All, Education, Event, Leeds, Yorkshire

#INLEEDSDAY2018 brings students to aql HQ

aql welcomed 100 students from the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Trinity University to its headquarters yesterday for #INLEEDSDAY2018.

Now in its third year, #INLEEDSDAY was created by students from the University of Leeds to help retain the region’s considerable graduate talent, by introducing them to the range of opportunities available and showing them why people love to live and work in Leeds. The day also helps them develop a network and meet potential employers.

Last year’s event – also hosted at aql HQ – saw the number of students who were considering staying in Leeds after graduation increase by 40%.

Students took part in a competition throughout the day, around the theme of ‘company culture and values in the Leeds City Region’. They were tasked with coming up with innovative ideas for attracting and retaining graduates in the region and then pitching them to industry professionals.

aql founder and CEO Prof. Adam Beaumont addressed the students, answering questions on the company’s culture and values and around how we encourage our workforce.

The initiative dovetails with aql’s own work around education and diversity, aimed at building the regional talent pool and retaining the young people who will take the already-burgeoning Northern tech sector to even greater heights. Beaumont was awarded a visiting professorship of cyber security at the University of Leeds last year, and aql works with universities, colleges and school across the region to drive engagement with technology and data literacy.

#INLEEDSDAY was organised with the help of Ahead Partnership – the latest in a string of collaborations between the social enterprise and aql, including this month’s second annual GirlTech. GirlTech brings 140 13-year-old female students from six schools together to help them find out more about opportunities in tech and digital in the region.

For more information, visit www.aheadpartnership.org.uk.

To see #INLEEDSDAY for yourself, check out the video below:

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