Something worthwhile for myself and society

Prior to working for NSG I have been working for the Citizens Advice Bureau as a volunteer for 2 years doing reception administration and in the latter advising. I did not think I would get an offer of employment for a while until I was fully qualified as a Level 3 generalist adviser or choose an area of work that does not lie within my interests/experience. The near future of my employment seemed to be one where I would be on benefits for quite some time , knowing that I am fully capable but not been given the chance to work due to the recession. When I was offered a job via the Future Jobs Fund I almost could not believe it as it had been some time since I was offered paid work doing something worthwhile for myself and society.

I have been working at NSG for one month now. In the time I have been here I have learned a lot and refined my skills, the office environment is a relaxed but focused one where I have been doing research reports. Doing this job has opened my eyes to the inner workings of government processes and the ways organisations work together in partnership to achieve common objectives. I find the job as fundraising assistant very interesting and informative.

In the next six months I will be working towards my future prospects by following my personal development plan which is to go on relevant training and get the certificates I need to progress onto a new level of competency which allows me to follow my career ambitions.

Jerome Prince 25

"Not enough experience"

“Not enough experience” That’s what they told me.

I thought I had it all, the confidence, a university degree, living in London and work experience. Let’s not forget the life experience from living away from home. But nothing can really prepare you for a recession when you’re age 18 to 24.

Soon as I left University I came back to London with a student debt. I applied for jobs and after a few months I was contacted for an interview and I was offered a trail in a marketing role for a branding company. After 2 and a half weeks of being told I was good enough for the job by my potential boss I was contacted by the general manager for an interview and was told that because of the recession they can find some one with more experience in the industry whom would have more contacts than just a graduate.

It was a shock to me, I felt that they were wrong to kept me strung along for that long as I believed that my experience was actually worth something. The follow 6 months turned into a cycle of trips to the job centre and applying online, sending my C.V, calling people. This would usually turn out the same outcome, either no response or a letter with the dreaded one-liner “Not enough experience”. I did get 2 interviews but I was told I was one of many candidates.

This took a knock on my confidence as I was applying for even the entry level jobs. The same thing was happening to my friends who were repeating my story. Some eventually settled on taking the odd Christmas job and seeing where they could take it from there.

I was eventually contacted by the JobCentre and told about the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) and was told that this new government scheme would be beneficial to me.

I applied for a Marketing position with Novas Group then just after Christmas I was called in for an interview.

In the interview I was asked what I wanted to get out of working for Novas Scarman, “I told them some credible experience that I could put on my C.V. and the chance to use my skills and knowledge before they slowly slip away”

I have been working for Novas Scarman for a few weeks now, I have been working with small team of 3 members also (FJF) candidates working on the marketing and development of Novas Scarman. I have been given the chance to work solo on some projects.

Victor Ohene 23

New skills learnt

I have now been at Novas Scarman (NSG) for one month and so far it is all going well. I feel in this time I have made some really good progress. I have learnt how to edit and update the website which was pretty daunting at first knowing I would be responsible for something that everyone could see. I seemed to have picked that up pretty quickly it’s not actually as hard as I thought it would be. This new skill will look great on my CV and open more job possibilities after my contract here has ended.

I am also enjoying working with the other Future Job fund employee’s, it is good that we all come from different backgrounds with different skills. Over the next 6 months I hope to learn as much as possible from them and in turn try and impart some of my own wisdom to them (however little that maybe :-p )

If any other Future job funds employee’s read this we would really lovely to hear from you and your experiences the good, the bad and the ugly. :)

Katie Williams, 24

One month on

In my first post I gave a fairly brief explanation of the Future Jobs Fund Scheme and only touched on my experience at Novas Scarman Group. Admittedly I couldn’t think of too much to write regarding NSG since I had only been working here for a fortnight (six days to be exact). It has now been a month since starting and I would just like to say what a friendly and worthwhile organisation Novas is to work for. I would also like to talk a little more in detail about the useful training that has been offered to me so far.

Last June I purchased a selection of ‘Happy Computer’ Tutorial packs hoping to improve my excel, word and outlook skills. I got as far as the fifth page of the excel pack before consigning it to the bin and despairing over the twenty pounds wasted (a fortune when you’re out of work). The problem wasn’t that they were difficult to follow, rather, being unemployed, I had little in the way of a routine and was finding it difficult to motivate myself to do them.

Since starting Novas I have had training sessions in both outlook and word which have been really useful. These sessions are designed to teach you all the main aspects of these programs. For those who have worked with these programs before, time is offered to address any areas that you are unsure about. Instruction packs are also provided with these sessions. In one month I feel that I have greatly improved in these areas, this is something that I can take with me to my next job.

Holly Inch, 24