DYW - Orkney
  • Home
  • Young People
    • Careers in... >
      • Aquaculture
      • Construction
      • Early Years & Childcare
      • Energy
      • Food & Drink Production
      • Health & Social Care
      • Land-based
      • Retail
      • Tourism & Hospitality
    • My Options >
      • Apprenticeships
      • College
      • University
      • Employment
      • Planning for the Future >
        • Making Decisions
        • Your Options
        • Finding and Getting a Job
      • Your Next Steps
    • Get Hired >
      • The CV
      • The Job Application
      • The Job Interview
    • Stand out from the crowd >
      • 10 Ways to get Experience
      • Make the Most of Your Work Experience
      • Get Creative
    • Work Placements
  • Employers
    • Get Involved
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Ways to Engage
    • Apprenticeships
    • Hire a young person
  • Education
    • Marketplace for Education
  • Parents
    • Discovering their career options
    • Choosing their next steps
    • Getting their first job
    • Unlocking their potential
  • Latest News
  • Work Placements

latest news

Key Worker Campaign: Leah Smedley, HR Advisor

5/6/2020

 
Picture
This week, DYW groups across Scotland are taking part in the Key Worker campaign in order to highlight some of the key jobs that are being undertaken during the current COVID-19 outbreak.
 
Leah Smedley is an HR Advisor for the Scottish Ambulance Service, where she has worked for just under four years.  She is based in Inverness, but her role covers the Highlands and Islands region, which includes Orkney.  Here, she tells us a bit about her role.

What attracted you to the industry you are in?
I previously worked in the private sector but felt that, while my role had a financial contribution to the company, I wanted to have a role where I felt I was helping others.  I joined the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) as I am supporting those who are directly helping others.

Describe your day-to-day role.
Every day is different!  They can involve investigation interviews, meetings regarding attendance management, disciplinaries or grievances.  I may be travelling a few hours to get to a meeting elsewhere in Scotland or I could be in my office all day.

Overall I provide support and advice to managers and employees to ensure processes are followed properly and consistently and we are doing all we can to allow our employees to provide the best patient care.

What kind of training have you done?
Prior to joining SAS I had completed a Masters in Human Resource Management.  Whilst in this role I have had training in coaching, attended employment law continuous professional development sessions and have received training that allows me to train others on the importance of a mentally healthy workplace.

What skills have you learned?
Moving from the private sector to the public sector and therefore having more financial limitations or processes to follow through has resulted in my learning to be a lot more patient.  I also provide a lot of training and presentations which has greatly improved my presentation skills.

What skills are the most important for you to do your job well?
Resilience.  In this role you support many individuals in difficult times such as through bereavement or their own ill health and this can be difficult.  However, this may only be one meeting in the day and you have many others to attend or phone calls from others asking for advice so organisation and time management is also especially important.

Finally, listening well and attention to detail to ensure you provide the best support or advice possible and do not miss the small details that could drastically change the outcome or response.

Was there anything about the job that surprised you?
Due to SAS having a smaller HR team there is a lot of responsibility within the role and I have a greater involvement in management meetings and strategic decisions than my previous HR role.

Is there anything unusual about your role?
Due to the clinical work undertaken by SAS I have learnt a lot about clinical procedures.  During investigations or meetings a lot of clinical procedures or terms are discussed and I have learned a lot about these, something many HR Advisors do not need any knowledge of.

What’s your favourite part of the job?
As I provide HR support for the Highlands, Islands and North Ambulance Control Centre I travel a lot for work and have visited places I had never been before.  This means I see employees a lot and can provide advice and support face-to-face as well as over the phone.  It also means I have exposure to a number of roles within SAS and have learned a lot of information that wouldn’t normally apply in a HR role.

Did you always want to pursue a career in this industry?
Honestly, no.  I initially wanted to be a lawyer and studied law at university.  I then decided that I would like to transfer that knowledge into HR and my first HR role was in the private sector.  Whilst there I knew I wanted to move into the public sector or a charity.

What is your advice to school leavers looking to start a job in your organisation?
Focus on extra-curricular activities as well as further studies.  While grades and qualifications are important it also benefits applicants to be able to discuss any extra-curricular activities they have been involved in, particularly anything related to the role they are applying for.  This also helps when any questions about capabilities are asked as the applicant will have lots of examples from a wide range of sources to use.  Also ensure you have researched the role you are applying for and SAS as an organisation as this shows your commitment and enthusiasm for the job.

What is your career goal?
I would like to move into a management role within SAS.

What is it like to be a key worker during the country’s fight against COVID-19?
While I am not on the frontline I have been directly supporting the regional group that has been formed to co-ordinate the response to COVID-19 within the North Region of SAS.  This has involved contacting retired staff to ask if they would like to temporarily return to help with the current pandemic, ensuring our staff with underlying health conditions are shielding where necessary, ensuring all staff are supported and regularly communicated with, and ensuring any new guidance is interpreted correctly and applied in the best way to support SAS.  While these are tasks I would generally undertake anyway it feels especially important during COVID-19 as everyone’s time has been occupied with tackling the pandemic and I am contributing to this.

Tell us what makes you proud to be a key worker?
I am proud to be a key worker as the work I and all of my NHS colleagues are undertaking is to tackle the pandemic and continue to provide the best service to the public that we can.

To learn more about the jobs available with the Scottish Ambulance Service, visit their website here.

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    A Job For Everybody
    Apprenticeship
    Aquaculture
    Blog
    Business And Administration
    Construction
    COVID-19
    DYW Orkney Board
    Education
    Employment
    Energy
    Engineering
    Exams
    Financial Services
    Fisheries
    Foundation Apprenticeships
    Graduate Apprenticeships
    Health And Beauty
    Healthcare
    Hospitality
    Internship
    Jobs Of The Week
    Key Worker Campaign
    Kirkwall Grammar School
    Land Based
    Leisure And Sport
    Modern Apprentice
    Modern Apprenticeships
    Newsletter
    No Wrong Path
    Oil And Gas
    Orkney College UHI
    Project Manager
    Sanday Junior High
    Scottish Apprenticeship Week
    Sector Spotlight
    Skills Development Scotland
    STEM
    Stromness Academy
    Stronsay Junior High
    Tourism
    Volunteering
    Westray Junior High
    Young Enterprise

    RSS Feed

GET IN TOUCH   |   ABOUT US   |   CONTACT US
​TERMS & CONDITIONS   |   PRIVACY POLICY   |   DATA PROTECTION   |   COOKIE POLICY   |   ACCESSIBILITY
Proudly powered by Weebly
© 2019 Developing the Young Workforce
  • Home
  • Young People
    • Careers in... >
      • Aquaculture
      • Construction
      • Early Years & Childcare
      • Energy
      • Food & Drink Production
      • Health & Social Care
      • Land-based
      • Retail
      • Tourism & Hospitality
    • My Options >
      • Apprenticeships
      • College
      • University
      • Employment
      • Planning for the Future >
        • Making Decisions
        • Your Options
        • Finding and Getting a Job
      • Your Next Steps
    • Get Hired >
      • The CV
      • The Job Application
      • The Job Interview
    • Stand out from the crowd >
      • 10 Ways to get Experience
      • Make the Most of Your Work Experience
      • Get Creative
    • Work Placements
  • Employers
    • Get Involved
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Ways to Engage
    • Apprenticeships
    • Hire a young person
  • Education
    • Marketplace for Education
  • Parents
    • Discovering their career options
    • Choosing their next steps
    • Getting their first job
    • Unlocking their potential
  • Latest News
  • Work Placements