Reece joined Essex County Council’s Resourcing team earlier this year as part of the Kickstart programme. We asked Reece to give us an insight into his journey with us and the knowledge he has gained whilst working on the programme. Read on to find out all about Reece’s time at ECC.
Could you tell us a bit about yourself Reece?
My name is Reece, I am 22 years old and on the autistic spectrum. I have worked as part of the Goldlay supported intern programme in Essex County Council and in March 2022 I secured a Kickstarter position within the Resourcing Team as a Recruitment Administrator.
I would describe myself as sociable, hardworking and reliable. I really enjoy meeting new people.
How did you find out about your Kickstart opportunity? And, what motivated you to apply?
I heard about this Kickstart opportunity through the Goldlay supported internship. I did make a few applications at the time for a number of Kickstart opportunities. I had been working on a placement with the legal tribunal team at ECC and I really wanted to find another role within the Council.
I was supported to make an application and following an interview I was offered the role within the Resourcing Team. I did have a few other interviews to attend however I really liked the sound of working in the Resourcing team so decided to accept that job.
What sorts of things have you learned during your time so far on the kickstart programme?
There have been lots of things I have not done before I joined the Resourcing team. I have learnt how to create new spreadsheets using excel to record information.
I have also worked on projects to research information on google in order to contact universities to build a spreadsheet of information to be able to post jobs onto their website, allowing us to promote our roles.
I have been trained on using the Recruitment system called Cornerstone and I use a job advert distribution tool to promote jobs at multiple places such as Reed, Indeed, Find a Job and LinkedIn.
What are you most proud of and what have you most enjoyed so far in your Kickstart role?
I have been involved in a variety of projects since I joined the Resourcing team which has been really interesting and means I have been able to try new things.
The first project I was asked to do when I started was to create a PowerPoint ‘about me’ profile slide for each member of the team (33 individuals). This meant I had to contact each person and ask them to send me answers to a set of questions and a photo we could use. I then used that information to create their profile. I had some help with some of the formatting but was very happy when it was completed and shared the completed slides with the whole team. The slides are used when a new member of staff joins the team to give them an overview of their colleagues and help them settle in. I really enjoyed working on this.
I have also been able to attend a job fair event where I was able to meet people looking for work and help give them information about Essex County Council and the job opportunities on offer. It was a very busy day but I enjoyed speaking to new people and also learning more about the types of roles we recruit to.
What would be your ideal job at the end of your 6 month kickstart placement?
I would really like to be able to get a job working at the Essex Records Office in Chelmsford because I have a keen interest in history and genealogy
Alternatively, I would like to get another role within administration or something where I could be involved in computer based work.
I would really like the opportunity to gain a permanent role and remain working at Essex County Council.
What advice would you give anyone thinking about joining ECC?
I would say ECC is a great place to work as it offers flexibility, you get the chance to do a variety of things and meet lots of new people. You get lots of support and the chance to learn new skills and develop.
Thank you for reading. To learn more about our Entry to Work opportunities and schemes, click here. Alternatively, please email work.placements@essex.gov.uk
To read more about careers at Essex County Council, click here.
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