Every year, students across the UK embark on week-long work experience placements that offer a vital window into the working world. The Keyholding Company (TKC) recently hosted two cohorts from the Mulberry Schools Trust for an immersive experience that put them right at the heart of our technology ecosystem.
Their mission: build a new website to manage our company library. We have a large collection of books and a regular company book club, but managing our inventory was becoming a challenge. The students stepped in to build a digital solution.
What did they get up to?
The first cohort hit the ground running with our Product team, working alongside Jake Birrell, Senior Product Manager, and Scarlett McManus, Junior Product Manager, to conduct product research and gather competitor intelligence.
Specialists across TKC hosted additional sessions to provide our students with a broader view of our technical landscape. They explored agile delivery, the relationship between Product and Marketing, and the intricacies of user experience – learning how to make digital platforms intuitive and easy to use. With this information, our first group were able to transform a blank canvas into a clear product outline.
For the second week, the baton was passed to our Lead Software Engineer, Tiago Correia. Under his guidance, our second group turned those initial concepts into reality. They moved from theory to execution with ease, investigating different avenues and building the final software.
It’s been brilliant watching the students flex their creativity and take full ownership of the process. Moving from a blank canvas to a working product is a huge achievement, and seeing the pride they take in that tangible result is what these placements are all about.
Tiago Correia, Lead Software Engineer
Why do these technology placements matter?
In the working world, there is rarely a single right answer to a problem. Solutions typically emerge when people put their heads together to navigate challenges creatively. By trusting the students with a live project, we wanted them to experience that process in real time as they brought their own ideas to life.
It was important for us to make it clear that professional success is about so much more than a great grade on a paper. The technology industry thrives on curiosity, adaptability and collective problem solving.
Beyond the technical skills, we wanted to highlight the varied paths available; success in tech is as much about understanding human psychology and design as it is about the code itself.
Why The Keyholding Company?
TKC is uniquely placed to offer this perspective. While we operate within the physical security sector, our services are entirely technology-driven, and our dedicated team consists of dozens of specialists who keep our operations running smoothly.
Because our work has a tangible impact, students can see exactly how a line of code or a design choice translates into a real-world action. Our collaborative structure means students got to work with the people who dream up the ideas, the people who build them and the people who use them.
By offering a front-row seat to this entire ecosystem, we can show them that whether you are a logical coder, a creative designer or a strategic thinker, there is a vital place for you in our community.
We hope to demystify the world of work by giving our students the autonomy to solve real problems alongside us and understand that their ideas will have a lasting impact here. It’s about building their confidence as much as their skills.
Tiago Correia, Lead Software Engineer
What comes next?
There is a unique energy that comes from watching a team of young minds find their rhythm and build something concrete and lasting in such a short timeframe.
We’re excited to see where they take this momentum and whether they’ll continue to challenge themselves in this space – and who knows, maybe they’ll be the next generation shaping the future of our industry?
Want to find out more?
Want to find out more?
Interested in tech-driven physical security solutions? Get in touch today.
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