Uptree

Government Communications Headquarters ( GCHQ ) has a mission to keep Britain safe, prevent terrorism and crime, and protect again cyber attacks. They bring intelligence and technology together to counter increasingly sophisticated threats.

GCHQ recently held a work experience day and Pranay, a Year 12 student with an interest in technology, attended the online event.

Pranay was one of just 30 students who took part in this exclusive online event

How did you find the GCHQ event?

Prior to the experience, I researched the company and found out information about the roles GCHQ has within their firm. This was very useful as I gained background knowledge about the company and I was able to engage more within the sessions and gain understanding.

During this experience, I found the sessions very engaging and informative because we had an opportunity to learn about the roles and values of the company in-depth.

We also had an opportunity to ask questions which gave me insights into the company and also portrayed the workers' perspectives and views on their day-to-day lives and how it has changed due to the pandemic.

Did anything particularly interest you about the company?

One fact that I found interesting was that GCHQ is under the guidance of the Joint Intelligence Committee ( JIC ). GCHQ was started after the First World War as the Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS or GC&CS), by which name it was known until 1946. As part of ECHELON, it works with Intelligence agencies from other allied countries.

What advice can you offer for students like you who are also interested in technology careers?

Student who are considering or are interested in the tech industry should try and gain as much work experience as possible with a variety of other technological companies.

Pranay has taken part in many work experiences with companies like Ogilvy , Santander, Aon , Cisco and more...

My final advice,

Any students who are interested in this field should do as much research as possible as the tech industry is constantly evolving and developing.

Uptree thanks Pranay for taking the time to share his experience of the GCHQ event and his advice for fellow technology students. We wish Pranay all the best and we look forward to seeing him progress in his studies and career.