Let me introduce myself
My name is Ethan Kent from Poltair school, and I’ve chosen the company of Active Plus to do my week of work experience. This company has offered a wide range of volunteers and workers – all different from each other with their specific roles but, together, help support veterans and build confidence for those less fortunate to begin work again.
What are the values of Work Experience?
Work Experience is great way to learn important values that will help you in work and life, it also teaches you how to be responsible and the importance of showing up on time. You learn how to work as part of a team which consists of listening, communicating to others, sharing ideas and helping each other out. The values of Work Experience help you become more adaptable in the workspace as you try new tasks and deal with upcoming challenges. You learn to stay professional which means dressing appropriately so respecting the dress code, speaking politely to workers and visitors and behaving in ways that show you’ve taken the role seriously. By doing real tasks you grow as a person and gain newly developed skills that can be used to assist you during school, for future jobs and in everyday life.
Why did I choose Active Plus?
I had decided to do my week of experience with this company as I believed in helping veterans and injured navy or military soldiers. I wanted to see from an Active Plus worker a volunteer’s point of view, what their life is like, and I wanted to be able to take part in discussing the roles of each member of the office – how significant each member is in their department. Seeing how supporting multiple communities can open new abilities with building up on confidence and reducing social isolation.
My father, Christopher Kent, is an Operations Manager and a Veteran Coordinator and having the chance to work alongside him – despite not a whole day – shows how valuable this job is to him and how I am interested in wanting to continue helping with his work. After knowing how long he has spent in the army I’ve been intrigued to see people who have had similar experiences as him and where they’ve ended up depending on the outcome or circumstance they are in.
What I enjoyed most…
During my week of work experience I’ve enjoyed multiple activities and sessions that have involved going out to places such as Falmouth and Bodmin to participate with Lead instructor’s or to talk to volunteers about what they do in their respective role. The parts I’ve enjoyed the most during my Work Experience week is managing finance with the Finance Officer Neil Watson and organising the values and prices. As well as designing and creating a blog which will be posted onto the Active Plus Facebook and Instagram account showing my highlights of the week and the people I’ve socialised with during my experience. Working with the Marketing and Communications Officer Suzanne Body was a huge impact on showing me how she creates her blogs for the company showing all their highlights.
Would you recommend Active Plus for future students?
If you’re looking for a place, I highly recommend Active Plus. It’s not like a regular workplace; you’ll be learning from military veterans that have used real life experience to build confidence and courage to be able to do what they are doing to this day. The staff are very nice, supportive and will always give you the chance to be involved whether that’s with talking to volunteers or giving a helping hand by passing drinks around and cleaning up after them. I’ve learnt so many skills from my Work Experience and being with so many Active Plus members that have dedicated lot of time for me to improve on my teamwork and leadership skills – listening to them is an important skill to get further in life and for jobs.
Overall thoughts…
Active Plus has always been welcoming, friendly and happy when I arrive everyday into the office.
Thank you!
Blog post: Ethan Kent – Active Plus Work Experience Student
