Early Careers Officer
Hillingdon Council

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Hi. My name’s Alan.

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My current position is the early careers officer at the London

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Borough of Hillingdon, which is based in West London.

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So my role in simple terms is basically looking after people in the sort of 16

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to 24 year-old category in terms of getting them into employment,

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into our business or other businesses within the area.

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So it’s looking at the career pathways that would come along with that.

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So we might be looking mainly, primarily at apprenticeships.

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It also entails T-level programmes.

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We work with local colleges who will have students coming in,

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working with us for 45 weeks of the year on a one day release basis.

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Also looking at traineeships, work experience.

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So the best thing is, is obviously

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we’re developing people of all ages, so that is really good.

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The strengths and skills

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useful in this role would be definitely communication skills and being confident

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to approach all levels of staff right up to chief exec level

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to make them aware of the programmes we’re doing.

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The networking is really key.

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Also being well organised because it’s almost like you’re project managing

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and so every day there’s different stuff coming in.

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At school I remember doing social economics, French

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maths, English, history, technical drawing –

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that was quite interesting. I think I wanted to be a civil engineer.

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That was my thing – I thought I can do drawing and become a civil engineer.

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So yeah, I left school at 16

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and signed up for a youth training scheme,

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which is a bit like apprenticeships, I guess.

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It was a civil engineering programme that I signed up for

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but I didn’t realise that it was actually working on the railways.

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So we were in a permanent way gang – working out,

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shovelling ballast, sleepers,
trains whizzing past your head.

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I did a couple of winters and it was tough.

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And then I thought,

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no, I need to go in an office where it’s nice and warm.

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Because I didn’t do very well at school as in terms of exams,

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I then went back to college and I studied at the local college,

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which is here in Uxbridge. Did sort of like BTEC finance, business studies, marketing,

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so I think they were sort HNC-type level qualifications and included accountancy.

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I went to uni and finally graduated in personnel management.

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That took me down that sort of direction in terms of my career.

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I was always very people-focused –
I guess from school days –

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sport and wanting to be around people and networking and socialising.

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So it seemed a good fit.

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And that’s where most of my career has ended up really is around the sort of HR,

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personnel-type roles, whether it’s recruitment, employee relations

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and that’s now led to where I am now in terms of my current role.

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You do have to put yourself out there.

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Things don’t necessarily just come to you and lots

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of careers advisors and people you talk to – your parents etc. –

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they’ll probably say get work experience.

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And that is a massive thing.

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If you’re looking at a candidate

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who’s got work experience, one who hasn’t, you’re more likely to favour

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that person who’s got the work experience, not necessarily all the time.

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I would say volunteer – volunteering is massive –

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if you can.

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That often gets your foot in the door. Try things out.

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I would say do something that you enjoy, you’re passionate about.

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Maybe it is a hobby, but sometimes there’s a bit of a crossover

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between the two, but something that’s going to make

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you want to get up in the morning, go to work and do something

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you enjoy.

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Don’t just go to work because it’s paying the bills.

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I would never stay in a job that I don’t enjoy.