Tyra Rimmington has been working as curriculum administrator at college for just over a month. She joined the team as part of the government’s 6 month Kickstart Scheme, which is helping her to get the experience she needs to change career paths. She worked in retail before the pandemic but lost her job in the first lockdown and was struggling to find work in a different sector without any other experience.
She told us:
“I had been looking at different jobs and my work coach at Job Centre Plus explained Kickstart. I thought it was a really good idea because I was going from retail to admin and it was a useful way to get experience. It is hard to get the experience employers are looking for but this temporary contract gives you everything you get in a full job without needing the experience.
Learning new skills
I’ve used the customer service skills I learnt in retail in this job but I am also learning lots of new skills on the go. I really like the variety here and I definitely prefer it to working in retail. This has helped me realise that I want to work in admin.
I am really enjoying it. Day to day I do a lot of printing, laminating and supporting different areas across college. I get involved in making some calls to students too.
Supportive stepping stone into something new
There is definitely a lot of variety in this role and the team are really supportive. If there is anything I am not sure about I can always ask, which is a nice feeling.
I would recommend the Kickstart programme because it is a good stepping stone into something new. It is definitely worth trying out if you get the opportunity.”
Find out more
Find out more about the Kickstart programme here https://kickstart.campaign.gov.uk/