Hi, my name is Laura, I’m from Stockton on Tees and I’m in my second year of college where I study BTEC Health and Social, A-level Psychology and Biology.
In May 2020, I joined a mentoring scheme called The Girl’s Network which aims to provide young girls with links to the sector they want to work in. I got paired with Karen Robinson who is a partner at Jackson’s Law Firm and since then we have had regular meetings over zoom.
I joined the mentoring scheme because I wanted to see what was available for me after college and learn valuable lessons and skills from people already in the industry. Having sessions with Karen has helped me learn a lot of things I wasn’t aware of, in particular the number of apprenticeships available and the careers that apprenticeships can lead you to. For example, I didn’t know that you can progress to a career in law through an apprenticeship.
Throughout the entire programme, Karen has helped me so much. Something Karen did which was extremely useful was set up a meeting with me, herself and her HR manager, Zoe Tweddle. In this meeting, we discussed a lot about apprenticeships and how beneficial they can be and both Karen and Zoe helped me to see that university doesn’t always have to be the first and only approach. After I leave college, I’m looking at an apprenticeship in Dental Nursing, and even though this isn’t Karen’s sector, she has also gone out of her way to speak to her own dentist about apprenticeship opportunities and routes into dental nursing, which I can’t thank her for enough as it has showed me the different options available to me.
I have also had the opportunity to learn a lot about Karen’s own career and how she got to where she is now. She studied and achieved her qualifications whilst working full time which allowed her to get valuable, hands-on experience.
To other young girls who may be thinking about getting involved in the programme, I would say do it! It’s an amazing opportunity to learn new things but also a chance to connect with professionals. These links are so beneficial to getting into the world of work.
Finally, I would just like to say a huge thankyou to Karen for all her help throughout the programme. She always made me feel like every question was worth asking and she would search for the best answer. I always knew she would be there to answer any of my queries and even after the programme has finished, I know she will continue to provide me with help should I ever need it. She has helped me improve skills I had before starting the scheme, but she has also helped me gained some more. Thankyou Karen!
Laura Johnston
