At Launchpad 135, our clients attend weekly job shop sessions where clients build their confidence, learn new skills and hear about the range of jobs available – and last week they were joined by Tom from local water services company, Thames Water. Tom talked about his career journey and facilitated a lively question and answer session.
At the session, Tom, a level one technician, spoke about how he came to work at Thames Water and the training he has undertaken, speaking enthusiastically about his role and what the organisation is like to work for. He shared where employment opportunities could be found on the Thames Water website, and explained how existing skills can be reframed on a CV to suit the requirements of a specific job.
As an example, Tom explained that before joining Thames Water, he had worked within a different industry. When applying for his current position, he emphasised his previous health and safety training and experience, which was a key requirement for the new role. He then responded to client questions which included why he chose to work for Thames Water, how long the recruitment process took, and what his typical day was like.
Our work and life skills centre’s job shop session is weekly and provides clients an opportunity to improve their IT, CV and interview skills, undertake job-searches, access education and training opportunities and look at ways to overcome employment barriers. As part of getting members job-ready, the team at Launchpad 135 invite various companies to share insights, tips and guidance about their organisations, discuss what type of jobs are available, and any training requirements and opportunities.
Sian Walsh, Launchpad 135 Team Leader said “We are so grateful to Tom and Thames Water for coming to speak to our clients – he really brought the working world and his experiences to life. Question and answer sessions can transform a simple talk into a real learning experience, so it was really good our clients had the opportunity to explore his experience a bit more.
“Getting into education, training and employment can be quite daunting prospects for our clients but by hearing from people like Tom, they can start to realise that the opportunities out there are achievable after all. Our clients found the session interesting, educational and engaging, and we hope to follow this session up with a site visit to Thames Water’s offices in the near future.”
