Work experience and Belbin get set!
Recently, in conjunction with positive steps we have had Mia from Crompton house school, oldham, join us to complete her work experience as a business admin assistant.
Mia got chance to spend time with various members of the Fact3 team and completed a variety of tasks during her week.
Belbin get set
The week started off with Mia being introduced to some of the team and being asked to do a project about ‘employing millennials’ during her time with us. When not busy researching her project, she spent time being introduced to Belbin and helped prepare a flip chart for tracy’s Belbin sessions which she also helped to set up.
The very best way to understand Belbin is to do a Belbin for yourself, and this is exactly what Mia did. After completing the Belbin “get set” profile which is specifically designed for 15 to 19 year olds, it showed Mia to be a specialist and team worker which means she is likely to do well in situations where she can progress with research, study and gain vast amounts of knowledge and also that she is likely to be a fantastic listener, very loyal, perceptive and the natural “gel” that can hold a team together – based on this Mia would excel in a role which is specific to an area, that builds in time to research to get to know her chosen discipline well and that involves working harmoniously within a team environment. This is something we hope Mia can take away with her and use when deciding on sixth form and career moves in the future.
Jayne Sanderson brown, partner at Fact3 says,
“I was really pleased that we could support Mia this week – as a former Crompton House student who had absolutely no idea what career I wanted, work experience is vital. The get set Belbin profiling is fantastic – in answering a few simple questions, it gets to the heart of what are your natural strengths and how these can play out in the world of work – it’s specifically aimed at those 15 to 19 years olds who are making really important decisions about their career paths and can prove to be invaluable. I’d highly recommend it for any school, college or learning provider who is supporting 15 to 19 year olds and we are happy to talk to them about the benefits”
The Belbin get set profile outlines a lot of very useful and interesting information that is beneficial to someone of Mia’s age. After analysing how Mia saw herself, and comparing it to how others saw Mia, the profile came up with an ‘overall picture’ of Mia’s working style. Being classed as a specialist & a teamworker means that Mia is someone who likes to use her learning and understanding to help others. It also advises Mia would be best suited in a position where she can progress with study and gain experience in an area which involves helping other people. The profile also advised that a position where you’re asked to take on broad responsibilities and make decisions under pressure is likely to cause Mia a lot of stress and worry which is an area she may consider avoiding in the future.
Not only does the get started Belbin help identify areas Mia will excel in, it also gives her tips on how to handle interviews based on her personality and style. This is a great feature of the profile as interviews can be an overwhelming concept for many 15-19 year olds, meaning any advice tailored to them will be extremely useful.
A week at Fact3
Later in the week Mia helped out with general admin work around the office including becoming an expert with the scanner, filing and also project research. Time was also set aside for Mia to sit down with Christine and learn a bit about processing payrolls and what is involved.
Thursday called for a slightly different day when Mia and Emma were set the task of buying £250 worth of Christmas gifts for Fact3’s chosen charity wipe your tears charity appeal which meant some of the afternoon was spent out and about sourcing and buying all the presents.
Before we knew it Friday came around which meant it was Mia’s last day with the Fact3 team. Jayne provided content for a presentation she was doing the following week and Mia sat down with Emma to learn about Prezi, helping to pull together the final presentation. Friday afternoon (after a team lunch consisted of Mia tying together project work and finishing off general admin work.
When asked about her week as part of the Fact3 team, Mia said,
“I’ve really enjoyed my week with everyone at Fact3. I’ve been given a wide range of different tasks, from general admin to creating Prezis and helping with Belbin sessions. The team were helpful and made sure I understood what was asked of me, I would recommend work experience here to other students, as I have gained further knowledge of HR and also of my role when working in teams, through the Belbin report I was given”
The Fact3 team really enjoyed having Mia help out for a week and and hope we gave her an insight to a few different areas of the business. We think she will be a wonderful asset to any future employer one day… whatever her chosen career!