After having a slight interest in the area of print and photography, I decided to get in contact with a company called Dunns Imaging Group PLC. They produce a variety of products, from photo albums and books, to gift cards and wall photo's. However, after speaking to them I found out that it was not possible to gain any work experience their during the present time. This was simply because they where to busy and didn't have any jobs that I could do.
After Dunns, I decided to go in search of work experience in the automotive industry. This is because I have a strong admiration to go into mechanics after university, so I thought that it would be a good idea to gain some experience in a place that I would most likely be working in during the future. I tried two local companies, these are Palmers Garage & QB Motorcycles. Palmers deal with vehicle repairs on cars, while QB sell and repair motorcycles. As I have a passion for both, I was eager to work in both places. After having a face to face talk with both managers their, It seemed that I was able to carry out my work experience at each.
Unfortunately, I did not receive any further information about carrying out work experience at these places. After being let down, I opted for a difference place of work experience. This was a placement in a NHS charity shop in Halesowen, West Midlands. I would be carrying out various jobs such as moving equipment, helping customers, sorting out books, cleaning and more.
Work Experience Diary;
Day One:
I attended the shop at 10am, and was eager to start gaining some work experience. I met a few of the other volunteers there who gave me ideas of what I would be doing throughout the day. I was also given a small talk on health and safety, where fire extinguishers & fire exits etc where located. After getting to know the place, I decided to go and sort out numerous amounts of books located upstairs in the building. These books had been given to the shop via the public, and were stored upstairs in an un-organised manor. I started out by sorting them into genre's and filling up some boxes. Then I sorted out a range of paperback books that where stored onto a crate, the crate would then be taken outside the shop and the books where sold for £1.50 ea or so. After sorting out books for a few hours, I was sent to find and bring back books that where suitable for children to read.
Day Two:
I entered the shop at 10am, and quickly got into the usual routine of tidy things up and making sure everything is layed out correctly. The first task of the day was to clean the outside windows of the shop as they where dusty and it would help customers to look in. After that job was completed, I set about arranging books into boxes and setting them up outside, so people who pass by may be interested and start to purchase them. This seemed to be a popular idea, as quite a few books where sold that day from outside. After a while had passed, I then went upstairs and sorted out more books which would be loaded into the boxes outside to re-fill them. During the end of the day, a few people brought in donations which I sorted through and then placed them into their sections.
Day Three:
By the time day three had arrived, I had settled in comfortably. I felt that I could talk more freely with the other staff at the shop, and that I was part of the team. It was a usual day in the shop, cleaning, moving items, sorting through donations, helping customers etc etc. During day three, I sorted through numerous amounts of children's toys and placed them in the correct area. I also helped out a few customers who where looking for various things, such as one who was seeking a table and chairs.
Outcome:
I am glad that I had managed to achieve some work experience, even if it was not specifically Art & Design based. However, due to my plan of going into a different area after university, I don't think it matters as much. During the time I had spent in the shop, I had felt that I had gained more confidence which enabled me to interact with the customers and team members. I had also learnt what it takes to run an effective small business, and how displaying items in specific ways helps. It had helped me experience what a professional working environment would be like, how you're expected to help out and tackle various tasks. At times, I found it fun when trying to sell specific items to customers, it was a challenge that proved to be exciting. I found that I also had to use my initiative when some of the team members where busy elsewhere, and later on this helped in my favour.
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