Students from The Westwood Academy, Bablake School and Lyng Hall School in Coventry with Amerdeep Chanian (front, left) and Fleur Sexton (front, second left) from PET-Xi Training and Coventry City Council chief executive Martin Reeves (front, second right)
Pupils from The Westwood Academy, Bablake School and Lyng Hall School in Coventry signed up for the Future Leaders course at PET-Xi Training.
The three-week course was focused on three themes – working together, improving learning and performance, and problem solving – at PET-XI Training’s headquarters at the Westwood Business Park in Coventry.
The students joined forces to create a business app by taking on the roles of accountant, marketing, human resources and managing director to deliver a Dragons’ Den style pitch to PET-Xi Training colleagues Maggie Thomson, Kelly Wright, Sharon McGuire, Julian Davis and David Hutchinson.
Sharon Wamuyu, aged 17, from Lyng Hall School said: “The following week, we gave a presentation about ourselves as if we were preparing to apply for a role as an apprentice at PET-Xi, which is difficult for many people.
“We critiqued our own work for areas where we could improve and we gave a further presentation a few days later and the difference was amazing, there was a massive improvement.”
Hattie Morris, aged 16, of Bablake School, added: “It was really useful because it was like an interview and you could see how it would fit into a real-life situation, because you watched your peers and picked up tips so we were not just self-assessing, we were analysing others.”
She also secured a work placement with Coventry City Council chief executive Martin Reeves after he visited PET-Xi Training and met a group of young people taking part in the Future Leaders course.
The group was also set a challenge of raising £1,000 for charity in the final week of Future Leaders which they met by holding a variety of activities including cake sales, a sponsored events and a 14km walk.
A total of £1,204.83 was collected which has been distributed to nine charities – Myton Hospice, Cancer Research, Lupus UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Mind, the Salvation Army, Zero Hunger with Langar, British Lung Foundation and the Dogs Trust.
Sophie Riley, aged 15, from The Westwood Academy, said: “Coming onto this course I was shy and anxious. All the PET-Xi staff made me feel included and welcome. I have learnt how to improve the skills I never even knew I had. I started on week two and stayed for week three, I just now wish I did week one as well. It was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it.”
Amerdeep Chanian, team leader at PET-Xi Training, said he had been impressed by the standard of the students’ work throughout the summer programme which also gives UCAS points for those planning to go to university.
“This is the eighth year we have held the Future Leaders course and it is focused on developing skills to demonstrate to universities and future employers that students have all-round abilities and not just academic achievements,” he said.
“Throughout the three weeks, we really saw the confidence of the students increase and they really bonded as a group despite coming from different schools and backgrounds and I wish them all well in the future.”
