Sixth Form College and Applied Sciences students at City and Islington College, London had the opportunity to visit the Inmarsat City Road headquarters to take part in a group challenge project.
The project, which will run throughout the summer, invites 22 sixth form students to submit project proposals in relation to aviation connectivity as part of a placement programme.
The initiative forms part of an ongoing engagement scheme between Inmarsat and City and Islington College’s high performing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) students.
“To visit a company at the forefront of satellite communications and which is undertaking pioneering work represents a fantastic opportunity for our students,” said Jo Bishop, Head of Careers at City and Islington’s Sixth Form College.
“People across the world are learning about the impact Inmarsat is making and our students will have the opportunity to work with them this summer.
“For every student involved, this will look good on their CVs and university applications and we want to thank Inmarsat for the opportunity and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
A series of Inmarsat seminars will be carried out to enable the students to gain invaluable advice for their chosen topics and research their ideas with a range of industry experts within the company, who will mentor them throughout the process.
Students will then present their finalised work to Mark Dickinson, Inmarsat Vice President, Satellite Operations and John Burley, Inmarsat’s Space Analyst.
“City and Islington College has impressed us with their professionalism and focus,” said James Cemmell, Inmarsat’s Head of Government Affairs.
“They deliver at the top end of STEM provision in the further education sector and Inmarsat colleagues have been more than willing to engage with their high performing students.
“This promises to be the start of a fruitful long-term relationship between City and Islington College and Inmarsat.”
During the visit, students were privately briefed by Mark Dickenson on the physics he and his team employed to position Malaysia Airlines MH370, answering questions on how Doppler analysis was undertaken.
Pat McDougal, Inmarsat Vice President, Business Development and Strategy, also discussed the major strategic challenges facing Inmarsat today.
Finally, students were given a behind-the-scenes tour, visiting the satellite control centre and network operations centre, both of which are located at its City Road office.
