The three Guernsey winning students from the 2017-2018 Directors of Tomorrow enjoyed a day in London courtesy of The Ana Leaf Foundation who sponsor the initiative.
The students – Eleanor Wallis, Emily Linane and Abigail Dempster who are all heading off to university were accompanied by Guernsey’s Institute of Directors Chairman, John Clacy.
The group spent the morning touring Deloitte’s impressive headquarters in Central London before heading to the ITN newsroom where they watched a live broadcast. They then finished the day with a trip to the IoD’s head office in Pall Mall.
Eleanor Wallis, who attended The Ladies’ College and has a place at Bristol University said:
“Directors of Tomorrow has been an incredibly interesting and informative experience, which I feel will help guide me when I enter the working world.
“Visiting the new Deloitte offices was an amazing experience. Its philosophy on the modern workplace will definitely be something I will be looking out for when I enter the workplace myself.
Previous Grammar School student, Abigail Dempster, who has secured a place at Exeter University, said the trip had truly opened her eyes to the world of work.
“The brand new Deloitte office was the first eye-opener of the day. I was fascinated to see how office layout and technology could be so vital to providing an effective service. I was interested to hear how the more informal, open-plan office layout has already facilitated a more open approach to business discussions.
“The trip to ITN provided a stark change of atmosphere as we watched the ITV lunchtime news programme go out from behind the scenes. It was incredible to experience the accurate timing, split-second decisions and occasional organised chaos involved in creating the apparently seamless final product!”
The last stop before heading back to Guernsey was the IoD headquarters where the grandeur of the building and stories of frequentations by the Duke of York served as a reminder of the Institute of Directors’ impressive legacy.
Miss Dempster said: “The Directors of Tomorrow scheme is certainly a brilliant way to continue that legacy; thanks to the exclusive visits organised for us, I feel inspired to take on some work experience and placements having seen the variety of careers available. I cannot recommend this scheme and this trip enough; many thanks to the organisers.”
The initiative also broadened ex Guernsey Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre student Miss Linane’s perspective of working life. She is shortly heading off to York University. “During the day John gave us an overview of the finance sector which, together with the London trip has inspired me to look into more opportunities here in Guernsey,” she said.
The Directors of Tomorrow initiative was set up by The Ana Leaf Foundation seven years ago. The scheme invites teachers to nominate students, based on their interest in business, economics and current affairs, to attend the annual Guernsey IoD Convention. Each student then submits a blog reflecting on the convention’s theme which last year was ‘Infrastructure’ and three winners are selected.
Mr Clacy was very impressed with the confidence and maturity of the students and was pleased to hear that the visit to London gave them a good insight into working life and opportunities after they graduate.
“These students are our directors of tomorrow and I would like to wish them every success in their degrees and future careers. I hope they will keep in touch with other alumni of the initiative and share experiences as they begin the journeys into the working world.”
