They gave the students an overview of Plessey, the technology they work with, and the careers and pathways available at the company.

They then delivered a workshop with a group of Year 10s and Sixth Form students, where they went into more depth about the company and let them hear from Ben, a graduate device engineer, and Jack, an equipment engineer who completed an apprenticeship at Plessey.

This gave the students a broader view of how people become engineers at Plessey.

They also brought along some demonstration wafers, so students could get a closer look at what they use to make microLEDs and have a go at handling them.

Imogen Martin, Assistant Principal: Sixth Form and Careers at Ivybridge Community College, stated, “We are extremely excited about our new School Partnership with Plessey. 

"It is very important for us as a school to develop strong links with key local employers, who can offer our students ‘real life’ encounters and invaluable experiences of the workplace. 

"We are very much looking forward to the Plessey team coming into school again this year, delivering workshops to students during our Science Week and attending our annual Careers Fair in March.”

Mark Gray, Learning and Development Manager at Plessey, said, “Partnering with Ivybridge Community College as part of our early careers programme is key to inspiring and encouraging our future employees.

"Taking part in various activities at the college will enable students to get a real insight into the careers available at Plessey and the Micro LED industry.

"We are very much looking forward to our next event at the college”.

That afternoon, Plessey strengthened the partnership further with a donation of two 3D printers.

A spokesperson said that their product team found they were no longer using two printers and that were in great condition.

As a result, they were able to donate them to the Design Technology team at Ivybridge Community College, who were very happy to increase their capacity for one of the most sought-after activities.

In addition to the printers, we also received a stock of resin, a form wash and form cure set, and some models to show the printers' capabilities.