Student experience the WorkX way

This summer, colleagues at Pemberton House in Uxbridge welcomed three students from the American School in London for a week of work experience as part of their WorkX summer training programme.

So, what happened when a competitive swimmer, an injured basketball player and the head of the charity club spent a week at CCEP’s headquarters?

The answer is that they rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in!

Highlights of the week included:

• Working on a brief from sales and marketing to come up with new promotional ideas for the Adez brand
• Spending time with Chief Supply Chain Officer Ron Lewis and Head of Sustainability Joe Frances
• Tackling an interview task for entry-level procurement candidates around sourcing raw packaging materials

The high school students were involved in a combination of show, tell and participate initiatives, which enabled them to practice their networking and problem-solving skills in an office environment.

Anna, 16, said, “It was such a valuable week and I learned so much about CCEP; how the different departments work together to market products in an effective way, including managing cash flow, revenue growth and hiring and maintaining the best talent.”

Piya, 16, said, “I had a wonderful time seeing all the different areas of the business and how they came together. I felt like we were exposed to everything! Everyone we met with was so nice and I am very thankful for the time they took out of their day to share their knowledge.”

Can, 16, said, “I didn’t even know what procurement was until we had some time with that team. It was great to be given a task that you would receive in an interview. Not only was it very interactive, but it helped me to better understand the function’s importance to the overall business.”

Ron Lewis, Chief Supply Chain Officer, said, “It was great to have Anna, Can and Piya joins us for the week and I hope that we can endorse other such work experience initiatives in the future. It directly supports our Action on Society commitment to help young people gain employability, skills and confidence that they need to succeed.”