Learning at Work - Kickstarts and Training Courses
This Learning at Work Week we spoke to our 3 Kickstart trainees about how they have found working alongside external study. Josh and Kieran are our most recent recruits from the Kickstart programme and each have a couple of months left to complete their courses. Joe on the other hand recently finished his 6 months of Kickstart learning with us and decided to stay on with 300 North and take on further learning to attain a Foundation Certificate in Accounting.
Why did you decide to take on some additional learning and how has that fed into your work?
JOE: For my Foundation Certificate in Accounting I am learning both bookkeeping controls and transactions to help me in understanding more of what I do within payroll as opposed to knowing how to do things. Due to this, the amount that it feeds directly into the work I do is huge.
JOSH: I decided to take on additional learning because I knew I had so much more to give regarding work. I knew it would be a challenge, but if anything, that fuelled my desire to succeed.
KIERAN: I do it as part of my kickstart scheme to advance my knowledge on my personal brand and working life. It’s helping me understand how to put myself out there and look at my strengths and helping how I come across.
Along with this I’m constantly being shown how to do new things like advertising jobs, using the different job sites like Total Jobs, CV Library, Bullhorn etc. Then there’s always more to learn in terms of just the recruitment world and more info about it which everyone in the office helps me with.
What the best thing you’ve learned so far?
JOSH: The best thing I’ve learned while at 300 North is what a healthy work life balance looks like.
KIERAN: Finding out what other people consider my strengths to be and using them to improve myself and how I put myself across to others.
Has it been difficult to balance work and training? Do you have any tips for doing so?
JOE: It has been difficult to balance the training alongside work however I have managed it by doing small amounts often as opposed to trying to cram it all in in a really long session. The small amounts are easy to do and you can ensure you understand the topic before moving on instead of rushing through and missing points.
JOSH: I haven’t had too much of a problem balancing work and training. Best tip I have is to plan your day, plan what you’re going to do and set some time apart for your training.
KIERAN: I try to do it for at least an hour per day, especially if I have some free time towards the end of the day and don’t have time to start a new project. I don’t always get to do that hour though, as there may be other things I need to get through or check and sort before I start which I do during that hour instead.
How have the team helped you learn?
JOE: Everyone has been very supportive and have helped me have a manageable workload so I don’t overdo it.
JOSH: As I am training to be a recruiter, without a doubt, I wouldn’t be where I am without the help of the team. They have showed me the preferred way that things should be done while also letting me find what works best for me. The best tip I could give from them is don’t pressure yourself if you feel like you’re not learning or not performing, after all you are still training.
KIERAN: They’ve taught me everything I know when it comes to recruitment and the websites we use. They’ve showed me quicker ways of doing things and showed me things at a pace that helped it be easier to understand rather than bombarding me with all the information at once and some of it not going in. Along with this I’m constantly being shown how to do new things like advertising jobs, using the different job sites, etc. Then there’s always more to learn in terms of just the recruitment world and more info about it which everyone in the office helps me with.
