Luca Difato, Operational Team Support Administrator and Communications Assistant. 24th February 2022.
I began my role at Citizens Advice Reigate and Banstead (CARB) in September 2021 through the Kickstart scheme which offers six-month work contracts for Universal Credit claimants aged between 16 and 24.
After graduating from university just 2 months prior, I was eager to find work that would allow me to implement my academic knowledge and practical skills learned whilst studying my degree, and also give me an opportunity to support an organisation that is directly helping the local community. Finding paid employment in the charity sector is understandably difficult considering the increased demand that organisations have faced in the past 2 years, however the Kickstart scheme provides funding to create jobs in order to divert young people from long-term unemployment amid an increasingly competitive job market. After a pleasant interview process, I accepted the role of Operational Team Support Administrator & Communications Assistant and began my time working from home.
Immediately, CARB invested a significant amount of time and training for me to be able to efficiently support their network of wonderful staff and volunteers and modernise areas of the organisation’s digital presence. My understanding about GDPR measures, client-based interactions and overall workplace etiquette was developed quickly as I swiftly moved from inexperienced trainee to being given creative freedom to research areas of public interest which then became blog posts for the CARB website. I was lucky to be able to attend webinars exclusive to Citizens Advice which allowed me to gain insights into the energy sector, for example, that allowed me to stay informed on current trends and produce relevant, time-sensitive publications.
I have really enjoyed working with such a diverse group of knowledgeable and supportive co-workers and have relished the opportunity to support them in any way I could, while expanding my skill-set and increasing my employability in the process. I am thankful to have been given this chance to develop at a truly invaluable organisation and hope to continue to apply CARB principles and practices wherever my future employment takes me.