We first met Harvey Bolton last June when he was about to start working for coveted car firm, Volkswagen. Here. Midway through his placement, the Marketing with a Year in Industry student reflects on the valuable experience he has gained so far.
“There’s been a lot of ‘pinch me’ moments since I started my Year in Industry,” says Harvey. “The recent one being my Employee of the Month Award that I received this February. Although unexpected I am proud of myself. The team here have been incredible at encouraging my development so I can only say I come to work to do my best and I’m glad I have a team behind me to makes sure I can achieve that!”
Harvey, who is studying BSc Marketing at Kent Business School, landed a sought-after Year in Industry at Volkswagen and started last summer after securing the placement with help from our employability team.
“The last six or seven months have been incredible,” he explains. “I have been given a lot of responsibility and broadened out into various areas of the business. My manager is amazing, and he’s got me in front of some of the top industry experts in the automotive industry.”
Harvey has worked his way up to working on major projects and partnerships for the brand, including one with the Business School itself.
“I am project managing a partnership with KBS and Volkswagen group to do Outreach in local secondary schools. It has been great to inspire youngsters to think about their careers and to get excited about cars, like I am!”
Harvey admits that his first days were ‘nerve wracking’ but that he benefitted from being a mature student with a bit of experience under his belt. He also credits his neurodiversity as boosting his potential in the workplace.
“I am autistic. The good thing about autism, Asperger’s Syndrome in my case, is that we often have a ‘special interest’ something that we have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of. Cars are my special interest; I can talk about cars all day and all night. My manager says that I am categorically the person with the most automotive knowledge compared to my competitors. I can answer any query and have a really good memory of the details.”
Harvey’s latest accolades include overhauling the company’s commercial reporting system and talking about the future of the automotive industry with the board of directors for the company.
“I even got to test out the cars at full speed at Silverstone race circuit which was unbelievable,” he beams.
Now in talks with his manager about securing a potential employment opportunity once he graduates, Harvey has got the working life buzz and is looking forward to being on the books permanently.
“Going back to my parents’ house and life as a student is going to be a strange thing to adapt to. I really love working here and I hope I can inject some of this enthusiasm back into my studies.”
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