I enjoyed this trip a lot, all of the staff where really helpful and the presentations where very educational. Thanks to all at Adobe that made the day happen and Mr Field.

I had a great time on this trip and i would like to thank adobe for letting us come, i would like to do something like this again.

I would like to offer my thanks to Adobe and Neale-Wade Community College for organising such an interesting and educational 6th form trip. The multiple presentations were very beneficial, the tour around the Adobe HQ was dudey and the goodies given at the end of the day was also a bonus : )

Jack Nisbet

This trip has been very useful for A level Business students as it gave them an insight into the real world of business. They were able to take a glimpse of a real office environment and see how the different departments are organised and fit together.

I think the aspect that impressed me the most was how relevant everything was to what students are studying for ICT. The fact that was mentioned time and time again was that despite all the technology your workforce – the people – are the ones who make the difference for a company.

This was shown in the initial Adobe presentation, illustrating how the corporate ethos focused on creating a supportive, innovative atmosphere. We were then provided with some crystal clear examples of how challenging it is to get a job in the IT sector in the 21st century, but also given some really interesting ways how students possibly can get employment. These included building up a portfolio to showcase your expertise and developing contacts via social networking.

The Adobe Evangelist then provided some splendid examples to why Apple have been so successful with their iPods and iPhones – even when there has been better technology available, they’ve concentrated on the most important aspect – the interface – i.e. how we work with it – again it was all about people.

The Marketing Guru then suggested many ways that we can communicate through Web 2.0 tools but yet again it came down to the way people communicate with each other. Fellow AEL Ian Isher then shared his thoughts via Connect – he was sitting somewhere in Oxford, we were sitting in the Adobe offices – his focus was about Social Media and students’ future careers. It was impressive to see that people from diverse occupations – Ian from education and Hugh from marketing – we saying very similar things about the impact and importance of Social Networking. This clearly isn’t some sort of fad.

One of the two Adobe IT support people at the offices then shared a really positive presentation about what the IT guys do – again this was great to see a different perspective about how the company worked. One area I thought most impressive was that there wasn’t a battle between people using Macs or PCs – Adobe people seemed to be able to select the most appropriate tool for the job and then the IT support would help as required.

Finally, Liz then shared part of an in-depth presentation where she suggested the key skills for an employee in the 21st century. This focused upon technology literacy, creativity, effective communication, critical thinking and collaboration. From a Neale-Wade perspective these need to be areas that we ensure our students all have access to develop. Liz also pointed out that despite all these key technology areas, a successful employee needs to be able to look people directly in the eye and have a firm, confident handshake.

We also had many opportunities to ask questions during the day. Hugh Paisley (Tidalwave Marketing) was asked what was his one secret to an effective presentation. His reply was simple – preparation.

What an excellent visit – thank you again Adobe

I enjoyed the trip to Adobe last week very much. I found the whole day informative as it gave me an insight into what it is like to actually work in a business. I felt that the day was structured well and gave me lots of information that helped with both my ICT and Business Studies Courses which I am studying. I am planning on carrying on my studies at university to study Computer Science. The day that Adobe put on for us let me know how difficult it was to find a job in the ICT sector after graduating but also gave me hints on how to promote myself to make me a successful candidate. I enjoyed having a look around the Adobe office to find out what sort of a working atmosphere there was. It surprised me at how laid back and casual everybody was. I also discovered that adobe has many perks for their employees including giving each one their own laptop and Iphone. It was good to see that they didn’t seem to mind whether or not their staff used Mac or PC and would cater for what they preferred.