Niamh - Youth Participation Graduate
I left school in 2017 to go on to study a MA in History and Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh. I chose to do History not only because I enjoy it but because of the transferrable skills that a History degree equips you with.
After I graduated in 2021, I fortunately still had my part time job in retail and I was furloughed during COVID19. However, I wanted a role where I could utilise the transferrable skills my degree had given me, build on them and gain experience.
I applied to West Lothian Council Graduate Work Experience Programme and was successful at gaining a role within Economic Development in Youth Participation. The role has provided me with the opportunity to work and communicate with different people across the various service areas within West Lothian Council and with numerous organisations out with the council.
Through my role I was able to access training both internal and external via West Lothian Council such as EDAS Introduction to Economic Development, Child Poverty Action Group and other courses available via the My Learning Portal.
I supported the Hey Girls Period Poverty project roll out, through all of these it was great to access courses and projects to support my continuous professional development.
During my time on the programme I was assigned a dedicated Employment Adviser from Access2Emoloyment who helped support me with my long-term career aspirations, create a new CV, prepare for interview and support me with my next career steps.
The Graduate Work experience has helped me after graduating to decide on my career goals and what kind of role's I want to pursue.
Throughout my time at West Lothian Council, I have been fortunate enough to work on numerous important projects which have gained me valuable skills and work experience that has enabled me to gain a full-time permanent job in another large organisation.