Name: Ellie Bartlemore
Year Started (Graduate Programme): 2020
Graduate Position: Graduate Officer - Digital Improvement
Current Position: Digital Skills, Adoption & Enablement Officer
Studied: BA Early Childhood Studies & Literacy
What was the highlight of being on the Graduate Programme?
The highlight of being a Graduate Officer was that everyone within my area in ICT along with HR were keen to help me further my knowledge in any way that they could. It allowed me to gain a highly recognised qualification whilst progressing within my role and building relationships with various departments along the way.
What was the biggest challenge and how did you overcome this?
The biggest challenge I faced was completing the qualification whilst being in full time employment in a pandemic. Our department was involved with providing thousands of devices to staff to allow them to work from home and upskilling staff through virtual bitesize sessions to ensure they were able to use the digital tools. To overcome this, I had regular meetings with my manager to ensure that I was able to book in time to my calendar each week to complete some of my assignments. I also had regular 1:1 sessions with my course tutor to work on my assignments whilst on a virtual meeting, this ensured that my focus remained on the assignments and not other work going on within my team.
How did the Graduate Programme help you progress to where you are today?
Prior to starting the Graduate Programme, I had been working within the Authority for just over a year. The programme gave me the opportunity to gain the Project Management qualification whilst developing my existing skillset and building new relationships throughout the Council. The knowledge I have developed whilst being on the programme has set me in good stead to develop my career further and has allowed me to get a promotion and permanent role within the Digital Improvement Office.