More than a careers fair, or typical showcase event, this year, Riyan Ferguson, the new head of business, management, IT & computing at The Guernsey Institute, said he aimed to boost the college’s annual event, creating more of a ‘Dragon’s Den’-style opportunity for students.
‘We’ve reached out to near enough every company in the island to come and engage with us,’ he said.
‘I just saw an opportunity this year to try and increase the event’s popularity and foot traffic as much as possible. I’ve been head of department just this academic year, after being at the college for three and a half years as a lecturer in business. So this is my first year doing the Tech Day with a different mindset.
‘We’ve really tried to focus on business application, to try and make it more relevant for the employers coming in. The students have created things this year that can really apply to industry and we’ve achieved more of a platform for meaningful engagement between students, educators and industry. I’m feeling really positive and the students are, too.’
Teams of youngsters each held a stand to present the projects they have been working on since September. They built their projects from scratch – coding, wiring and constructing everything from game development to a flight tracker app.
‘It’s like FlightRadar, but for a game,’ said Fraser Watson, who built the cross-platform mobile app on his own.
‘I wanted to have a live flight tracker on Android but there isn’t one yet. I saw a gap in the market and decided to go for it. Everything’s been challenging, I’ve had to learn a whole new coding language, but I’ve found this experience quite helpful. It’s a good place to demonstrate skills to employers. The companies that are here have all said it looks really professional. I’m hoping to deploy it to Google Play Store, once it’s more polished and optimised.’
For the first time, TGI’s Engineering students were also in attendance. The students created a 3D vice using computer assisted drawing, a project which involved 2D sketches extruded into 3D models, with dimensions and shapes adjusted for precision. They also worked on a PLC-controlled air compressor – which would normally be used in design, on a conveyor belt – and turned it into a game. Participants set their predicted timings to move a ball through a maze, using infra-red light sensors.
‘I really enjoy all of this, it’s very interesting to me – which is obviously why I’m on the course,’ said Joel Smith.
‘I’m hoping to find a job in machining. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of opportunity for that in Guernsey, so I’ll probably have to move off-island. But it’s good to have this experience, and hopefully meet some local people in the industry.’
Engineering lecturer Mark Johnson said the event had prompted good practice for his students in developing their presenting and business interaction skills.
‘It’s really lovely to showcase what the guys have been doing,’ he said.
‘I’m so proud of what they’ve managed to achieve. It’s great for them to be chatting to people that are in their industry. It’s building soft skills that they need as well. They’ve always got great ideas, and this will help them build the confidence to present them.’
The employers at the event gave the students feedback on their work. This year welcomed a new sponsor, Vega Technology, which brought along other companies to meet the young talent.
‘It’s not exactly a careers thing, but the students have got the opportunity to talk to us, gain clarity and understand what jobs are there in the tech world,’ said Mandy Collings from Vega.
‘Just because they’re doing an IT or engineering course, there are still all sorts of jobs that they can enter.’
She invited Christine Bangor-Jones, director of a recruitment business, People Like Us, to the event.
‘Being such a client-focused business, people skills are so important in the tech world as well, and this is really good practice for students,’ she said.