Business students see the human side of HR

May 29 2009 The Journal

BUSINESS students in Northumberland have been given invaluable tuition on the skills required to run human resources departments by one of the county’s biggest private sector employers.

Fifteen sixth formers from Hirst High School in Ashington took part in an intensive masterclass on what is involved in a career in human resource management at Longhirst Hall near Morpeth.

The one-day event was delivered by HR experts from Rio Tinto Alcan’s aluminium and power complex at Lynemouth, in partnership Wansbeck Enterprise Education Network.

The aim of the session was to provide the students, who are studying A-level applied business, with a real-life insight into HR in a local company, to help with their coursework and inform career choices. They took part in practical activities focusing on issues such as recruitment and selection, team building, managing people and learning and development.

Clare Lowrie, learning and development officer at Rio Tinto Alcan, said: “We were delighted to lend our support to this excellent event.

“The masterclass enabled us to give the students real examples of the challenges we deal with in HR every single day.’’