Recruitment Consultant
Lewisham County Council

Shupikai M

00:00:03 I’m Shupikai M, I’m a Recruitment Consultant / Administrator. We’re there to help Managers, advise Managers, go through the recruitment campaigns, and basically try and get the right person for the job, imposed as soon as possible. We recruit basically for all jobs within Lewisham Borough, that’s basically nurses and administrators, clerical workers. We have people that’s road sweepers, we have people that work nursery officers. So roughly probably about – well we recruit probably about 17, 18 people in a month.

00:00:42 I was born in Zimbabwe, and I came here when I was a young girl. It’s actually pushed me to try and make a better life for myself, because where I come from it’s not – the education is not free like here in England. So I think, because of that, it’s pushed me a lot to try and make a better life for myself and my family, and my little girl.

00:01:08 It’s a bit tricky, because I didn’t actually do my GCSEs here. I went back there for a little while, and I did my schooling over there, and I came back here again. So I’ve had my life up and down. So I’ve had education over there, and I’ve got education here. So as far as GCSE’s concerned I didn’t actually do it here, I did it over there. But went to college here, went to Deptford Green School, where I studied Literature and Tourism, did Maths and English GCSE. Went on to Lewisham College. At Lewisham College I did Business Administration Level 2, and Health and Safety. From there I got the job in Lewisham Council, doing the first job pool. Which is basically a pool that’s run for young people that are school leavers, that want a first job within the Council. So people that want to do a job, and they’ve not had any experience. So – it was just an admin role, and look where I am today – Consultant!

00:02:11 I think the most difficult probably being a single parent. I found – I found it really hard, at the beginning, having to look after a child, work full-time, and study at the same time. I think that was really, really hard. I mean if it wasn’t for my sister, my Mum, and my friends, I think I would have probably broken down into tears. But because they were always there for me, and my colleagues at work as well, my Manager, they’ve been really helpful and supportive, through everything I do really. Through my studying, which they funded. I couldn’t have done it without them, absolutely.

00:02:56 When I was young, well I really wanted to be an air hostess – funnily enough! Which is totally different to what I’m doing now. But things change, and I think because I’ve had my daughter, it’s made me more ambitious, it’s made me more – want to have more, and do more, and help other young people out there. If I could do anything at all I would probably start my own recruitment agency, recruiting young people, putting them in different Departments in the Council, or basically around the world really. And trying to work in partnership with other people like Opening Doors, to help young people and school leavers try find jobs really, because it’s really hard to find a job when you’re a young person, and you haven’t got any qualifications.

00:03:43 ENDS