The 24th of January marks the International Day of Education. At Alfred H Knight, we understand the importance of education and value the expertise of our teams and operations. We also support our team members who show ambition and strive to learn more through education.

To celebrate the event, we spoke to four of AHK’s current graduates and asked them about their time in education and how these experiences have helped them in their new roles.

MEET THE GRADUATES:

Pauline Ruel – Graduate Chemist.

Studied at the University of Edinburgh.

MSc Biological and Medicinal Chemistry

Kabir Kumar – Operational Graduate.

Studied at the University of Birmingham.

MEng Nuclear Engineering

Shristi Ghosh – Technical Graduate.

Studied at Cranfield University.

MSc in Advanced Materials.

Roger Wang Lu Jie – Operational Graduate. 

Studied at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.

Honors in Materials Science & Engineering with a Specialisation in Innovation & Intellectual Property

WHY WAS ALFRED H KNIGHT YOUR FIRST CHOICE AS A GRADUATE AND HOW HAS AHK SUPPORTED YOU DURING THE FIRST STEP IN YOUR CAREER?

Shristi: AHK seemed the absolute best option for my career. They have been supportive from the very first day. From providing a comfortable, uber-friendly workplace for me to settle in, to helping me plan for further career development/progression within the company, AHK has set quite a high standard.

Roger: I saw the opportunities AHK offered with exposure to international business and trans-border customer relationship management. I have always been passionate about building strong relationships with those that I have worked with to create value in the long term.

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU LEARNED SO FAR THAT STANDS OUT?

Pauline: Through my time at uni, I proactively searched to challenge myself and go beyond my comfort zone. This is how I became the student representative for the MSc Chemistry. It was such a huge opportunity and I loved every bit of it.

Kabir: The most valuable lesson I ever got is to never leave things to the last minute. Quality is built by compound effect rather than a single maximum effort.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED SO FAR AND HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO OVERCOME THEM?

Kabir: Learning about the overall business and keeping that information in my head was the only challenge so far. My manager helped me by letting me know that I am not supposed to remember it all, because we are just getting to know it all for future reference.

Roger: I felt lost at the beginning when I first entered AHK, not knowing the roles and functions of the different offices globally. Thankfully, I had the help of my manager, as well as the Senior Operations Business Partner, to guide me. This helped me to understand my role in the bigger picture and the importance of AHK in the global supply chain.

WHAT SIMILARITIES OR DIFFERENCES HAVE YOU NOTICED BETWEEN YOUR TIME IN EDUCATION AND YOUR ROLE AT ALFRED H KNIGHT?

Pauline: You spend more time in the lab at AHK than at uni. I think AHK feels more like a family as everyone knows your name, for instance, colleagues ask you how your day or weekend was and how you are feeling if you are sick.

Shristi: There is a huge difference between India and the UK in terms of education/work culture. I prepared myself to deliver extensively from the very first day; however, I have been given considerable time to simply settle into a new city, and find my way around it at my own pace.

FINALLY, WHAT DOES EDUCATION MEAN TO YOU?

Kabir: For me, Education is a tool that can be used to expand your knowledge which then helps you expand your experiences, both professional and personal.

Pauline: Education gives you the means to become who you want to be, where you want. It opens your mind to new ideas, thoughts and methods.

Shristi: Education for me is an amalgamation of the following: Receiving the knowledge base to be able to find answers to questions that most bother me; Unlearning and learning as I progress every day; And, being at the very forefront of technological/scientific research/upgradation.

Roger: Education opens the doors to the world of opportunities outside of our geographical destinies. Education empowers me with the capacity to process information and effectively recognise and evaluate the different perspectives of those around me.  

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A GRADUATE ROLE WITH AHK?

If you want to learn more about our Graduate Opportunities you can click here.

Or click here to view our current graduate vacancies.