Henry Camisa

On Monday 10th Feb we were delighted to welcome back ex-student Henry Camisa to speak to our 6th form students for Motivational Monday. Henry left Angmering Sixth Form in 2016, having studied Physics, Chemistry and Engineering A-levels. He had always planned to go into a career in engineering and was also interested in the uniformed services, so applied to the RAF, but was unsuccessful. 

Henry secured a level 3 manufacturing apprenticeship with a local engineering firm and worked there for 4 years, before moving to Barfoots (a large food growing and processing company in West Sussex) to do another apprenticeship in order to upskill in the specific areas they cover. He does 12 hour shifts, 4 days on and 4 days off. Barfoots are one of the biggest food producers in the UK, supplying restaurants and supermarkets all over the country. Henry's job involves maintenance of machinery for packing and processing foods and for generating green energy. 

On his non-working days he is an On-Call Fire Fighter based at East Preston, providing an additional 50 hours a week of cover.

Henry cited the Covid pandemic as a key moment in his career, as this affected his ambition to join the aerospace industry and forced him to look at other engineering opportunities, which ultimately led to him working in the food industry instead. 

Henry's advice to students: 

• work experience is absolutely key. Not only does it help you make real-life connections with what you are learning in the classroom, but you will learn a lot about yourself, what kind of work suits you, and give you lots to talk about in interviews or personal statements. Henry did his work experience with British Airways at Gatwick in aircraft maintenance, and although he has not ended up working with aircraft, he learned that hands-on work suits him far better than classroom study and that an apprentceship - not university - was the way forward for him.
• Be adaptable and resilient. The workplace is constantly changing, national or world events can close doors and open others. It is important to be flexible to change your plans. 
• Be proactive with both work experience and employment opportunities. Get out there early - apprenticeships are advertised early in the year for summer school leavers. Contact local companies that you are interested in and find out what is on offer. Go to the Careers Fair in school (4th April) as it's a brilliant networking opportunity.