Taking the Next Career Step

Hayley Owen decided to apply for the admin role in the Kickstart Scheme at Robinson Manufacturing (RML) around September of 2020 when she lost her job in retail during the pandemic, like so many others.

This was a new beginning for Hayley because she had no experience in admin and RML was a good place for her to grow and develop this experience. After losing her job she had lost her confidence in going back to work. She started the part-time Kickstart role and worked hard so was offered a full-time job as Joist Design Administrator at RML when the placement ended.

Having been uncertain of what to do after the Kickstart placement, getting the full-time job represented an exciting opportunity – and allowed her to buy her own house which is something she had been dreaming of for a long time.

The admin role in Joist Design was a new one, and she took it on and very much made it her own, and in the process improving the efficiency of the approvals function.

One of the challenges that Hayley faced was being a new person, in a new role, dealing with new people, and changing an established system. However, she also enjoyed this and other challenges – like helping to develop design software to automate previously manual tasks; these have helped her to develop and grow as a person and as a team member.

After a year of working in admin, Hayley is now taking the next step on the career ladder and will be moving onto a Trainee Designer role. She was interested in this role because she loves a challenge and learning new things. Being a creative person, she likes to keep her mind active which this role is perfect for, and she can’t wait to get stuck in.

Here is what Hayley had to say about her experience with us:

“I think working in the construction sector is something very different and new to me. I have enjoyed learning about Joists and Trusses, what they are and how they work, and I find them very interesting. I now amaze my family when I talk about it especially when I could comment when watching my new house being built, pointing out what stage they were at with the build, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without RML!”

Head of Design, Sarah Horden commented: “When I first interviewed Hayley I knew that she would not only be a great asset to the team, but also thought that if she wished to become a designer one day, she had the strength and ability to learn and become a great designer,” adding “I am really pleased that we are able to give this opportunity to Hayley, I have seen her become more confident as she gains knowledge and these next steps will be even more enjoyable to watch.”