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Supporting young people through work experience placements is an important way for organisations to help shape future careers and give students meaningful insight into the workplace.
Recently our STEP HR team welcomed Olha Stahelski, a third-year Human Resources and Marketing student from the University of Stirling. Over her four day placement Olha had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, develop new skills and learn more about the different roles within the STEP HR team. In this article, she reflects on her time with the team, the knowledge she gained and how the experience has helped influence her future career aspirations…
“Doing my work experience placement at STEP gave me a better idea of what it is like to work within an organisation and experience a real working environment. Everyone in the organisation was very welcoming and supportive throughout the week, which helped me feel more comfortable and included in the team. My mentors, Vicky Murphy and Kirsty Love, were especially supportive and always willing to explain different processes and aspects of the organisation.
My main task during the placement was reviewing, updating and organising the staff handbook. Through this task, I went through a range of different policies and procedures, which allowed me to learn more about how organisations operate and manage employees on a day-to-day basis.
During the placement, I also attended the launch of the Active STEP programme at the Peak, which gave me insight into workplace wellbeing initiatives and how organisations support their employees. I also observed the induction of a new employee, where I learned about the history of STEP, how the organisation has developed over time, and the different services it provides. I found this especially interesting because it improved my understanding of the organisation and the work it does within the community.
In addition, I attended a staff meeting, where I was able to observe communication and teamwork within the workplace. On my final day, I also attended the STEP Summer BBQ and Business Support Open Day, where I was able to see how STEP works with local businesses and different support organisations, as well as how networking events are organised.
Overall, I found the placement very informative, engaging and useful. It helped me become more familiar with what a real working environment is like and helped me feel more confident communicating and working with other people in a workplace.”
Providing opportunities like work experience placements reflects the importance of investing in people and creating positive experiences from the very start of a career journey. We were delighted to welcome Olha to the team and hope her time with us provided valuable insight into the world of HR and the different ways we support both people and businesses. We thank Olha for her contribution during her placement and wish her every success in the future.
