Developing new skills

I was 18 when I started working as a support worker at the Recovery Hub, which is a home for people with mental health needs. It was July 2019 and I’d just left education. This was my first job. Working in the social care sector had always appealed to me but I was still trying to work out what kind of career I wanted.

I was really nervous at first but my manager and colleagues were so helpful. The culture here is respectful, and the staff team are really supportive of each other and the people we support. After a few months in the job, I was way more confident.

I have regular meetings with my manager where we talk about how things are going. In these meetings, I often talked about how I wanted to develop my skills. My manager believed in me, so they gave me opportunities to do higher level tasks, like working on the home’s finances and organising rotas. Sometimes I would suggest tasks that I was interested in taking on and sometimes my manager would offer me things that I hadn’t necessarily asked for but that gave me opportunities to learn new things.

At one of these meetings, we talked about the kind of career I wanted. Through working with the people we support at the Recovery Hub, I’ve realised that I want to be a mental health nurse, so that’s the direction I’ve been going in. The Trust offers a level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, which I’ve just finished, and in October I’ll start working on my two year Nursing Associate qualification. Following that, I’ll be able to do a one year top-up degree, after which I’ll be a fully qualified nurse.

It’s amazing to think about where I am now, when just over two years ago I was an 18 year old with no experience in this sector. My manager listened to what I wanted and gave me loads of options and opportunities to help me to move in the right direction.

I’d definitely recommend to other people that they join the Trust. Working here is such a good opportunity, even if you don’t have any experience. It helps you to see what hidden skills you have.

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