Facing Challenges in the Workplace

DYW Orkney’s very own Modern Apprentice (MA) Natasha is writing a blog as she progresses through her MA.  In this fourth instalment, she discusses some of the challenges she has encountered while undertaking her SVQ.

In this blog, I have previously spoken about the Performance Indicators (PI) and the Knowledge and Understanding (KU) points (here) within the units that I have chosen to work towards in my SVQ to complete my Modern Apprenticeship.

For some of these units identifying these PI and KU points is easy and straightforward. However, as I have progressed in my SVQ there have been a couple of times that it has been harder to make the connection between the tasks I do in my role and the unit points. This is sometimes due to not being able to evidence the point well enough, or how I am thinking about the unit. When I come across these challenges, I have found that a different approach and the support of others is very useful in helping me change my perspective and develop my analytical skills.

Using the support of others in my class who may be doing - or have done - similar units and brainstorming together can be a massive help. For example, I was struggling to evidence ‘reporting problems’ and through discussions with my classmates I realised I was not the only person who was struggling with this. Someone pointed out that their organisation had an online system for reporting concerns and problems, and they also told us the type of thing they had reported in the past. This person sharing their experience helped as it gave me a basis of what to research and raised my awareness of the types of situations that should be reported.

You also need to make sure you use the support of your colleagues, supervisors and managers when you are a Modern Apprentice. As a Modern Apprentice you are learning on the job, therefore you need to be able to ask for support which your colleagues are happy to give. When you ask questions; it shows that you care about your work and your career and that you want to further your skills.

By asking for support with your challenges this allows the people around you to help shape your perspective on a subject, they can help you find connections between your work and PI and KU points and offer an insight into their experiences to help you understand a situation. Sometimes they may offer for you to help with their workload or give a task that will help you show your competence in the subject.

Finally, you should also use the support of your friends and family. Something simple such as talking through an idea or asking them to read over your writing can help you finalise your ideas, they can give their ‘outside opinion’ and can help you think of anything you may have missed.

​In the world of work, not everything is straightforward, but challenges are a good thing! They help develop your skills and help you to develop key life skills such as problem solving. It is important that you are not afraid to ask for support from those around you, this support is key in developing your knowledge and your career.

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Natasha Stacey

I am the Administration Assistant for DYW Orkney and I am a Modern Apprentice.  I am currently completing my SVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration.