Blog 5- David Ward

Thursday 27th February 2020 

David Ward- Director of STEM 

Dr Ward delighted us with his presence in this morning seminar, who is the founder and director of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) centre charity based in Greater Manchester. The charity was set-up on the principle of helping the younger generation to take an interest, and have facilities that are accessible to science, technology, engineering and maths. David claimed that is life-long idol, Prescott Joule, Salford born and bred physicist and scientist, was the reason for his ambition and motivation in everything he did in his career.  

Mr Ward informed us of how he started his career in Chemistry from an early age and how the gap year in education led him to work as a lab technician in a local school. The gap year turned out to be a life changer for him, as that’s when he found his feet and found the motivation to pursue Chemistry as a career. The mention of Alan, his PGCE tutor and trustee, was quite frequent throughout the seminar, showing the importance of him in David’s life. He referenced Alan as a hardworking and dedicated individual and still highly cherished his tutor 30 years on. 

David then educated us on the importance of science worldwide and how the Department of the Education system is governed and adjusted to meet the demands of the country’s future as a whole. Dr Ward then went on to tell us that he believes that in the world of Science and Industry you can be one of three people: 

1. The driver- someone who is moving and working towards a goal 
2. The passenger- moving towards their goal but not independently, needs a ‘driver’  
3. The baggage- a participant but not much use or moving towards their goal 

He then hit us with a brain awaking quote stating “The world is changing, and we should know who we are”. I translated this as if you’ve not found yourself by now then you would get washed away with the rest of the world. As daunting as it sounds it is the harsh reality of living in this day and age.  

The seminar was ended with a take home message from David, “If you do not try, you do not get”. He reminded us all to just be yourself and work towards a goal, whatever it may be. Don't try to be someone else or someone you wished you were but instead work on yourself and make the most out of this life and don’t let it go to waste. “Deliver your dreams as a vision then a mission” quoted David Ward.  

Blog 4-Alex Adler

Thursday 20th February 2020 

Alex Adler- investment Analyst 

In today’s seminar, the guest speak was Alex, who works for Arrow Global Group plc, which is a leading European investment and assets management company. Alex proudly hold a Master of Arts (MA) in economics, from the University of Edinburgh and a masters in economics from the University of Amsterdam. In the first few years of his degree, Alex worked in the public sector before moving to the private sector, where he is now employed as an investment analyst.  

He started the seminar with an interactive session and asking what we would consider the definition of ethics. Taking in everyone thoughts and ideas we come up with our very own definition for ethics. He then went on to explain how ethics and business are combined and work together, and stimulated our brains asking questions, for instance; what is ethics? Is the company I want to work for ethical? Am I ethical? Questions that basically we wouldn't get asked or have to answer on a daily basis. Ethics of a company is unique to them and there's no real right and wrong answer, so it’s actually then up to you to judge the company's ethics.  

Alex then, by using examples, explained the differences between morals and ethics, and how morals are individual's interpretation of what is right and what is wrong. Ethics however, is a set of rules set by a company or organisation and then it’s up to you to decide if you agree with them or not. To embed an ethical value system into a business, it is upon the business to train the employees to abide by the company's values.  

Alex educated us on the situation in 2016, whereby the new sugar tax come into action, and how Coco Cola opposed to this change, and would rather agree to pay the fine and keep their original recipe. On the other hand, every other company like Irn Bru, went onto changing their recipe and ingredients all together. The controversy with the sugar tax, got people to support them and oppose them. Some people stated that the sugar tax doesn't actually work and is a money-making scheme for the government, whereas other people said that reducing sugars helps with the ever-raising obesity population (Whitehead et al., 2016). 

Alex then went onto wrapping the session up with proving to all of us the real definition of ethics and you won’t all agree because everyone's ethics is different and opinionated, but this doesn't mean that one's right and the other person is wrong. Every person believes in something different, and that’s what makes us all unique from one another.  

Reference  

Whitehead, R., Watson, E., Chu, W., Michail, N. and Arthur, R., 2016. 2016: The Year Of The Sugar Tax. [online] beveragedaily.com. Available at: <https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2016/12/15/2016-The-year-of-the-sugar-tax#> [Accessed 19 March 2020]. 

Blog 3- Luke Williams

Thursday 13th February 2020 

Luke Williams- Business Development Executive 

Luke very kindly joined us on this morning's seminar, to provide us with an insight on a successful CV and job application. He himself works for Intertek Pharmaceutical Services as a Business Development Executive. Basically, handles the new employees for the company and the whole application process that come with it. Education wise, he proudly holds a BSc degree in both Chemistry and Biology. 

 

He started the presentation with emphasising the importance of sustainability. He educated us with how big of a market sustainability is, and how when companies invest in businesses, they consider the sustainability factor as a major importance.  

 

Luke went on to explain and guide us on to prepare for life after university, in terms of applying for jobs and any upcoming interviews that follows. He stated that the perfect CV doesn't exist but that doesn't mean it can't be excellent one. He describes the best layout of a CV and how it should start with the most recent achievement and activities, as not everyone gets to the end of a CV. As annoying as that sounds, it is the truth. Bold headings and clear paragraph spacing helps the CV look professional, and facts and experiences should be truthful and not elaborated on, because there’s nothing worse than getting caught out on something that you ‘fibbed’ about on your CV, during an interview. Just be honest because first impression counts! 

Interview preparation was one of Luke’s biggest struggles growing up, and because of his current job and other life experiences he has overcome that struggle, and found himself on the opposite side of the interview table. That's life for you! A few tips he gave to us included; research the company's background, the job specification and what is required from an ideal candidate, look smart and professional, be punctual and arrive 15-20 minutes before the scheduled interview time, and bring your best self. Don’t give away that your nervous because everyone is, but it depends who’s good at overcoming their nerves to then have a better chance of getting the job.  

This seminar turned to be highly useful and beneficial to me, as he covered points that I struggle with, so taking down notes in everything that he said during the seminar, is something I would revise and implant into my life, for a better chance of being successful for life after university.