To support our Year 13 learners with “Unit 21: Pitch and Plan Media Presentation”, we invited Sensor IT to collaborate on an Employer Led Project where they were challenged to develop and present a pitch for a Vulnerable People Safety Device. 
Sensor IT is a London-based research and development company devoted to the advance of highly portable, sensor-based solutions.  

For this project, Sensor IT is using a cutting-edge technology, fully connected (cellular), GPS functionality, battery powered device for vulnerable users to seek assistance.  
The company tasked learners to create a pitch to convince the producers that it is a good idea, show how the end product might look or sound, and convince them that there is a unique selling point to attract a particular audience.  

Sensor IT set out a few requirements to include in learners’ design pitch: 
• The branding for the product. 
• How you will attract the target audience to your product. 
• Development of an audio-visual concept idea for promoting the device. 

To fulfil these requirements learner had to employ various skills such as a SWOT Analysis, persuasive writing, demography and audience, presentation skills, working to a brief, qualitative and quantitive research and creating a proposal and storyboard. 

After 30 guided hours working on it, Learners presented their projects to Sensor IT who offered valuable feedback on the pitches. Sensor IT were blown away by our learners, praising the ideas they came up and even stating how they influenced some of the decisions the company have made with this product. 

When learners are working towards a real purpose, like collaborating with a company to present a potential product, they can see that the value of their efforts extends even further than achieving their desired grade. It is a truly special opportunity for learners to know that even the work they’re doing now can impact real companies and influence their decision making.  

Reflecting on pitching to Sensor IT, Mantville perfectly encapsulated the value of this ELP: “I found it helpful to present my work because it encouraged me to confront improvements I can make for future presentations. It was interesting to work with a product that could potentially be on the market soon and see how that development process works.”