Developing my skills further

DYW Orkney’s very own Modern Apprentice (MA) Natasha is writing a blog as she progresses through her MA.  In this fifth instalment, she tells us how she has now progressed onto the next level of her MA and explains the differences she has encountered between the SVQ Level 2 and 3.

Last September I graduated from my SVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration. I had really enjoyed learning through work and my confidence in myself and my abilities had been boosted while I had undertaken the qualification. Because of this, I decided to progress onto my SVQ level 3 Business and Administration qualification.

In one of the mandatory SVQ 2 units, there was a focus on identifying ways to improve your own work and what career progression routes there are when you develop yourself. This helped me realise how many doors vocational qualifications open for you and solidified my decision to carry on to the next level of SVQ.

The induction for the SVQ 3 course was similar to the SVQ 2. We were informed how our work would be assessed and the different ways we could evidence what we had done in the workplace, I hadn’t used some of them so this was really helpful. We were then given a sheet with all the possible units we could choose from.

The units were similar to those in the SVQ 2 but there were changes to the titles which indicated greater responsibilities. For example instead of wording like ‘help’ and ‘support’ others, the wording was now ‘plan’ and ‘develop’ things yourself. I really liked this change as it suggest that you are capable of undertaking tasks that are more complex and that you are can handle the responsibility.

I highlighted units I was interested in developing my skills and knowledge in and units related to my workload.

To whittle this list down (I had highlighted about 10 and only needed five), I looked up each unit on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website. Here I found the complete units and was able to look at the performance points (which show you are competent) and the knowledge points (which show you know why you do something) which helped me rule out units that I wouldn’t be able to do.

I then looked through these units with my line manager to discuss where I could take on extra responsibilities to learn more and develop my skills. Though this conversation I was able to choose the best units for my workload and career development and I was given extra responsibilities - I’m particularly happy that I get to plan an event!

​I have now started working through my SVQ Level 3 units and I am really enjoying the step up in my career development and the additional responsibilities I now have in my role. It has now been just over a year since I started by SVQ Level 2 and when I look back at how far I have come in that year, I can see the growth in my self confidence in and out of work. I can also see that my colleagues trust my working ability by the work I am being allocated and the extra responsibilities I am being given.

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Natasha Stacey

I am the Administration Assistant for DYW Orkney and I am a Modern Apprentice.  I completed my SVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration in August 2018 and I am now studying for my SVQ Level 3 in Business and Administration.