Getting a job as a young person can be very hard. That’s why I’m so grateful to Northfield Community Partnership (NCP) for offering me the opportunity to do work experience with them. Let's state some facts: the unemployment rate in Birmingham was at a whopping 8%, with 144,000 youths aged 16-24 in September 2022. However, in September 2023, it decreased to 7.3%. And rest assured, I know that I was part of that. So when I got done with college and decided that I didn’t want to go to university, I knew that I had to get some experience in the workplace to get a job. I was 100% willing to because I believed that it would help me build up my CV and my skills, experience, and confidence to go into any workspace. I was really lucky because my work coach put me in touch with an organisation called Sports 4 Life, who then put me in touch with August from NCP.
I was going through a rush of emotions, feeling nervous yet excited to start my placement, but the staff at NCP really made me feel at ease and gave me all the help that I needed to get started. My role at NCP is to be an admin assistant for one month. Besides the usual expectations of dressing professionally, having great punctuality, and being reliable, I never thought that I would have gained so much more experience outside of that. For example, I’ve been working in the food pantry, creating food parcels for individuals/families. I’ve also been working in reception, helping with a range of admin tasks. Additionally, I’ve been interacting with citizens who need support and an extra helping hand.
I would surely recommend gaining work experience to anyone because it is a great starting point. I think that it would provide the confidence, understanding, skills, and experience to anyone who wants to work. Generating skills and experience to enter the world of work not only helps you gain confidence but also means the next generation of young people get a step up in entering the world of work. I took that first step, and I’m sure that you can too!
Wilsasha
Volunteer