Making use of the Huddersfield Employability Fund: Chloe Owens

Introduce yourself / course / year group / nationality:

Hello, I am Chloe Owens and I am a British student. I am in my second year of the BA Hons English Literature course at the University of Huddersfield.

What did you use the HEF for?

I used the Huddersfield Employability Fund to help me with the placement module which is a necessity for the English Literature course. The money went towards paying for my DBS check so that I could do my placement in a secondary school. I also received money to help with the transport costs to the school because it was unpaid experience.

What was the value in this activity?

The placement was very valuable as it helped me develop key skills and get experience that I could write on my CV and apply to different environments and jobs in the future.

How did it help you to develop?

The placement helped me develop a variety of my skills. My communication skills have greatly improved due to being put into a work environment surrounded by teachers and students who needed my assistance and support. It also helped my confidence as I had to lead sessions and discussions with many students and was put in difficult situations whilst in various departments in the school such as inclusion and exam pressure sessions.

How did it affect your future employment opportunities or ideas?

It allowed me to discover new things about the profession of teaching and whether it would be a viable option for me to pursue. I also got the opportunity to evaluate my career plan by giving me a back up job. Another positive aspect of the placement was that it gave me a lot of experience in teaching, and despite it being unpaid, I grew to learn what a working environment is like and could now adapt my skills to various jobs in the future.

What will you do as a result of this activity?

After the placement, I will be able to revaluate my CV. As well as getting direct work experience, I can add to my skills part and give further examples of difficult situations and anecdotes where I have evidenced and developed key skills that will be helpful to other jobs.

Thinking about this experience, what advice would you give to other students?

I would suggest that other students take any opportunity for work experience, whether it is part of their course or not. Also, not to just look for paid experience because it is very unlikely but know that there is help at the university such as this fund that has helped me gain experience.