Work Experience Day at TownsWeb, with Stamford College Student Oliver Squires

Stamford College student, Oliver Squires, joined us at our Kettering HQ for a one-day work experience placement.

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting Oliver Squires, a 17-year-old A-Level student from Stamford College, for a one-day work experience placement at TownsWeb Archiving.

A Passion for History

Oliver is currently studying A-Level History and English Language & Literature, with a particular interest in the ancient Greeks and Romans. His enthusiasm for history extends beyond the classroom—he enjoys watching historical YouTube channels and even writes biographies on significant historical figures, including Eleanor of Aquitaine, Cleopatra, and Robert of Normandy, the son of William the Conqueror.

His dedication to the subject is evident, and he hopes to pursue a career in the history field, aiming for an apprenticeship right after college.

While Oliver’s primary focus is history, he also has a wide range of interests. He enjoys playing Nintendo games, particularly Pokémon, and is a fan of Fortnite and Roblox. 

Hands-On Experience with Digitisation

During his day at TownsWeb Archiving, Oliver gained first-hand experience in our digitisation process.

Guided by Elliott, our Senior Digitisation Technician and Team Leader, Oliver learned how to operate our specialist scanning equipment and work with our large Vanguard system. Under the supervision of Elliott, he successfully scanned and completed two historical diaries from the 1920s and 1930s, contributing to the preservation of valuable archival materials.

Casper, our Chief Operating Officer, showed him around and provided an insight into all parts of the business, from our Digitisation studio, Marketing and Sales suite, to our PastView software studio.

Oliver Squires preparing a diary for scanning with our Vanguard system.

Oliver checking the quality of the digitised scan.

A Memorable Experience

Oliver's time at TownsWeb Archiving was not just about scanning and preserving history—it was also about connecting with the team. He mentioned that another highlight of his day was our team lunch, where we sat together and had the opportunity to chat about everything from historical debates to the latest video games. His passion for writing was evident, as he left with around five full pages of notes detailing his experience throughout the day.

We’re thrilled to have had Oliver join us for work experience and hope that this opportunity has given him valuable insight into the world of archives and digitisation.

With his passion and dedication, we have no doubt that he will make a fantastic contribution to the history field in the future.

Best of luck, Oliver!