Meet ... Jameela

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I started working with Cardiff and Vale College in 2016, but mostly as a youth mentor for council, and I was given a case load for the Junior Apprentices to come and work with one-to-one mentoring. Within a couple of months, a job came up for a welfare officer, which I went for and I subsequently got – this role meant looking after the wellbeing, the behaviour, safeguarding, and the day to day running of the program. I did this for a couple of years, then I left for a year for a similar experience. When I came back to the college I was hired as an interim Deputy Head of Department for the Junior Apprenticeships and within a few years I was promoted to Junior Apprenticeship Manager which happened just a few months ago. This role involves a lot of work, from finance and timetables to managing staff and the day to day running of the programme. I have plenty of support around me, but my job is to run the whole department and everything that comes with it. 

I love working for the college because it is very much a family feel environment - You always hear talks about being apart of the CAVC family. We’re looked after very well - I've got young children, and I was a single mum when I first started, so there was a lot of support around that. I just love the environment; Everybody's really friendly - I've made so many great, long lasting relationships with people from across all departments. I'm the sort of person who will just start randomly talking to people and then eventually we're friends! 
I absolutely love my job - I do not stop from morning until evening, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The young people that I’m working with and the differences that we're making in their lives is astronomical, and if it wasn't for the program, then we wouldn’t know where else these kids would be, it’s about breaking down those barriers for them in education. A lot of them come to us with brick walls up because they didn't have a great experience in school, so it takes a lot of transitional time with them to break that down and build trust. For me, it is a very rewarding job, and it gets me through the day is knowing that I’m helping young people and in turn, helping society. 

My promotion to Junior Apprenticeship Manager was fantastic - coming from when the program started to still be is here is amazing for me because I've seen how much it has grown. I also completed my PGCE through the college which was provided with plenty of support, and they paid for it. It enabled me to do my hours within this department and other departments whilst working which gave me plenty of experience - it was also part time, so I was able to do this alongside work and my home life. It was a huge learning curve for me as I’m actually quite shy – which may come as a shock to some! It actually helped with my confidence in being able to speak professionally and in public places, and just taking those skills into the classroom as well. When I was doing my PGCE I was also able to teach other teachers about behaviour management and how to support young people, so I was able to pass on my knowledge and experience.

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