Student Felix Wiley reflects on a week of work experience at Stoke-on-Trent creative agency i-creation, explaining how fresh perspectives, digital skills and adaptability can benefit businesses.
“As a 17-year-old in full time education, it’s rare for me to be given the chance to see how businesses operate behind the scenes. However, I’ve spent the last week doing work experience with i-creation which has allowed me to meet professionals from a range of different job roles, attend important business meetings and provide feedback on upcoming releases. These experiences have shown me that young people like myself can provide much more to businesses than people would expect. Although we don’t have years of experience, we can bring new perspectives, opinions and an understanding of the rapidly evolving society.
One of the major benefits of young people for businesses is that we offer a new viewpoint. For example, during my work experience I reviewed an unreleased web app that is designed for my age group, and was able to give valuable feedback that other members of the team couldn’t. Being part of the target audience myself means that I understand what will get a good response from young people – features that would be engaging versus outdated, and what is easy or frustrating to use.
This insight is incredibly useful because involving young people in the production process means the product can be tailored to the wants, needs and interests of the younger generation. We are also heavily involved in social media and trends which is useful for reaching new audiences and staying relevant. Young people aren’t often given a platform to speak, despite being the target for many products.
Alongside our perspective, young people can also bring about new skills that are becoming increasingly valuable in the modern workplace. We are the first generation to grow up around modern technology, so we are able to pick up new software, apps or features quicker than anybody else. This adaptability makes us useful in fast-paced businesses, especially when technology is constantly evolving.
During my time at i-creation, I was introduced to various job roles including graphic design, journalism and even drone operation. This shows the importance of an adaptable workforce to manage the large number of skills in any particular business.
By partaking in work experience, I got to see firsthand how different parts of a business collaborate and learnt that my involvement can help to make successful changes for a business. I was invited to observe a meeting with the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce which showed me how businesses make decisions with one another.
I encourage more businesses to offer placements for young people – whether it be through work experience, apprenticeships or full-time employment. I believe we can add real value to businesses both through modern contrasting viewpoints and an understanding of the most recent technological advancements.
My experience made me realise that my generation are not just learners, but contributors who can refine ideas and help shape the future of your business.”
