Harriet joined Makers In July and is part of a strong team of placement coaches who support our apprentices with everything from their well-being to their progress throughout their placement. Harriet tells us a little more about how she became a coach, what a typical day looks like and her advice for apprentices this National Apprenticeship Week.
Can you tell us about your career journey and how it brought you to Makers?
I worked with coffee for ten years, first waitressing, then barista-ing, then training, then supervising and then managing. I decided to shake it up as I’d gotten a bit too comfortable, and I wanted to work remotely to have the freedom to travel.
Since I loved working with people, I decided to train as an English as a Foreign Language teacher. Then as the pandemic hit, my travel plans were scuppered, but I managed to ‘travel’ a little virtually with my students across the world. I loved working with adults but found the instability of freelancing really difficult so when a recruiter reached out with the opportunity to work with accounting apprentices I jumped at the chance to be working with students still, but in a different context.
I found Makers when looking at tech bootcamps across Europe. My partner had completed one and started a great career in tech so I was really interested in the possibilities in tech education and the non-university approach. I love working with career starters, role switchers and job changers. Once I had an idea of the values, community and culture that Makers has; I knew it was something I’d love to be a part of.
What does a typical day look like for a placement coach?
My day begins with coffee, emails, and Slack messages. I tend to check over my Trello board to see what I have planned for the day and for the week. Usually, I have my first meeting at 10 am either a placement call with a dev or a short stand-up. Then I usually have two or three more calls with developers until around 1 pm. At lunchtime, I go out for a walk, a cycle ride or for a coffee.
Being outside and moving is essential so I always prioritise it. Then I usually have further short check-ins and longer placement calls with developers before putting on the radio to work on some admin in the late afternoon. I’m definitely more productive and energised in the morning so I tend to schedule calls earlier rather than later, and the afternoon is the best time to focus on writing.
What happens during a placement call?
We typically cover well-being, tickets and learning at work, further learning opportunities and goals for the month. I tend to have a theme of the month too, so in Jan it’s surviving the winter and prioritising mental health, I’ve been having lots of discussions around keeping healthy and people’s interests. For apprentices we also discuss their portfolios and projects.
What’s the best thing about being a placement coach?
The best part of being a placement coach is hearing about all the things the developers have achieved. Whether it be, becoming comfortable with asking for support; implementing something they felt unsure of; putting themselves out there at a networking event or for a promotion. Most of our developers are changing careers so working with them on their journey is
What advice would you give to someone looking to get into placement coaching?
Placement coaches wear many hats. We’re talking to lots of developers, working on projects and aiming to always be moving forward. One of the great things about working at Makers is that we have opportunities to take on further learning, projects and company events. In the team we support each other, share knowledge and ideas, and we’re not afraid of change. You won’t find a more supportive team or company!
It’s National Apprenticeship Week, what advice would you give to someone thinking about starting an apprenticeship with Makers?
Pace yourself. Breathe. Taking the leap into an apprenticeship is huge step and a fantastic opportunity. There’s lots of incredible learning ahead at bootcamp and on placement when you start your job. Pace yourself, explore things you’re interested in, and integrate with your team as much as you can, they’ll be a great support network. Also, most importantly, celebrate your wins!
If you would like to learn more about how to develop your own tech apprenticeship scheme and grow your own diverse tech talent with Government funding then contact us today or reach out to our Partnerships Team.
