Two NULC Language students in work placement at EU Automation

For the fourth consecutive year, some Newcastle-under-Lyme Language students completed a week’s work experience placement at EU Automation in Stafford.

EU Automation is a young and dynamic multi-lingual company based in Stafford that supplies industrial automation parts worldwide. Languages skills are essential to the company in providing a unique and efficient service thanks to its multilingual sales and customer teams.

The partnership between NULC and EU Automation started 4 years ago and Mark Proctor, the company director has been at Newcastle-under-Lyme college a few times as a guest speaker to talk about the importance of languages in business. Every year, language students who are interested write a CV and letter of application in the language(s) of study and are interviewed by EU Automation. This year, Charlotte Valles, After Sales Team Leader at EU Automation (fluent in Spanish and French) came to Newcastle-under-Lyme College to conduct the interviews with the languages team, Michaël Lacoult (Lecturer in French) and Edna Acosta (Lecturer in Spanish). “It is a very valuable process for the students and good practice as it is close to a real job interview. They even have a few questions in the language of study during the interview.” Michaël

This year, Tia-Louise Simpson (A Level student in French, Art and English Literature) and Jessica Barker (A Level student in Spanish, Graphic Design and Psychology) have been the successful candidates and they spent the week of the 19^th June 2017 at EU Automation. During the placement, the students have experienced a variety of departments of the company and worked with a variety of people from these areas: French and Spanish sales, Order Fulfilment Time, Finance, Customer service, Marketing and Supplier relations. They are also given the opportunity to choose to spend their last day in their preferred department.

“My experience at EU Automation was very useful and eye opening. Not only did it give me some experience in the trade but gave me greater knowledge on a potential career path for life after university.”Jessica

Tia (on the left) and Jessica (on the right) both working within different teams

”During my week at EU automation I was able to experience the many sectors which make the company work as a whole and gain an insight in regards to what opportunities becoming fluent in a language can provide me. I would have to say that working with people from different cultures was one of the most interesting aspects of the week.” Tia

Both staff at EU Automation and NULC students seem to benefit from the experience and actually Clara Taylor, ex-NULC student and young graduate from Bangor University who did a placement at EU Automation last year has been successfully working for the company for about a year.