SKILLS FOR LIFE

NCA works closely with an organisation called the Skills Company and takes on many of their students who are on placement. The Skills company has helped thousands of young people and adults improve their lives through Apprenticeships, Traineeships, Higher Education qualifications and Courses for Business. The Skills Company are there to help people, whether they are starting a career journey or looking to improve skills and gain qualifications.
Northmoor Community Centre currently have 4 students from the Skills Company. Each student wrote a short piece about their experience at Northmoor so far. See what they have to say!
 
Tanya Henry – Reception Volunteer
I feel my Receptionist role at the Northmoor Community Association has been really helping me improve my IT, communication and confidence skills. As my Work Placement  Manager, Sarah from The Skills Company has helped me to get into this role to see how it would be like for me and I’m really happy that she found this for me as it has given me a clearer image of what kind of IT career I would want to do.
I do a lot of Administration work at the Northmoor Community Association, using    different files and papers as that’s the main part I do as a Receptionist, but I do answer the phone to let visitors/volunteers in. Also, if anybody needs specific help with who they need to find or where there need to go as they ask me, I try to help them by giving directions to where they can find the member of staff they need to see or the right    person to help them do what they’re supposed to be doing.
The Employer/Volunteer Manager, Josh, and the staff there have helped me by giving me advice, telling me I’m doing well and seeing that the work I do helps them, and they support me back. This has helped me to develop new skills and keep on improving skills I already had.  I would definitely like to keep doing this for my work placement, as I do enjoy it.
 
Thomas Constable – Café Volunteer
I do some volunteer work at the Northmoor Community Association working in the café as part of The Skills Company study programme. I have learnt many skills whilst I have been doing my study programme such as working well in a team also doing independent work and following instructions that I have been set.  I have been getting on well with the people here at the Northmoor Community Association and they are giving me helpful tips towards my career of becoming a chef.   The experience is going well it is preparing me towards the future career goals that I have set for myself.   The volunteer work is giving me experience of helping in the kitchen where I help prepare and cook food, and I also get the opportunity to provide my skills and knowledge, I would recommend the Northmoor Community    Association to people who are willing to do volunteer work as they have helped me grow and develop.
 
Raqeeb Aslam – Credit Union Volunteer
I am on placement while studying at The Skills Company; I’m hoping to get my English GCSE’s at the end. My time at Northmoor Community Bank has been a great experience as I have learnt I lot. For example, how banks work, how people take loans and earn interest. I have also learnt that they help people who avoid getting loans from loan sharks because they’re too expensive. The people there are professional and kind, they welcomed me like any other employee of theirs. The placement was perfect for me as I wanted to get into  finance, and this will contribute to my future aspiration of being a banker or accountant. I am looking forward to continuing the experience in January. I have enjoyed learning about what they do.
 
Foreida Hussain
In the Northmoor Community Association I have been a bit more confident with different people and enjoy talking with them, showing where their lesson is and asking staff for help for some other thing.
In Northmoor I do an office administration/reception role as a volunteer where I am with the Skills Company doing work experience. The work experience is helping me get skills for a job and getting a reference of with my work experience showing how well I do my administration work, also for my development I have been communicating and team working all the time, and lots of movement when I move around in my little office.
My contribution to Northmoor is sorting the files out and putting them in order, as well as any other tasks, also through my volunteering I hope to learn other transferable skills so I can work in a shop.  I enjoy helping out at Northmoor and think it is a good experience for me.