ICT Professional Competence

I chose a traineeship because I had a real interest in I.T. and when the opportunity came to complete a traineeship with Virgin Media I knew it was a chance I could not afford to miss. I then progressed onto the apprentice scheme.

The first thing I do when I get into work is I turn on my PDA which then loads up all of my calls for the morning and afternoon. This allows me to work straight from home in the mornings. I then work through a variety of customer service faults or installs. A typical day lasts around 10 hours and in this time we can do up to 15 customer visits.

“Make sure that you keep on top of all of your course work and get it submitted on time to your assessor. Ask lots of questions and dont be afraid to make a mistake.”

My top tips for a smooth transition from school into work are if you know what career you want to do, then try to find a company that will allow you learn and develop, possibly through an apprenticeship. Get involved in clubs, charity events and try to get some work experience. This will help you a lot when you go for an interview with a company. Try to understand about the company you are applying

to. What are their goals and how do they look after their employees. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when looking for the correct career path.

My top tips for working as an apprentice/degree student/ school leaver are make sure that you keep on top of

all of your course work and get it submitted on time to your assessor. Ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to make a mistake. I have learnt a lot from some of the mistakes I have made. Listen to the advice given to you from your mentors and work colleagues.

Within the traineeship your main responsibilities are customer care. I must treat each customer fairly and with respect and ensure that I do my best to ensure that their services are installed and serviced in a professional manner. I must also follow certain policy and procedures to ensure I keep within health and safety guidelines which protect myself, the customers and Virgin Media.

The aspect of my role I most enjoy is every job is different. I meet many different customers each day and you never know what challenges the day might throw at you. It is really great when I have a difficult fault to find, but manage to resolve it for the customer.You get a buzz from fixing difficult faults.