London Gateway has welcomed 16 promising students from Palmer’s College to take part in London Gateway’s Next Top Boss Business Challenge.
Students from the first and second year learned about one of the UK’s largest job creation projects while working to develop important skills including critical thinking, researching and presenting, which will help enhance their future career prospects.
The Next Top Boss programme, run by Thurrock Council, aims to help build skills needed to help launch students’ careers. This year, London Gateway was partnered with Palmer’s College to provide a Next Top Boss challenge.
Students started their day with a presentation and tour of London Gateway, then started work on researching and preparing a presentation for the Business Board on how one of the most advanced ports in the world could use technology to automate the port.
The teams presented their ideas and solutions to the London Gateway Business Board, who provided valuable feedback on each teams presentation skills, content, collaboration and organisation.
A-level student, Paulina Krezeminska, said: “The day at DP World was brilliant, it was a real eye-opener and it gave you a real flavour of what it’s like to work to a real brief, meet deadlines and work with people you don’t know. The feedback and support given to us was really valuable.”
When fully developed the port is expected to create 2,000 jobs and the logistics park another 10,000 and DP World are currently recruiting and preparing to train new staff for the opening of the port next year.
Mark Vinall, Principal of Palmer’s College, said: “I am delighted that DP World chose Palmer’s College as their Next Top Boss partner and our students are really enjoying the real life challenge of working with a world class organisation that is making such an enormous contribution to the economic prosperity of Thurrock”.
Commenting on the day’s events Victoria Tobin, London Gateway Human Resources Manager, said: “These college students are our potential future employees and it is encouraging to see that they are prepared to face challenges and build the skills that they are expected to have when the enter the work place.”
