From education to employment

International company inspires students to global careers

Aspen Pumps Group Group Communications Manager Fay Davis with students at Hailsham Community College

A manager from East Sussex company Aspen Pumps Group has gone back to the classroom to inform students about career opportunities in international trade and commerce as part of the national education charity Future First’s ‘Commerce in the Classroom’ initiative.

Aspen Pumps Group Communications Manager Fay Davis spoke to Business Studies students in Year 12 at Hailsham Community College in East Sussex as part of the scheme designed to inform students about careers in global businesses and international trade and encourage them to consider jobs in this growing sector.Fay talked to students in their first year of a two year course about her career  progression since joining Aspen and gave them an introduction to the job possibilities open to them should they choose to work in an international company.

Under the programme funded by the Commercial Education Trust, employees working in international trade and commerce, from interpretors to market analysts, linguists to civil servants, volunteer to go back to the classroom in state schools and colleges in Sussex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. These are areas where the government feels social mobility is low and the programme informs students about the wealth of jobs available and the skills they need to succeed in such fields.

Fay said “It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to offer guidance and advice to the next generation of business professionals. As a stable, growing company, Aspen strongly believe in the importance of investing in the talent of the future and it was very rewarding to see how engaged the pupils were. I hope that I was able to motivate them and give them the confidence to pursue their dream careers. Aspen employs over 100 people and is growing fast so who knows, perhaps some of these Hailsham students will be working with us in the future!”

The Commerce in the Classroom initiative builds on Future First’s work in more than a thousand state secondary schools and colleges across Britain enabling them to harness the talents and experience of alumni to support students as relatable career and education role models, work experience providers, mentors, governors and fundraisers.

The charity’s vision is that every state school or college should be supported by a thriving, engaged alumni community which helps it to do more for its students.

Natalie Marshall, Head of Innovation and Learning at Future First said, ‘International commerce is a rapidly growing sector which offers a wealth of interesting opportunities students may not know about. Young people cannot be what they cannot see and talking to those working in the field will expose current students to the range of job opportunities available internationally and dispel misconceptions about who can succeed in them. Hearing first hand success stories from staff in companies like Aspen Pumps Group shows what can be achieved through hard work, regardless of a student’s backgrounds and upbringing.”


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