 Our Sector Spotlight campaign has returned for the October break. Over the next fortnight, we will be focusing on Careers Education, hearing from staff at Skills Development Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce Orkney. We start with Andy Tait who is a Modern Apprentice Administration Assistant with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney. Andy left school aged 16, going to Orkney College to join their Preparation for Progression course. This course helped him realise he wanted to work in Administration, so he went on to complete an NC in Administration, alongside working part-time at Bryan J Rendall Electrical. Andy then worked for a few other organisations before he gained employment at Restart Employability Orkney and then joined DYW Orkney.  Can you describe a typical day in your role as Modern Apprentice Administration Assistant?
A typical day for me includes checking emails, social media accounts, creating content for campaigns and finding jobs for DYW Orkney’s Jobs of the Week posts that are posted on social media every Thursday. I have regular catch-ups with the School Co-ordinators to assist them with any tasks such as booking them transport, accommodation and work experience transport for pupils from the North Isles Junior High Schools. How did you end up in this role? Before working for DYW Orkney, I worked at Employability Orkney as a Retail Assistant. I started at Employability shortly after I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (Autism). Employability Orkney helped me develop my confidence and further my skills in customer service, communication and teamwork, whilst also helping me with employability skills. I had previously completed the Preparation for Progression course at Orkney College where I was part of a Young Enterprise team. This is where I realised I wanted to work in Administration so after completing that course I did the National Certificate in Administration. My Support Worker at Employability Orkney and my Employment Support Worker from the Learning Disability Service within Orkney Islands Council suggested that I should apply for the Modern Apprenticeship at DYW Orkney, and I was successful. Alongside working with DYW Orkney I am also the current Chair of the Orkney Youth Forum. What is the best thing about your job? The best part of my job is working with a fantastic team and having the opportunity to hold events aimed at school pupils, organisations and businesses to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of what vacancies are required for Orkney moving forward. What is the worst thing about your job? Working from home part-time and dealing with issues that are out of my control. What skills do you need to undertake your role?
I have a National 5 Woodwork, SCQF Level 5 SVQ2 in Business and Administration. I am currently working towards an SCQF Level 6 SVQ3 Business and Administration qualification at Orkney College UHI. Would you recommend this job to young people, if so why? Doing a Modern Apprenticeship is a fantastic way of gaining a qualification whilst working, earning money and gaining experience. If you are unsure about a course or career path you would like to go down, you should try and complete some volunteering or work experience as that is one of the best ways to gain experience and know whether it is something you would like to do as a career. Since leaving school, I have done various jobs, but I don’t regret a second as I have learned so much. Visit Developing the Young Workforce Orkney on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/OrkneyDYW Twitter: www.twitter.com/OrkneyDYW Instagram: www.instagram.com/orkneydyw/ Comments are closed.
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