Olivia Kickstarts Career as Tutor
Olivia initially joined the team as an 'Administration Executive', however, due to the needs of the business, an opportunity arose for Olivia to train as a Tutor. Since then, she has passed the Level 3 Award in Education and Training and is an important part of our Chesterfield centre. Read more about Olivia's journey below:
Why did you become a Kickstart in the first place?
After losing my job due to the pandemic I really just wanted to try something new, so when I heard about the Kickstart scheme I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity as the hours sounded perfect and the location was close to where I live. The more I looked into it I thought it could be a great way to secure permanent employment if it went well, so I didn’t really see any downsides.
How did the placement help you with your career?
After starting as an Administration Executive I soon was offered the opportunity to progress and train to become a tutor. This wasn’t something I had ever considered doing before, however I soon realised that it really suited my personality as I love engaging with people and supporting them so it became clear that this was the right step for me in my career so hopefully it is something I can develop and keep progressing. I was also recognised at the annual staff conference in September and given the “Rising Spark Award” which really helped me to feel valued and appreciated in my role and motivated me to keep working hard. DBC even offered to put me through a Level 3 Award in Education and Training which I am currently working my way through, so that I will be qualified as a tutor, which I am extremely grateful for as this will help open many more doors for me.
What would your advice be to anyone thinking of joining the Kickstart scheme?
I would advise anyone to look into Kickstart opportunities around them because they can often lead to further employment and career progression. I was very lucky to have been offered the Kickstart position with DBC Training as they immediately recognised my strengths and offered to not only keep me on as a full time employee, but to progress me onto the tutor role which I really do enjoy.
Since joining full-time at DBC, how have you found it?
Things have been great since starting full time, I love the team here in Chesterfield, we all work so well together and I enjoy coming into work in the morning. I have been tutoring the learners doing Digital Skills courses, helping them to build on their computer knowledge and gain their qualifications. As well as this I have begun delivering the short employability course for learners that are partaking in the Pick N Mix scheme, which includes helping learners prepare for getting back into work. I thoroughly enjoy both of these as I am at my most comfortable when I’m engaging with people and helping them to succeed. I hope to continue to develop my skills and carry on supporting learners that come through DBC Training.
What are your long-term career goals?
Over the next few years I hope to keep building up my skills as a tutor and gain as much experience I can to become the best tutor I can be. I know that DBC Training will support me in this and recognise my hard work which makes me even more driven to succeed. If there are progression opportunities for me to take I will always set my sights high and put myself forward for any opportunities that may come my way as I love to keep challenging myself.