Rob Thaw is enjoying his time at Prism
Rob Makes The Prism Connection
Rob Thaw is now a full-time employee at Prism Total IT Solutions but spends one day a week working towards his IT qualification at South Cheshire College.
The 19-year-old is the latest college student to link-up with Prism - which provides a range of IT solutions for businesses up and down the country.
Last year Foundation Degree student Chris Wayne joined the Congleton-based company to enhance his career prospects and earn cash whilst studying towards his degree at college.
Rob joined Prism after making the connection through his tutor Roger Freemantle and is now gaining valuable experience in all aspects of IT solutions.
The former Alsager High School student has to deal with software and hardware problems and is also building up his customer service skills on a day-to-day basis.
He spends every Tuesday at the College's Dane Bank Avenue campus topping up his skills and working towards his Foundation Degree in Enterprise Computing.
Rob said: "I'm thoroughly enjoying being at Prism and that, together with the foundation degree programme, is really building up my skills and knowledge.
"I had started to do IT as an A-Level subject but dropped it because I didn't think it was for me.
"But since I decided to give the foundation degree a go it has really opened my eyes to just how varied the IT sector can be.
"Working at Prism is giving me lots of hands-on practical IT experience and is also a fantastic way to earn while I learn."
Rob is now in his second year of the two-year Foundation Degree programme but has the option of making his qualification an Honours Degree by completing his third year at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).
He is staying open-minded about which way he wants to go in the IT sector but is enjoying being a part of the Prism set-up.
Rob added: "A lot of the staff at Prism have already done IT-focused degrees so it's a win-win situation because they are helping me with things I need to know for my qualification.
"The tutors at college have also been very supportive. I'm glad I chose South Cheshire College because I didn't want to build up student debts at university.
"Even though I'm perhaps not as involved socially as I might be I'm meeting lots of new people all the time through work. It's great to be part of the Prism team."
Roger Freemantle, Senior Lecturer in IT and Employer Liaison Representative at South Cheshire College, said: "Rob is building up valuable skills at Prism which complement his foundation degree course.
"Hopefully, the qualification he gains with us and his experience at Prism will stand him in good stead for the future."
published: 27/10/2009
