WHAT MADE ME WORK READY: A CONVERSATION WITH EMMA LACEY

Emma is a Business Support and Communications Officer for Team DYW.  Starting in this role after completing a Modern Apprenticeship in Business Administration. Emma tells us her Work Ready story.

What is your current job/role?
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I do the communications, marketing and social media for DYW, I also do a bit of events planning and delivery along with the organisation and management of our training workshops. Another part of my job is supporting the team in the daily running of DYW along with reporting for local authorities.
 
Who/What inspired you to follow this career pathway?

I knew that a Modern Apprenticeship was the right pathway for me because I wanted to learn on the job gaining the practical skills along with the knowledge I needed to do my job. I had a lot of support with this decision from my parents and from teachers at my school, they helped me gain the confidence I needed to put myself out there and apply for Modern Apprenticeships.
 
What support did you receive that helped you progress with this pathway?
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I received support from my teachers at school to look for and apply for vacancies they also helped me by giving me feedback on my CV.
 
What skills, attributes and attitudes do you need/use as part of your role?

My role requires a high level or organisation skills, communication skills and problem solving skills. Other skills I need are self-management skills and administrative skills, I also need to be resilient and have a positive attitude at work.
 
How has being able to identify and talk about your skills benefited you?

Understanding the transferable skills I gained from playing in a pipe band and being part of the schools charity and being able to talk about these, set me out from the rest of the candidates in the interview process. It has also helped me to progress throughout my time at DYW by allowing me to say what I am good at and realise how I can use my skills to benefit the team.
 
Pick one thing that could have helped you more in developing or understanding skills for life after education.
 
I think there could have been more profiling of different skills employers look for when recruiting and more emphasis on what skills you are gaining in each subject, not just the qualification you will gain.
 
Looking forward:  Where do you hope to see yourself in the 5 years from now?

I hope to be progressing my career using my gained skills in marketing, communications and events planning. I hope to be in a job that I love and makes me happy.