Here at Datacentreplus we recognise just how important the youth of today are and how offering opportunities for them to grow within their career is vital to their future.
That is why we have been involved in the Kickstart Scheme a number of times.
The Kickstart Scheme, which was launched by the government, offers 16-24 who are in receipt of Universal Credit new job roles. It offers young people who have struggled with unemployment a chance to make a start in a position that offers real future job prospects, whilst being paid at least the minimum wage.
We think this scheme is a great way to help young people and has been very successful within our business.
Recently we welcomed Sophie to our marketing team in the role of Marketing admin through the Kickstart scheme and caught up with her about how she’s finding things so far.
How did you find the whole joining process, from application to interview?
“I found the whole process quite easy. I had weekly appointments at the jobcentre where a really lovely woman helped me with the process of finding what I was interested in which was graphic design and easily enough she signed me up to a few kickstarts and with Datacentreplus I got an interview almost immediately. At first, I was sceptical about finding where the office was, however, I managed to find the place and was still early for my interview where I met Stephen Hobson who was really friendly, along with everyone else that works here.”
How have you found your first few weeks?
“My first few weeks here have been great, I’ve learned a lot, and the experience has been very informative and manageable. It has a very relaxed atmosphere, and the people here are approachable and upright, I’ve enjoyed my first few weeks as the atmosphere is relaxed and an amazing working environment. I’ve not had any problems and I enjoy what I am doing.”
What have you learnt so far?
“Working at a data centre you can imagine how much IT knowledge I’ve picked up over the last couple of weeks. Making infographics and carousels has helped me pick up a lot of intel about servers, malware, cyber security etc. I’ve learnt that there is so much opportunity in the long run that’s helped me grow and realise that there is so much more in the world.”
What are your responsibilities on a day to day basis?
“So far I’ve been responsible for making infographics, carousels, blogs, video editing and making thumbnails; basically the marketing and promotion side of things. Today I made a couple of videos for the Datacentreplus youtube channel, the days before I was coming up with the scripts for the video along with storyboarding it.”
What skills do you hope to build on during your time here?
“During my time here I hope to work on my graphic skills and I’m currently working on my video editing skills. I never did much video editing but I’m getting used to a new adobe program that was alien to me yesterday. Other than that I believe my communication skills are adequate, however, I was shy in my first week but now I’ve improved a lot.”
What job roles/industries would you like to go into and why?
“I have so many I can never decide where I want to go. I’ve wanted to be a journalist for Buzzfeed or Cosmopolitan, I want to be an actor or a policewoman, or maybe a cinematographer or executive producer. Nevertheless, I have decided to follow the graphic design route but in the future become a producer. I’ve always had an interest in films, making them or even starring in one. I think it would be a fun process and worth it, what you can create. I’ve always been a creative and fascinated person, astonished with the world and its accomplishments. I believe that film is one of humanity’s greatest creations and wish to be a part of that someday.”
Would you recommend the kickstart scheme and if so how come?
“Definitely. I am so happy with the opportunity I have been given, though I wasn’t like that at first, I was dubious and nervous, however, I got a lot of support from my work coach. The woman that helped me was lovely and gave me so much support. It’s undoubtedly worth it.”
We are looking forward to working with Sophie and seeing how she progresses in her role.
At Datacentreplus we always have a people-first approach which is why we like to get involved in as many causes like the Kickstart scheme as we can.
If you’re interested in any of our services or if you’d like to find out more about what we do head to our website!
Alternatively, if you wish to speak to a member of our team you can send an email to hello@datacentreplus.co.uk or give us a call on 0161 464 6101!
