From work experience to future engineer? Danny’s story six months later

How a work experience placement at Kewell Converters helped one SEND student build confidence, develop new skills and begin imagining a future in engineering.

Six months after completing his work experience placement at Kewell Converters, Danny was still thinking about engineering.

Managing Director Nick Kewell later heard that Danny had started using foam offcuts to make useful items at home, applying some of the ideas he had explored during his placement.

For everyone at Kewell Converters, it was a small moment that said something much bigger.

The placement hadn’t simply introduced Danny to a manufacturing business. It appeared to have sparked an interest that continued long after he left.

Stepping into an unfamiliar workplace

When Danny first arrived at Kewell Converters from The View School in Edenbridge, everything was new.

The factory was busy. The machinery was unfamiliar. There were new people to meet and different ways of working.

Like many young people with SEND, new environments can bring additional challenges. But rather than standing back and observing, Danny embraced the opportunity.

He completed every task he was given, adapted to different activities and spent time learning alongside experienced members of the engineering and production teams.

One of those people was Joel, CAD Design Engineer at Kewell Converters.

Working alongside Joel gave Danny the opportunity to experience how digital designs are created before being prepared for manufacture, combining his existing interest in computers with practical engineering.

“The computer side of things was what I enjoyed most. I enjoyed using CAD design, which was a 3D program on the computer.”

His existing interest in computers suddenly had a practical purpose. He could see how ideas became digital designs before being transformed into precision-engineered foam components.

Discovering what engineering really involves

Before his placement, Danny hadn’t realised how much thought goes into designing and manufacturing foam components.

“The most interesting thing I learned was that the foam used for packaging comes in all different shapes, sizes and colours.”

As the placement progressed, Danny developed new skills using different computer programmes and impressed everyone at Kewell Converters with both his attitude and willingness to learn.

The team described him as “an excellent worker”, praising the understanding he demonstrated while working alongside Joel in the design department.

Just as importantly, his confidence began to grow.

Although joining conversations with unfamiliar people could initially be challenging, Danny gradually became more comfortable with colleagues, showing his sense of humour and becoming part of the team.

Feedback from the placement rated his communication skills as excellent, a particularly significant achievement given one of Danny’s personal development goals was extending his social communication skills in unfamiliar environments.

Seeing a future in engineering

Perhaps the biggest outcome wasn’t simply what Danny learned during the placement.

It was how he began thinking about his future afterwards.

“As I was spending time at Kewell Converters, I could see myself doing this job when I get older.”

For many young people, work experience is often the first opportunity to connect classroom learning with the world of work.

Sometimes it doesn’t simply teach practical skills. It helps young people recognise strengths they didn’t know they had and imagine careers they may never previously have considered.

Danny’s story reflects a wider opportunity

Danny’s experience also reflects a wider picture.

Recent research by EngineeringUK and The Royal Society found that almost half (47%) of SEND students are interested in a future career in engineering. The research also found that SEND students are more likely than their non-SEND peers to express an interest in technology and computing careers. Despite this, young people with SEND remain less likely to access STEM work experience opportunities.

Danny’s placement demonstrates the difference those opportunities can make. By spending time in a real engineering environment, he was able to connect his existing interest in computers with practical manufacturing and begin imagining a future career that previously felt out of reach.

Why work experience matters

For Amy Marchant, Deputy Head at The View School, placements like Danny’s play an important role in helping students prepare for adulthood.

“Work experience opportunities are essential because they bridge the gap between education and adulthood. Many of our students learn best through practical experiences, and placements allow them to apply skills in authentic situations while developing confidence, independence and employability skills.”

She believes Danny’s experience also demonstrates something important for employers.

“Sometimes all that is needed is patience, clear communication and a willingness to see the individual beyond their diagnosis. The rewards can be significant, not only for the young person but also for the organisation, which gains a motivated learner and helps create a more inclusive future workforce.”

Danny’s placement also reinforced how meaningful work experience can help employers recognise the strengths, potential and enthusiasm that young people with SEND can bring to the workplace.

More than a work experience placement

For Kewell Converters, the placement wasn’t simply about opening the factory doors for a week.

It was about giving a young person the opportunity to experience engineering first-hand, discover where his interests could take him and build confidence in a real working environment.

As Nick Kewell, Managing Director of Kewell Converters, explains:

“Danny came in with a real willingness to learn and embraced every opportunity. It was great to see his confidence grow during the placement and even better to hear that he’d continued exploring ideas once he got home. That’s exactly what work experience should do – help young people discover what they’re capable of and give them the confidence to imagine their future.”

For Kewell Converters, the experience also reinforced something important.

Supporting future engineers isn’t simply about recruitment.

It’s about helping young people discover opportunities they may never have considered and showing that modern manufacturing offers exciting careers for people with many different strengths, interests and ways of thinking.

Looking ahead

When asked what advice he would give to other students considering work experience, Danny didn’t hesitate.

“Don’t be nervous, just do it. It’s good fun and I learned a lot.”

Sometimes the biggest impact of work experience isn’t what happens during the placement.

It’s what happens afterwards.

Months later, Danny was still experimenting with foam, applying what he had learned and thinking differently about his future.

His story demonstrates how meaningful work experience can help build confidence, develop practical skills and inspire the next generation of engineers.