Blog written by Millie Perrin, an a-level student who joined ADS Chief Economist, Aimie Stone for a week of work experience.
About me:
Whilst studying for my A-levels in business, economics, and geography, I was unsure of what path to follow for the next chapter of my education. From the courses, I knew I had a keen interest in business and economics, in particular the important role economics plays in the success of a business. I decided undertaking work experience would help to gage my understanding of the interrelationship between economics and business in a workplace situation. When the opportunity to complete a week of work experience at ADS came up, I jumped at the chance to use this to help further my understanding and apply my knowledge.
Work experience:
For my work experience, I was invited to shadow Aimie Stone, the Chief Economist at ADS. Prior to commencing the work experience, Aimie provided me with a comprehensive schedule of what the week would consist of, which was a wide variety of tasks and activities with the aim of giving me a rounded insight into what the role of an Economist looks like.
Giving me the chance to take responsibility to analyse data and create overviews of my findings on multiple occasions enabled me to learn a lot more than if I had just been observing tasks. I was also given the opportunity to get to know the wider PEPAM team (Policy, Economics, Public Affairs, and Media and Marketing team) that the economics department sits within. This helped my understanding of the contribution the economics team has on other areas such as policy and public affairs. Everyone in the team was friendly and open to teaching the concept of what their roles were and the importance of them within ADS. I appreciated the chance to represent the ADS team at the Apprenticeship Reception at the Houses of Parliament and particularly enjoyed listening to some of the inspirational speeches given by apprentices and Ministers. It was a privilege to meet the Chief Executive of ADS, Kevin Craven, who gave me advice from what he has learnt from his experiences on his journey to the position he holds now. During the week there were various visits, meeting members of ADS and having the chance to go to the BAE Systems heritage site where I learnt more about the history of aerospace, aviation, and defence.
Overview:
Overall, this week has been brilliant with so many fantastic experiences that I have taken part in and has really opened my eyes as to what a career in economics could look like. The work experience has only helped fuel my passion for economics within a business as something that I could see myself doing in the not-so-distant future.
