The best industry experiences don’t just show young people what a career in tech could look like - they give them the opportunity to become part of it.
That’s exactly what Hippo helped create through their support of Manchester Digital’s T Connect programme, providing students with exposure to the industry, practical experience and the confidence to take their next steps into tech.
Hippo’s involvement began with a problem-solving session for T Connect students, where their team ran activities designed to encourage creative thinking, collaboration and approaching challenges in the way technology teams do every day.
Following this session, Hippo selected two learners - Ahmed Abdul Karim and Edu Samuel Manuel - to take part in a 36-day industry placement with the business.
The placement gave Ahmed and Edu the opportunity to work alongside Hippo’s teams from their Leeds office, contributing to projects for the Department for Education and gaining first-hand experience of working in a professional technology environment.
Throughout their placements, they were treated as members of the team, gaining insight into the full process of delivering digital products - from technical development and problem solving through to collaboration and communication.
For Edu, the experience helped him better understand his future career ambitions:
"The time that I have had in Hippo Digital was really helpful to further expand my foresight of my future career in the tech industry. They have helped me learn a lot of things that I will use in the future and also let me feel like I was part of a team. They didn't treat me as a T-level student, they treated me like an employee which I appreciated very much."
Ahmed also reflected on the breadth of experience he gained during his time with Hippo:
"My time with Hippo has been absolutely phenomenal. I loved my time learning different things and figuring out the process of how things work first-hand."
Alongside developing new technical skills, including learning C# during his placement, Ahmed was able to gain insight into the wider process of creating digital products and the different roles involved.
His experience continued beyond the placement itself, with Ahmed joining a panel at the NurtureMeMentoring event, sponsored by Hippo, titled 'Different Paths, One Industry: Tech Journeys that Inspire'. The session gave Ahmed the opportunity to share his own route into technology, reflect on his experiences and discuss his future career ambitions with other aspiring professionals.
Holly Onstenk, ESG & Social Value Lead at Hippo, explained why the partnership was important:
"Partnering with Manchester Digital made it much easier for us to create a meaningful opportunity for young people without placing an unrealistic burden on the business. Their team handled the coordination, line management and ongoing support, giving us the confidence to focus on what we do best: providing real project experience, mentoring and insight into working in tech."
"The wrap-around support and flexible hybrid model made the placement manageable for our team and valuable for the students. By taking care of the legwork and providing the right support infrastructure, Manchester Digital enabled us to concentrate our time where it had the greatest impact."
This is exactly why industry partnerships are so important. By working together, education providers, employers and organisations like Manchester Digital can create opportunities that give young people meaningful insight into careers in technology.
For many students, programmes like T Connect provide their first opportunity to build relationships with professionals working in the industry and see a future career path become something tangible.
A huge thank you to Holly, Ahmed, Edu and everyone at Hippo for investing their time, expertise and support into helping strengthen the region’s future digital talent pipeline.
If your organisation would like to support the next generation of digital professionals through T Connect or one of our other early talent programmes, please sign up for Switchboard and let us know how you can support: https://www.manchesterdigital.com/switchboard
