Feathers Blog: Exploring Careers

The latest edition of The Feathers Blog is written by our wonderful HR Manager Louisa who offers a unique insight into the importance of career advice whilst exploring how The Feathers Association champions teaching and learning throughout our work. 

When I was in my teens and thinking about my options, the careers advice, in hindsight, was woefully inadequate.  The Skills Commission 2021 report: Transition to Ambition: Navigating the careers maze, suggests that things have not improved despite it being a critical tool for driving the economy.  Young people are expected to make major life decisions at such a young age and the reality of the situation is that the job or career they are likely to end up in, doesn’t even exist yet.  I was fortunate to grow up in a relatively privileged position.  My parents were educated and had the means to both help and encourage me to go to university, but even they couldn’t guide me through what career options I had.

Life has led me to a career in Human Resources – absolutely not something I envisaged as a teenager!  However, it seems my skills and nature fit the bill.  A few years on after joining the workforce I was fortunate to undertake psychometric profiling which helped me to understand my behaviours, strengths and what value I can bring to a team.  It was surprisingly insightful and helped me realise how I could play to my strengths and achieve my potential.  It certainly helped me understand why a career in HR would make sense for me.  Would this have been helpful early on?  Perhaps, perhaps not – would I have been mature enough or had the necessary life experience to get the same insights?  I suppose everyone goes on a journey and things happen at different times for us all!

What I like about HR is the variety of work that I do.  I use my numerical skills in payroll and benchmarking data we collect about the workforce, salaries and benefits.  I use my research and communication skills writing policies and proposals.  My legal knowledge, influence and persuasion skills to advise and guide colleagues through complex situations.  And my mentoring skills to educate and support both the organisation as a whole and individuals to develop and reflect on matters such as best practice, culture and ethics.  There is a lot of routine and administration involved in the profession, but there is also the opportunity for innovation and you have to be ready for the unexpected – I think I am good at my job because I don’t get flustered by this and can stay calm in a crisis and dive straight into problem solving or managing a situation to achieve the best possible outcome.

At the Feathers Association, informal education and teaching life skills are at the heart of our work.  We offer a space for our members to seek support and guidance and when it comes to work and careers.  We offer a listening ear and some practical support to help a Young Person achieve their goals – whether that be their first Saturday job, or an application to a course or permanent employment.  Digital poverty is considered a barrier to accessing careers advice, training and guidance.  We have recently partnered with NoodleNow, an online training provider who has given us access to their courses which include food and hygiene, customer service, retail and hospitality, health and safety, and safeguarding and childcare.  If a member can add one of these certificates onto their CV, it could give them the advantage when applying for their first job.  Some of these are key skills everyone needs in the workplace which are not part of the National Curriculum.  We can offer support in writing applications, CVs, or being a character reference.  We run a traineeship programme that employs and develops young people to support the work of our Youth Workers by assisting them in the delivery of our activities.  This could simply be the first time they undertake any work experience and they gain knowledge and skills to take to their next job.  It could potentially lead them into a career in Youth or Social work.

We at the Feathers Association believe it is our job to educate our members in the choices they have and we must work with our partners to offer opportunities to learn about existing and new careers, find work experience opportunities and inspire them to make and pursue their dreams.  The Gatsby Foundation states:

“Good career guidance is a necessity for social mobility: those young people without significant social capital or home support to draw upon have the most to gain from high-quality career guidance.”

I have recently committed to volunteering my time at our Youth & Community Club, to support the needs of our members through activities such as CV writing, careers insight and interview preparation. I am very much looking forward to supporting this in the near future, getting to know some of our members much more closely and helping out where I can. In the meantime, my email address is below and should you need any advice, I’d be delighted to arrange a time to chat! [email protected]

This Blog was written by Louisa Gartrell, Feathers Association HR Manager. 

 

 

 

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David Jones

The Feathers Association CEO

The principal objective of The Feathers Association is to provide opportunities for children, young people and communities to develop in a positive way through informal education, sporting, cultural and recreational activities which the charity has provided since 1934.

Our aim is to enable young people to cope more effectively with the transition from adolescence to adulthood and to enable young people to understand and act on personal, social and political issues which affect their lives, the lives of others and the communities of which they form a part. Additionally we help bring communities together by sharing experiences and learning outcomes.

 

Zoë Sobol

PR Consultant

In a consultancy role, Zoe will lead on the strategic PR planning and media strategy with a view to elevate the charity’s profile and champion its vital work.

With publicity at the forefront, Sobol will deliver and implement a tactical media relations strategy focussed on building media presence, highlighting the impactful project work Feather’s does from its three regional sites in London, Glasgow, and Wales.  Working closely with project teams, corporate partners, its high-profile Ambassadors and building on the momentum of its infamous Feathers Ball, efforts will shine a spotlight on the outreach initiatives directly benefiting young people and families facing adversity in local communities.

  The charity aims to enable young people to cope more effectively with the transition from adolescence to adulthood and to enable young people to understand and act on personal, social and political issues which affect their lives, the lives of others and the communities of which they form a part.

Jackie Elliot

Jackie is chair of Cathcart Consulting, the corporate and marketing communications consultancy she founded in 2004, following her return to the UK from Geneva where she had been global communications director for Rolex. Between Rolex and the present day, Jackie’s work has encompassed mentoring; crisis management; judging many of the profession’s various annual awards; agency trouble-shooting; non-executive directorships; training, coaching, and, most specially, some years as PR Week’s Agony Aunt. She is a Fellow of the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) and was one of the small group of PRCA chair people to develop and implement the Consultancy (now Communications) Management Standard (CMS) – the global benchmark for best practice in the communications business.

