I am currently working at CDPS as a User-Centred Design Apprentice. This involves having the opportunity to learn and work in all areas of UCD whilst studying towards a relevant qualification. Over the past year I have been doing 3 month placements in Content Design, User Research, Interaction Design and I am now on my final placement which is Service Design. In the next few weeks I will be given the opportunity to decide which area to specialise in and choose my desired career path to shadow and work on for the next 6 months.

▪️From November 2021 I worked in Key Stage 1 & 2 (from Year 2-3) providing assistance to a young student with hearing impairment.🔹During this time, my main responsibilities were to help him with his hearing aids and to make sure they were well taken care of, along with any other hearing equipment he used and to assist him to develop better communication and academic skills, with a focus on enriching his vocabulary to fill the gaps in his language abilities.This was done by:🔹Classroom support in Numeracy, Reading, Writing.🔹Conducting 1:1 Speech and Language activities.Engaging in games that helped with vocabulary.▪️During the course of my employment, I was equally engaged in supporting a girl within Key Stage 2 (from year 3-4) who experienced challenges relating to confidence and social skills. By offering consistent motivation and reinforcement, I attempted to empower her to utilise her voice effectively and her social interaction with other students/adults. This was carried out by:🔹Giving her opportunities to use her voice by encouraging her to participate and collaborate in group work, prompting her to contribute her thoughts and ideas.🔹Encouraging her to put her hand up in class when she knew the answer to a question.🔹Reading books and answering comprehension style questions.🔹Assisting her in finding at least one person to play with during her break times.🔹Generally motivating her to speak in full sentences.🔹In addition to fulfilling these responsibilities, I was also tasked with writing daily reports to document and showcase the progression made in these children's abilities. These reports would demonstrate the ongoing growth to their development and provided valuable insights into their progress.

▪️During the summer holidays I had the opportunity to work for a three-week period at the summer club organised by the school that employed me.🔹My main responsibility was to provide general support in managing a diverse group of children, ranging from 4 to 11 years old. This covered tasks such as preparing and maintaining resources and equipment, as well as creating a safe, nurturing, and enjoyable environment that prioritised the safety of the children and promoted their active engagement.Within this role, I undertook various specific responsibilities, including:🔹Taking the register: recording attendance to keep track of the children present each day.Taking lunch orders: assisting in organising and managing the process of collecting and processing lunch preferences from the children.🔹Supervising and managing children during various activities: this involved overseeing their participation in sports games, arts and crafts sessions, and dancing activities.🔹Encouraging active involvement: actively motivating and inspiring children to participate in each project.🔹Checking in with pupils: regularly engaging with the children to ensure that their well-being was being addressed and that they were comfortable and content in the club environment.🔸By fulfilling these roles and responsibilities, I feel I played an integral part in ensuring a smooth operation of the club and contributing to the positive experience and well-being of the pupils in my care.

▪️Through my agency, I had the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant at Romilly Primary School. During my time there, I supported various classes with different responsibilities:🔹In a Year 6 class, I assisted the students with Numeracy and Literature lessons. Additionally, I had the responsibility of supervising them during playtime and ensuring that they followed the COVID-19 safety procedures that were in place at the time.🔹I worked in a reception class, where my main role was to support and monitor the children during their play activities. I made sure they had everything they needed during lunchtime and when they were getting ready to go home.🔹During my final week at Romilly, I worked in Year 1. In this class, I led arts and crafts activities, supervised playtime, and took charge of the one-hour Read Write Inc sessions with a group of children.🔸Throughout these experiences, I had the opportunity to engage with students across different year groups, providing support and assistance in various subjects and activities.

▪️I worked as a part-time waitress at this establishment whilst also engaging in additional work opportunities in the Film and Television industry through an acting agency. My responsibilities included: 🔹Preparing the café before the arrival of customers which involved tasks such as wiping tables, arranging chairs both indoors and in the outside seating area, setting up candles, arranging fresh flowers in vases, and ensuring that each table was adequately stocked with condiments.🔹Once the café opened for business, I greeted and seated customers, took their orders, delivered their food and beverages, and promptly attended to any necessary clean-up. 🔹On occasions when supplies ran low, I would assist by running errands to local shops.🔹At the end of the day, I actively participated in the cleaning process. This involved tasks such as stacking chairs, sweeping and mopping the floors, vacuuming, taking out the bins, and unloading and cleaning the dishwasher.🔸By performing these duties, I believe I contributed to maintaining a clean and organised café environment for both staff and customers.

▪️I worked for Euro Training Services, a prominent work placement experience provider in the UK, as part of my work experience for school. ▫️Euro Training Services was one of the leading work placement experience providers in the UK. They worked with a number of partners in Europe (public and private institutions) that every year sent, roughly, 300 young professionals and students to the UK for work placement experiences.My roles in this job were as follows:🔹Engaged in administrative tasks such as filing, document preparation, and managing telephone communications.🔹Organised feedback meetings with students to gather their input and address any concerns or questions.🔹Compiled reports which summarised the work placement experiences and outcomes of the students.🔸Overall, I feel I showcased strong organisational skills and attention to detail in executing my administrative responsibilities, contributing to the success of Euro Training Services' work placement programme.