Thirty students from Eastlea Community School in our Newham, London community recently visited our Thames Refinery, where we were happy to teach them about careers in food and drink manufacturing, with a special focus on marketing.
The students, aged 16, toured our museum, raw sugar shed and dock on the River Thames. They also met colleagues from our marketing team and undertook an interactive task to come up with an innovative new product.
At the beginning of their visit, a poll of the students suggested only 5% wanted to work in food and drink manufacturing when they left school, but after the visit, the same poll found 75% would consider it.
“We were delighted to have inspired students to consider a career in the sector,” said Claire Crill, Head of Corporate Affairs. “We think a career in food offers a fast-moving, dynamic and exciting industry with a huge variety of opportunities in purchasing, selling, warehousing, logistics, operations management, new product development, marketing and sustainability, not just in the UK but the world over.”
The visit was one of many that the Thames Refinery hosts each year for local primary and secondary school students in collaboration with Inspire!, a local nonprofit that brings business and education together to help young people fulfil their potential.
“Your support made a real difference in creating an engaging and valuable experience for the students, and we’re very grateful for your dedication to their learning,” said Brandy Mongoy, Program Manager with Inspire Education Business Partnership. “The students left feeling inspired, with a new understanding of career paths in marketing, the potential apprenticeships paths at the company, and, of course, fond memories of the sugar mountain.”