Kate Hinton

Kate is an award-winning Public Affairs and PR consultant with experience in business, personal finance, transport, energy, and environment and sustainability sectors. Starting out as a journalist she has spent the bulk of her career in senior communication roles across a variety of organisations including the Environment Agency, Energy Saving Trust, Greenergy and London First. Her key achievements range from: winning a PR Moment award for Clean Air Day’s PR campaign; shortlisted for a CIPR award for Zipcar; an award winning public awareness campaign, Breathe Easy, on air pollution which was supported by Lord Deben and David Coulthard.   

Paul Taylor

Paul is the founder of Taylor Keogh Communications, a London-based PR and public consultancy.   Paul has 30 years in-house and consultancy experience. His client work is primarily focused within the UK energy and clean-tech sectors. Before establishing Taylor Keogh, he was Head of Corporate Affairs at London Electricity/EDF Group where he led the company’s community support work within London.  During his tenure, London Electricity won an FT Arts & Business Award for its work on social inclusion and ethnic diversity, and received Business in the Community’s Company of the Year Award. 

Mike Harrison

Chair of the Feathers Communications Committee

An alumnus of the University of Hull, Mike is a senior communications professional of nearly two decades going from Parliament during the New Labour years, into public affairs and public relations consultancy, followed by in-house corporate. His communications career has covered sectors including financial services, energy and clean tech, infrastructure, housing, and healthcare. Mike has worked with some of the leading companies in the UK including Lloyds Banking Group, National Grid, and Drax Group. He is a liveryman of the Company of Communicators and a Freeman of the City of London.

Ethan Lees

Ambassador & Youth Ambassador Program

As the youngest Trustee of The Feathers, Ethan is intimately aware of many of the anxieties that young people face today. Having been raised in one of the most economically deprived towns in the UK, he has felt firsthand the struggles that many of those who The Feathers has helped face in seeking to break free of the vicious cycle of generational poverty.

Having studied Egyptology at the University of Cambridge as a first-generation student, Ethan has gone on to the beginnings of a career in law. He attained a Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law in Manchester and is currently completing a Legal Master’s in Moorgate, London. He has experience as a paralegal from boutique regional to international City law firms, assisting in legal matters ranging from Construction to Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions and Art Restitution.

Ethan also has extensive volunteer experience: At Cambridge, he was elected to the leadership of the United Nations UK Youth Platform, where he coordinated university UN associations across the country. He has had years of experience aiding the Royal British Legion in organising and conducting remembrance ceremonies, and in 2021 he was elected a Town Councillor. 

While time for law students is always scarce, whenever he can, Ethan enjoys epee fencing and theatre. Progressing from having translated Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Coptic at University, he is now developing his qualifications in Mandarin.

Beverley Pridie

Finance and Social Justice

A qualified Chartered Accountant and a Doctor of Accounting, Finance and Governance she is able to bring her accounting skills and knowledge to the Feathers Association and is an invaluable asset for the charity in providing necessary balances and checks as part of the board of trustees’ scrutiny and governance function.

 

Beverley is based in the higher education sector and on a senior leadership trajectory, having been involved in the Aurora women’s leadership programme and the 100 Black Professors Now with the Women’s Higher Education Network. She is an innovative and hardworking individual devoted to empowering and inspiring others and in her current role at the University of East London she is very much focused on employability, enterprise and social justice within the institution.

 

Recognised by the professional association AdvanceHE she was awarded Senior Fellowship based on her commitment to promoting social cohesion and social mobility through education and volunteering within communities. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

 

Beverley has a personal interest is around culture of diversity not just within the sector but also in the third sector. She has engaged in charity work which assists young people who are isolated and face deprivation in communities, including for the Somali Social Services and the Shoreditch Trust.

Jonathan Martin

Strategy, Projects and Finance

Info to follow

Lionel Bunting

Chair to the Board of Trustees

Lionel has always been passionate about inspiring young people and the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders, evidenced through his work in higher education leadership over the last 20 years; helping disadvantage young people with The Prince’s Trust; developing and delivering outreach education for schools and colleges and running immersive workshops for charities and their beneficiaries.

Within the higher education sector Lionel is a transformational leader and has been involved in designing and developing institutional wide strategies, plans and interventions in relation to product portfolios, learning and teaching initiatives, recruitment and outreach and equality, diversity and inclusion. Having stepped back from a substantive position in the sector he is currently a visiting lecturer for several higher education institutions including the University of London, Birkbeck University and Falmouth University on their Masters and MBA programmes.

He has had a rich and varied career which has seen him work with the British Council in Sri Lanka and Nigeria; business and farm diversification for the Department of Trade and Industry, Director of a creative marketing consultancy in Manchester managing key accounts for luxury, retail, and professional service brands, and helped over 200 businesses start up directly or through incubator facilities and organisations.

In his personal life Lionel is an avid climber & boulderer both outdoor and indoor and when not on the crags of Kent and Dorset he can be found mountain biking along the South Downs National Park or motorbiking along the south coast; he also makes time to study as he is undertaking his Doctorate in Paris on the commercialisation of higher education product portfolios.