an accountant and was able to put some of her classroom learning into practice. Leah is now considering a career in the field of accountancy.”
Sarah is finding Leviton staff are benefitting from the partnership, too, as she explains: “Some of our employees are just starting out on their careers with Leviton, and for them this project is a great way to develop their confidence.
“They get so much back from it, it’s definitely a two-way street.” Sarah finishes by saying, “The support will be on-going, there’s no doubt about that.”
