 In the second-last day of our Sector Spotlight on Administration, we hear from one of our own: Caitlin Walls, Administrative Assistant at DYW Orkney. The Administrative Assistant position at DYW rotates every few years as the person in the role gains their Modern Apprenticeship qualifications, and Caitlin is DYW Orkney’s third admin assistant. --Can you describe a typical day in your role as Administrative Assistant? At its core, my job is to make my manager’s job easier. I begin most days by checking my email inboxes. Through the day my responsibilities vary, but they include raising purchase orders with finance, writing posts and creating graphics for social media, liaising with external organisations regarding events and travel, and pulling together information for Jobs of the Week every Thursday. On Friday mornings I attend a class/study group session at the college for people undertaking Modern Apprenticeships in Admin subjects, which I’ve found to be very valuable. Less frequently, I minute DYW Orkney’s board meetings and distribute papers and availability polls to board members. I also attend and help to set up events held by my colleagues to ensure everything runs smoothly. I’m also handling much of this social media campaign! --How did you end up in this role? I left Kirkwall Grammar School in 2019 with good prospects, and a conditional offer from Heriot-Watt University which I was able to accept on results day. My first year went well enough: it took place pre-pandemic for the most part, with the only real effect being that all first-year exams were cancelled at the end of the second semester and everyone on my course was passed. Second year didn’t go so well, as the fully-online course delivery and my fear of catching the virus didn’t play very well with my asocial tendencies, and I dropped out and came home from Edinburgh during Christmas in 2020. Through 2021 I worked at a variety of places around Orkney, including the Sands Hotel and Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, intending somewhat to re-apply for university once the lockdowns eased. In the end I never ended up re-applying, because I simply didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do with myself. In November of 2021 I got a job at Cooke Aquaculture’s factory in Hatston (who – spoiler alert – I’ll be featuring some faces from later in the campaign!), and worked there full-time for about a year and a half. I always intended to use it as a stopping-off point and a way to save a full-time wage while still living with my parents, but I still couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. I travelled to America twice on some of the money I saved from working, which I think really helped me to broaden my horizons and stimulate my brain a bit while working a menial, labour-heavy job. In August of 2023, completely by chance, I saw a post for an administrative position at DYW Orkney pop up. I thought I’d give it a shot, because even if I didn’t make my career in admin, I’d be able to use the skills and qualification I gained from the job in any other field I ventured into. We had a slight mishap happen with my PVG check, so it wasn’t until mid-November that my manager called me to offer a starting date. I’ve now been at DYW for almost eight months, and it’s definitely one of the best day-to-day working experiences I’ve had so far. --What is the best thing about your job? I really enjoy when we get to do events. I imagine this will change when I have to get more hands-on with Careers Fair preparation, but it’s always nice to get out of the office. --What is the worst thing about your job? Having to phone folk. It’s getting marginally easier the more I do it, but I’ve always found it difficult to talk on the phone. --What skills do you need to undertake your role? Organisational and ICT skills, language and communication skills, teamwork, ability to manage own time & prioritise workload --What qualifications do you have?
--Would you recommend this job to young people, if so why? If you’re into admin at all, definitely! I’m a huge fan of Modern Apprenticeships – being able to learn and gain qualifications while on the job is a great opportunity. The team are also lovely. Visit DYW Orkney on:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/OrkneyDYW Twitter: https://x.com/OrkneyDYW Instagram: https://instagram.com/orkneydyw Comments are closed.
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