Early careers outreach is often treated as something employers need to tackle alone but when organisations come together, they can create something stronger than any one company could deliver independently. That was part of the appeal for World Wide Technology (WWT) when it became a founding partner of Discover Tech; a collaborative, two-day work experience programme designed to introduce 16-17-year-olds to the breadth of opportunities across the tech sector.

For Teresa Nicastro, Programme Manager for WWT’s Associate Academy, the partnership offered more than another opportunity to showcase the business. It gave WWT the chance to shape a programme alongside employers working towards the same goal.

“Being a founding partner gives you that bit more involvement. You feel part of something bigger than just your organisation.”

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Building the programme together

WWT was already running apprenticeships, work experience and other early-careers initiatives. Discover Tech offered a different model; the opportunity to collaborate with organisations including Cisco, IBM, Adobe and Accenture.

The founding partners came together from the outset to share ideas and help shape the programme. They reviewed activities, contributed expertise and gave honest feedback on what would work for students. For Teresa, that ability to influence was an important part of the experience.

“Sometimes you are part of an initiative, but if you’re not involved in founding it, you might have stuff to say, but you can’t always get your point across. It’s been really good to see it grow from the start.”

Rather than asking employers to fit into a finished model, Discover Tech created space for each partner to contribute its own expertise. The result was a programme developed with the industry, rather than just delivered to it.

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Learning from industry peers

The collaboration also created valuable opportunities for WWT’s own early-careers team. By watching Connectr facilitators in action, observing how students responded and seeing activities tested in a live environment, Teresa and her colleagues were able to reflect on their own approach.

“You learn a lot from the content creation as well, because some of those workshops and bits I can take now and embed into our programme.”

This exchange of ideas is one of the advantages of collaborative outreach. Employers do not need to develop every activity from scratch or solve the same challenges in isolation. They can learn from one another, share what works and strengthen their own programmes in the process.

For Teresa, the experience also reinforced the quality of WWT’s existing approach. Seeing similar methods used across Discover Tech showed that its focus on group work, practical activities and student participation was already hitting the mark.

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Challenging perceptions of technology careers

Discover Tech also complemented WWT’s wider work to grow its early-careers pipeline and broaden understanding of the sector. One of Teresa’s priorities is challenging the idea that working for a technology company always requires a highly technical background.

“Busting the myth that you have to be very technical to work in a technology company is really important. And getting that female voice into technology is also key.”

Through interactive workshops, employer-led sessions and networking conversations, students were able to explore a wider range of roles and routes into technology.

The programme also helped raise WWT’s profile among young people who may already have recognised some of the larger employers involved but were less familiar with WWT and the opportunities it offers.

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Developing WWT’s own people

WWT’s apprentices played an important role throughout the programme. They supported student teams, shared their experiences and helped young people prepare for presentations. Because they were only a few years further along in their own journeys, they could offer a relatable and realistic view of starting a career in technology.

The experience also supported their own development. Volunteering allowed apprentices to practise facilitation and step into a leadership role while helping students develop the same skills.

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Creating space to practise professional behaviours

Across the two days, students developed more than their understanding of the tech industry.

They worked in teams, asked questions, formed new connections and delivered group projects. Teresa was particularly conscious of ensuring that every student contributed, rather than allowing the most confident speaker to take over.

As she explained, confidence is not only about learning to speak up. It is also about knowing when to step back and give someone else the opportunity to contribute.

Even small moments created useful lessons. When some students arrived late to a session, Teresa used it as an opportunity to reinforce the importance of accountability and professional first impressions. Discover Tech gave students a supportive environment in which to build those habits before entering the workplace.

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Stronger together

For WWT, Discover Tech demonstrated that employer collaboration can create value in several directions.

1. Students gain access to role models, industry insight and practical experience.

2. Apprentices and volunteers strengthen their own confidence and communication skills.

3. Employers learn from their peers, raise awareness of their opportunities and contribute to a stronger future talent pipeline.

As Teresa described it, Discover Tech is:

“Fun, factual and for the future.”

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Could your organisation benefit from Discover Tech?

Discover Tech gives employers a practical way to inspire young people, develop their own employees and learn alongside other organisations committed to building the future technology workforce.

Get in touch with Rachel Morar to find out how your organisation could take part in Discover Tech or explore a similar collaborative programme for your industry.