Jamie Sword, New Start Highland
Jamie worked on a 12 month graduate placement for the social enterprise New Start Highland in Inverness as IT Support Officer.
What is your background?
I am from Inverness and have lived there most of my life. I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2010 with a 2:1 MA (Hons) in Management Studies. I worked in a variety of jobs during my time as a student, ranging from football journalism to working at a golf course, but the first significant career move that I took was when my application for my TalentScotland Graduate Placement at New Start Highland was accepted.
Why did you apply to the TalentScotland Graduate Placement Programme?
I had applied for a number of different graduate positions all over the country after graduating but I was unsuccessful in all of my applications. I moved back to Inverness after graduating and was working as a Christmas temp in a shop whilst desperately looking for a permanent full-time job. Then I spotted a link to the TalentScotland Graduate Placement page. Reading through the vacancies, I saw one in Inverness which sounded ideal.
What project are you involved in?
New Start Highland help less fortunate members of the community in a number of ways, including provision of furniture, job training, volunteering opportunities and housing support. New Start Highland had grown quite rapidly in the ten years since it's formation, and were expanding by moving to a new office and warehouse facility. My role was IT Support Officer. This entailed a number of tasks over the course of the year, starting with maintaining and updating the website whilst providing desktop IT support to the rest of the New Start Highland team. This then evolved to participating in the decision making process regarding procurement of a new computer system, an EPOS system and an online shop.
What have you learned on placement?
The project was particularly helpful for me in a number of ways. I have gained some job specific technical skills, but mainly I improved greatly on my transferable skills, things like communication, time management, preparation for meetings and working both on my own and as part of a team. Also, I found that I was able to put into practice a lot of the business theory that I had learned whilst studying for my degree.
What have you taken away from the training course you attended as part of the Programme?
In all honesty, I wasn't sure what to expect before going to the training course, but by the end of my week there I didn't want to leave! I found it really beneficial, the topics that we studied there were interesting and had the perfect blend of theoretical and practical exercise, and it was great to meet fellow graduates from across the Highlands and Islands as well. The fact that everyone there got on so well, and that the tutors were so friendly, definitely helped, and the whole week was thoroughly enjoyable and fun.
What are you doing now after the placement?
For me, things have really changed since finishing my placement. I finished in December 2011, and in the second week of January 2012 I moved out to Dubai to start work for an IT company. I am currently working as a project manager on various projects for the company, with the current project entailing work for a client which manufactures and repairs oil rigs. If it wasn't for the TalentScotland Graduate Placement on my CV I would never have had the opportunity to move out here, so I am extremely glad and grateful that I was able to do so.
What advice would you give to other graduates?
I would definitely encourage other graduates to apply for the TalentScotland Graduate Programme. It has really helped me improve a range of skills and I feel it is a great addition to my CV.