Staff at Thomson Reuters were very impressed with the students and pleased with the work they achieved during their placements. Gregory Field, Content Operations Technical Manager at Thomson Reuters, said “I feel that the time the students spent with us was a great success. In all cases, the students were polite, engaging and a pleasure to have in the office. For a few, who were involved in real life projects, their maturity and diligence resulted in a meaningful and rewarding time for us too, as the host company. The Reach Academy and Exeter College can be very proud of the calibre of students they introduced to us and I am quite certain the Academy has given them the tools to make a great success of their working lives ahead of them.”

The students also thoroughly enjoyed their experiences within the organisation. Rebecca, 17, from Beaworthy, said: “The opportunity to undertake work experience in a huge international company like Thomson Reuters was amazing. Working within a team to complete a task that would have a real effect on their project allowed me to develop my teamwork and communication skills, and receiving feedback on work I had done was a great help for the future.”

This topped off a successful year for the Reach Academy with 23 students gaining straight A* and A grades at A level. Jess, 17, from Chulmleigh, said: “the Reach Academy has been thoroughly enjoyable this year. To pick one thing I have enjoyed the most is very difficult to do as there have been so many great opportunities and events throughout the year”.