Investigate: Before my visit I found out this about the company

Clear Digital Solutions (CDS) aims to provide it customers with solutions that will aid productivity and efficiency in their area of expertise allowing its customers to maximise profits on both short and long term project. In addition once the solutions are implemented CDS aim to provide the highest quality service to its customers at all times.

As well as providing a comprehensive range of ICT solutions, they also develop bespoke products to meet very specific market needs. Clear Digital Solutions offers a range of consultancy services covering specific areas of ICT, all designed to link the objectives of the organisation and it’s ICT. CDS is a relatively small company. There are 9 people currently working there. The Owner, 4 software developers, 2 technical support, business support, accountant.

Observe: While at the company I job shadowed an Employee. This is what happened:

• Employee Name:
• Job Role:

Technical Support - Phone support that is logged into a system, with billable time. Most problems resolved using remote connections, with occasional visits to sites.

Software Development - The active participation in a project from start to finish regardless of time scale, use of multiple languages, to develop bespoke software for specific user needs.

The atmosphere was very relaxed, employees all had dinner together on a daily bases as a way of catching up as well as discussing and pressing issues.

Interview: I talked with a member of staff to find out more about their role. This is what I found out:

• Employee Name: Craig Wilson
• Job Role: ICT engineer
• Pathway from school to their current position:
  Craig Wilson is an ICT engineer within the company. He has worked at CDS for 6 years and said he has an extremely dynamic job role, which changes with the business as it expands.
  support. This involved both phone and on site support and lasted a period of 1 year.
  
  After completion of the scheme Craig realised that and ICT technical role was the ideal position for him. Through word of mouth he heard of a job at CDS, was pro active and made contact with the company. He then had an informal interview, followed by a formal interview and aptitude test, gaining him the position.
  
  Craig is currently studying an MCDST – Win XP, and as 40% of the companies work involves LINUX is also studying this. He is working towards becoming manager of an ICT support team within 5 years, hopefully at CDS.
  
  
  Upon leaving school, Craig gained 3 A-C grade GCSE’s. he then enrolled on a leisure and tourism course at college, which he left part way through as it was not what he wanted to do.
  
  He then joined a council run scheme in business administration, working for Stockton ICT unit technical
  
• Where do they see themselves in the future:
  

Participate: I took part in a work related activity. This is what happened:

• Description of task:
  Whilst visiting the company I was involved in a number of work based tasks.
  
  • Technical support - shadowing staff as they answered technical phone queries, the logging of these queries, billing of time and resolution.
  • Software development - production of process diagram as first step into automation of a customers system, therefore increasing efficiency and productivity.
  • Software development - Shadowing of programmer, when using Java scrip to complete the front end of a customer based stock control system
  
• Notes:
  

Imagine: From the perspective of a student the advice I would give is:

A student undertaking work experience at this company would be fairly limited in the work which they could do. Due to insurance they would be unable to attend site visits, therefore all experience would be in house.

Due to the sensitive nature and complexity of some projects, students would not be able to be involved.

Students would be involved in the technical support side of the business, as well as the building of hardware to roll out to site.

My advice would be that they need to be professional at all times, punctual, and willing to undertake any task set to the best of their ability.

Summarise: The things I have found beneficial from the day(s) in the work environment are:

The most beneficial part of the 2 days in the working environment, was the advice given about applications, programming languages and methods to teach. As well as, advice regarding possible free software to use.

• Microsoft Visual Web Developer
• Fireworks
• Microsoft Silverlight
• SQL server
• Basic HTML
• C sharp
• Java Script