The start of July saw a successful ‘New Designers’ exhibition take place at the Business Design Centre in London. A stage for all the budding entrepreneurs on the leading design courses in the country to come together and show what they’re made of. Featuring a special place in Octink’s heart were the students from Kingston University: as part of the community work we are involved in, the design department – in this case product and furniture design – works closely with us to help bring their ideas to life. ‘Thinking Through Making’ was prepared by the students and Octink assisted with product branding with some free issue signage.
A team from Octink also went along to the preview evening to mingle with the students and staff, and were delighted to be there when the University won 3 of the 8 John Lewis special commendations for innovation. It’s great to see all that hard work paying off.
Earlier on the same day we had welcomed students at the other end of the scale onto the premises as the first part of a series of ‘Industry Insight’ days we are running. Year 10 students from Chiswick School were able to come on site for a tour of the manufacturing facilities, and spend time brainstorming and role playing different job positions to help kick start their understanding of what happens in a business. And many of them were amazed by the range and number of different roles we have here.
The next week, our Insight days continued as A-Level students from a variety of local colleges descended on the Octink site. This time, the day was focussed more on networking with various Octink employees, and some high level pitching of ideas and mock interviews based on what had been learnt at the sessions.
It’s really heartening to see the understanding and skills of the students in our community developing from their time in school, through college and university, as they prepare to step into jobs, and we’re proud to be an integral part of that development. Watch this space for our guest blog from a student’s perspective.