Supporting the Future of Digital
This past year we have seen more than ever the importance of digital. Digital is part of our day to day lives and in everything we do.
As a company, we’re committed to supporting education and investing in the future of digital
We work closely with students and academia to help support and nurture the future of STEM, enabling students to gain the right skills and knowledge they need to succeed in STEM careers.
The Pledge has been providing opportunities for students to learn and grow digitally and we’re proud to be a part of it!
As a software development company, we have a lot of insight and knowledge to share.
Last week, we took part in a project aimed at getting young people into digital, supported by The Pledge, Cheshire and Warrington.
The event was called ‘Girls in Computing’ and the aim was to get more younger students, particularly girls, thinking about taking computing and digital-related options at GSCE.
We spent three days with students from Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, to teach them about the variety of careers in digital and help them complete a design challenge that they would then present back to the team.
The week was full of learning and we had lots of fun working with the girls.
Introducing DriveWorks
Bridie from the DriveWorks team started the week off by introducing DriveWorks and the software that we create.
After being introduced to the week and learning more about the type of things we get up to at a digital company like DriveWorks, the girls were divided into two teams and given a brief;
‘To create a customizable environmentally friendly product’.
Before attempting the brief the teams worked through a series of mini communication tasks to get them working together.
The students then began brainstorming some ideas and coming up with their own unique product.
Hearing from the Team
The students heard from different members of the DriveWorks team, all working in various areas of the company, talking through their roles and responsibilities.
Learning About Product Design
First to speak to the students was Sophie.
Sophie is on placement with DriveWorks while studying Product Design at The University of Leeds.
While speaking to the girls Sophie, shared a bit about her education and how she got into her current role at DriveWorks. Sophie showed the students some of the projects she had been working on during university and what she has been working on at DriveWorks.
Sophie shared some top tips and important things for the students to consider when deciding and designing their own customizable products.
Being a Software Developer
On day two of the event, the girls were introduced to Lauren, a Software Developer at DriveWorks.
The students heard how Lauren ended up becoming a Software Developer and what she enjoys most about her role at DriveWorks.
Lauren shared how it’s really important to be passionate about what you do, whatever career path you take.
Marketing a Product
Finally, Lucy from the Marketing team demonstrated the importance of marketing in the digital world.
Speaking about her education and how she got into marketing, Lucy pointed out that you do not have to be technical to work at a digital company.
Lucy showed the students the many techniques and tools we use to deliver consistent and effective marketing campaigns to our global network.
Throughout the session, Lucy suggested things for the teams to consider when designing and presenting their products back to the group. Pointing out key things like the importance of identifying the target audience and also considering the best way to market their products.
From each diverse presentation, the students learned about the variety of roles and skillsets required in a successful digital company.It also gave them a further understanding of the importance of teamwork and communication within a digital company and how we all work together to achieve one goal; to create innovative and exciting software.With this new wealth of knowledge, the students got to work on their final presentations.Working together over Microsoft Teams, the girls had to not only design an innovative product but also think about how they would market their product in a way that sets it out from the crowd – considering any limitations of taking the product to market.Following the brief, the students thought about all of the ways in which they could make their products customizable and also sustainable. With the DriveWorks team ready to answer any questions or help if the teams needed it.
Product Presentations
On Day Three of the week, the teams presented their ideas.
We saw some amazing concepts including a customizable skateboard made out of recycled materials to make it sustainable.
There was a customizable pillow that you could have in any shape with any design printed on it. We also saw a Shino-Matic 9000 – a light that would project whatever you wanted on the wall and some customizable LED trainers that could light up in any colour!
Both teams worked hard to develop these ideas, creating brand names and logos to fit in with the company ethos, also thinking about the sort of materials these products could be made from to keep them sustainable.
We heard about each product’s target audience and how the teams planned to market their products.
At the end of the week, we were really proud to congratulate the students for all the hard work they had done during the event.
We were joined by DriveWorks VP & Co-Founder, Maria Sarkar, who presented each of them with their own certificate, designed by Sophie.
The event was a great success and the feedback from all the students and their teacher reflected this.
Having worked with this inspiring group of students, we’re excited to see the future of digital!
We look forward to welcoming the girls to the DriveWorks office when we can, so they can meet even more of the DriveWorks and continue their learning.
Wanting to pursue a career in digital?
We’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our team.
Visit our Careers Page to learn more about the opportunities available at DriveWorks!