Welcome to "Ask The Expert", Silverstone Technology Cluster’s podcast. In each episode, we invite seasoned professionals and industry leaders to share their insights, experiences, and strategies for navigating the complexities of modern business and the advanced engineering landscape.
Join us for a conversation with Georgina and Mary from the Open University and Helen from Intake Talent as we explore how students are successfully transitioning their skills into the workplace.

We discuss the OU’s careers support, employerpartnerships, and funding for internships, while Helen shares how she’s helping bridge the skills gap and embrace sustainable, green career pathways.

Meet our experts:

Georgina Hawkins is the Employer EngagementManager for STEM at the Open University's Careers and Employability Services.Over the past seven years, she has built up over 170 employer relationships and hosted numerous events both face-to-face and online, facilitating meaningful interactions between students and employers.

Before joining the Open University, Georgina spent fouryears at Nottingham Trent University as part of their careers team. Her diverse experience includes roles at prominent organisations such as TUI, Virgin Active, and Marie Curie, as well as gaining experience within SMEs. Georgina ispassionate about creating opportunities that connect students with employers, with a particular focus on Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability.

Mary Older is the Placement Manager at the OpenUniversity’s Careers and Employability Services. Mary’s role centres on working with employers to create meaningful work experience opportunities for studentsand graduates. While her focus is primarily on internships, she is keen to create and offer new experiences that work for both students and organisations, such as micro-internships and work-shadowing.

Prior to working at the Open University, Mary worked inemployability advice and guidance, supporting people in receipt of benefits into sustainable employment. She has always been passionate about supporting people from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds, and maintains this focus in her current role.

Helen Canon has over 17 years’ experience in recruitment and is the co-founder of Intake Talent. With a personable, detail-driven approach, she partners with organisations on everything from workforce planning and recruitment strategy to succession planning and social value initiatives. Passionate about early careers, Helen also works closely with schools and colleges to connect young people with meaningful opportunities and bridge the gap between education and employment.

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 Any queries? Please email:

careers-service employers@open.ac.uk

To watch the video version of this episode please click here.