Cranford Review 2019

When I went to Heathrow Constructions, I was
expecting to be going around looking at the
different sections of Heathrow construction at
Terminal 2, but during the networking activity,
we met with multiple employees of Heathrow
Constructions and we were shown the wide range
of opportunities which Heathrow Constructions
offer when you join them. Even if you’re interested
in finance or accounting, there is a place in
Heathrow Constructions where those types of jobs
are still needed. This showed me that no matter
the type of company you are trying to apply to
there is always a wide range of jobs available.
Before taking part in Kickstart I was unaware of how many large
and global companies were located in our borough. I only knew of
several car manufacturers and a few scientific businesses. Day one
allowed me to gain insight into the variety of opportunities near me.
Prior to the Kickstart placement I was feeling unsure of whether I
was fit to visit BP International. I assumed all the employees worked
as engineers or in construction. These careers do not align with my
interests or current subjects I am studying. However, this experience
enabled me to find out about larger companies and the many job
opportunities they offer. Even though BP is an oil and gas producing
company, there are several factors that go into extracting gas and
oil from rocks and ores. We were able to meet lawyers, engineers,
chemists, scientists, project managers and people that are part of
the HR team.
Making the journey on my own also helped gain more insight into
the day-to-day life of employees there. This experience helped us
appreciate and understand what takes place, behind the scenes to
supply people like us with gas and oils, such as petrol. This helped me
rethink my choices; it also allowed me to understand that we are not
limited to one profession or career. There were several aspects that
intrigued me, such as viewing a scanning electron microscope and
the labs that analyse rock samples, allowing me to further consider
a more scientific laboratory route in my career (something I assumed
I did not have the patience or precision for).
I couldn’t recommend this experience enough; it was truly
enlightening and fun. I was able to play games acting as if I was an
oil trading company; I even learnt life skills through this such as
money and project management. Speaking to lots of strangers also
helped increase my confidence and communication skills. I wish I
could do it all again.
Later on we were placed into groups and tasked
to come up with a method of advertising the new
Terminal 5 runway. My group thought of a magic
carpet ride with a VR console, which showed the
area where the runway will be built. We chose
this idea because it’s something that’s still fairly
new and would intrigue both children and adults.
Overall I believe that this workshop allowed me
to get a better perspective on the different job
roles within a company and I learnt how best to
communicate with the other students to create and
share ideas.
Samir Lund (year 12)
Aya Sadouki (year 12)
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