I can positively say that no two of my days at the College are the same! A typical day starts between 8 and 8:30. I will usually have a list of tasks that have to be done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis so I’ll follow my task list or delegate tasks to my coordinators which could be to produce information for the faculties, analysing any trends and evaluating survey responses which I will use Microsoft Excel for, I will also carry out regular 1:1’s and appraisals with my staff. Our offices are based at the reception areas, so we get to see customers all throughout the day. On occasion I will need to deal with a complaint or an unhappy customer, however most of the time it is such a rewarding job helping people with their aspirations and sending them away with a smile on their face! A lot of what my job includes is reacting to situations that present themselves, from sending out a mass text to all our students to dealing with a fire evacuation!

Within my career at Weston College, I have developed both professionally and personally and I can’t believe how much my time at the College has changed! I started at the College, within CIS, as an evening enrolments officer, I worked alone to serve the customers at reception and help them with admissions. I then moved on to work in our Management Information Services department inputting data for a while, and then returned to CIS as a full-time enrolments officer. Since then, I have progressed within the team to an Admissions Officer then Admissions Coordinator and now, CIS Manager responsible for a team of 25 people. Weston College has supported me through my development and encouraged me to gain qualifications including my Level 3 Team Leading and ILM. This has really helped me to become the best manager I can be for my staff and ensures I am helping the College achieve its overall goals and objectives. .

There have been many proud moments from my time at the college, from winning staff awards to achieving my qualifications and gaining my promotions, however the proudest moment was returning from a long period of sickness following an emergency operation and being told by my staff how they missed my leadership and direction and that they were so glad to have me back. This confirmed to me that I was supporting my staff in the way that they wanted and needed and that I was doing a good job!

I have been here for 7 years now and can honestly say that I have not once had the feeling of dreading work. You are supported and recognised and there are so many opportunities for progression should you want it. There is a definite family feel within the department and the college and everyone will work together to achieve the same goals. Add all of that to working for an organisation that is forward thinking, expanding, and an Investors in People organisation. If you’re thinking of working for the College, do it!

Another role we have is to conduct course interviews to ensure they are enrolled onto the correct course and guide them into their desired career. Admissions will also manage the FT applications and support school leavers through their college application journey. This journey can be quite daunting for applicants and their parents when they’re applying to study at college, so it is a really rewarding to be able to settle any nerves and be able to reassure them through the application process.

A typical day for Admissions would involve completing enrolments, calling back customers who have left us a message outside of our opening hours, and interviewing the future students who have applied to study with us. They say that ‘Variety is the spice of life’ and that is how I would describe Admissions; no two days are the same. We will also speak to customers by using different methods of communication such as by phone, email, and our new live chat service on the Weston College website.

Since starting at Weston College 10 years ago, I have been supported to develop both professionally and personally. I have completed NVQ’s in Advice and Guidance (IAG) Level 3 and Customer Service Level 3. I have also completed courses such as British Sign Language for Frontline Staff and Mental Health First Aid to help make our service in admissions more inclusive to everyone. Through achieving these qualifications and skills it has allowed me to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. These courses and qualifications have proven to be invaluable, and to see the impact these courses I have worked through have had on our learners and customers makes it all worthwhile..

My proudest moment whilst working at the college was meeting a customer whose aspiration was to become a teacher, but she did not have the qualifications that were required. We spoke about the types of courses she would need to study to achieve this goal and how she could realistically afford to enrol onto each course. A few years later she came back to see me, and she had just started working for Weston College as a tutor and was incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I had given her at the beginning. Helping someone to achieve their dream job is extremely rewarding and my favourite part of the job.

For anyone thinking about working for the college you won’t just be joining a department, you will be joining the Weston College family. The staff are always happy to help each other, whether it is solving problems or offering new services to our students and customers. The college invest into all their staff whether it is through courses or career progression within the organisation. I am so enormously proud to work for such a successful college.