Admin Support Officer Placement
'Joe' has taken up a placement as Admin Support Officer. Here, Joe explains more:
The Job Centre put me in touch with Working Denbighshire. I spoke to a Working Denbighshire mentor via the phone with the goal of finding a job in the IT Sector. They quite quickly asked if I was interested in applying for an Admin role through the Work Start Scheme. Naturally, I said I was interested in the role as I felt this was a good opportunity to get some vital work experience within an office environment.
With this being my first job in an office, there was a level of anxiety regarding starting a job, on top of this I started during a period where the UK was suffering upwards of ten thousand Coronavirus cases a day. I wasn’t just worried about the job itself but also the idea of being around other people. Throughout my time on placement I have been supported directly by my colleagues as well as my Work Start Placement Officer.
My colleagues have helped me to get to understand the role as well as how to operate within a team effectively, they’ve made me feel work ready. My Work Start Placement Officer has helped me to track my progression in the role as well as give me somebody I can talk to should I need to.
The brilliant thing about this Work Start role is that It’s helped to get me valuable work experience in order to get me ready for the next step in my career, which is exactly what I wanted from the role. I went to college to do IT and have since spent the last few years applying for roles in the IT sector. I had previously tended to get through the first interview and then after a second interview told that they liked me but sadly somebody had more experience. This role has put me into the office environment and allowed me to experience working in a team, and given me the confidence to know that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to. Towards the end of my placement I was invited to an Interview for an IT role and have successfully been offered the role following the second interview, which I credit to the Work Start Scheme for allowing me to get the experience I was looking for.
I would highly recommend people take advantage of the Work Start scheme as it allows you to develop yourself in a supportive and understanding environment. I truly believe this opportunity has been a positive experience that has helped me to increase my confidence and make me feel as though I’m back on track towards what I want to achieve.
Success for Council’s Working Denbighshire careers fair
Working Denbighshire partnered up with 38 organisations and employers around the county offering a free networking event for individuals looking for work.
More than one hundred people aged 16 and above attended the careers fair in Rhyl, including Ukrainian families who arrived in Denbighshire as part of the UK Resettlement Scheme.
The Council’s Working Denbighshire service aims to coordinate support that helps people into work by removing barriers.
The service is part funded by the council and the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund and works in partnership with Communities for Work and Job Centre Plus.
The wider vision is to reduce poverty by enabling people to access a network of services that supports them in their journey towards employment, and to maintain their position and progress once in employment.
Working Denbighshire staff were at the event, providing employment advice and referring individuals onto the Working Denbighshire Employment framework which provides candidates with full support after the event and until they find a job.
A specialist refugee mentor provided support to individuals with language barriers and cultural orientation and will continue to assist those into jobs.
Over 90% of people who provided feedback on the event found it to be either good or excellent.
Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader and Lead Member for Economic Growth and Tackling Deprivation Said “I am delighted this event was a success and that many people benefited from the support provided by Working Denbighshire.
“This is what the Working Denbighshire scheme is all about, helping people. The Council is very proud to have this service which aims to tackle poverty through employment.
“With the increase in the cost of living, it is more important than ever for us as a local authority to provide this free support where we can.”
Plans for the next careers fair are currently underway and is expected to go ahead in September 2022.
To keep up to date with events and find out more about Working Denbighshire visit our website or to get employment support visit the Working Denbighshire website.
Project Ready Events: May 2022
In the month of May, three events were arranged; The Cinema, a Detective Walk and The Welsh Mountain Zoo.
- The Cinema was chosen as it was an opportunity for participants to meet new people in a low pressure environment. The cinema environment allowed participants to speak to new people, discuss common interests and build friendships, while not having the pressure of talking for long periods of time. Meeting new people in this way alleviated further anxious feelings of meeting new people and encouraged participants to attend further events and further Argoed course sessions.
- The Detective Walk was chosen as it was a fun activity that allowed participants to work on many life skills, such as; determination, Time Keeping, teamwork, communication and problem solving. The activity was a success and participants communicated well between each other to solve each clue and they were successful in cracking the code! This increased the participant’s confidence and they felt a sense of achievement.
- The Zoo was chosen as many participants expressed an interest in animals, and possibly considering animal related careers. The aim of the visit is to increase confidence using public transport as we will be using a train and a taxi service. The participants will be encouraged to communicate and support each other, and staff will encourage participants to speak to members of the staff at the zoo, to allow them to consider different career options.