BDC's CEO Dominic Jones takes part in student success
22 Apr 2008
As part of the Business Design Centre’s commitment to the local community and long standing relationship with City and Islington College (CIC), the company invited students to take part in mock interview exercises in March with BDC’s Chief Executive, Dominic Jones.
The purpose of the programme was to help disadvantaged/unemployed adults in the local area whose primary language is not English to become confident in an interview situation and increase their chances of finding a job.
The students who are enrolled in a variety of courses at CIC, including ESOL all applied for hypothetical jobs as either administrators, shop assistants or childcare workers. They each took part in a detailed interview with Jones who then gave individual constructive feedback on how they came across and where they could potentially improve.
It was the first time many of the students had been interviewed in the UK and those students on a low income were provided with smart suits and accessories from the non-profit organisation ‘Dress for Success’.
The scheme proved a great success. Jones received the news that only a few days after he met them one of the students involved, Hortense Boulet-Ladjal (student on ‘Skills for Jobs’), had been offered a job as a PA for the London School of Economics.
Laila El-Metoui, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Employability Co-ordinator, commented that she was “convinced that taking part in the interview with [Jones] was a turning point in her life. “
Dominic Jones, comments,” I was delighted to hear about Hortense’s success, it feels great to know that this process has had such a positive impact. All the students deserve a lot of credit. The experience has been eye opening, seeing their strength and desire to improve themselves and it’s given me a great sense of satisfaction to feel that I’m helping students to develop themselves.“
El-Metoui added, “Dominic Jones has been so supportive towards the whole scheme, and has been involved in a similar activity with the younger students at the Sixth Form College, so when asked to replicate that for our ESOL students he freed up his whole morning for us and as a College we’re really grateful!”
Office Practice and ESOL student Mariam Jama, feels the interview will kick start her career, “The main thing is that I got my self confidence, and I learnt how to do interviews. I’m so happy to go to this College, I have a good teacher and we get many opportunities to improve. I didn’t know I could get the chance to be successful and to meet top managers’.”
Dominic Jones will be reconvening with the interviewees to learn about their progress, at an event during Adult Learners Week, ‘Breakfast with Students’, scheduled to take place on Tuesday 20th May.
