Hi, my name is Will and I am in Year 10. I have spent the week with MacIntyre for my work experience. Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my week – I have done a bit of volunteering in the past, and although I knew the working world is very different, I was looking forward to seeing what it was about.
I was a little apprehensive at first, and wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy being in a workplace environment, as I was expecting people to treat me as a child. Within the first hour, I was wrong, and could tell I was being treated with the same level of respect and responsibility as every other person who works here full-time.
Day 1:
I was greeted by Calum from the Marketing team, and he showed me around the office and introduced me to the different teams, like the Recruitment team, Finance, Payroll, IT and although I was quite nervous, it made me feel more comfortable the way in which the staff treated each other. To me it showed that the people in this organisation care about everyone and will try to make you feel included.
I was then asked to do a bit of fact-finding, and found on the website that the organisation has over 1400 people in their care ranging from 10 years old, to adults well into their eighties, and even nineties. The website then had further information and I found out about the School and Children’s Homes which are personalised in many ways, whether that’s how they teach in school, where they take a really individualised learning approach, making sure each student is cared for, and not just ‘one-size-fits-all’; or at the Children’s Homes where every room is made to reflect each person’s personality and interests, making it more than just a room, but a home for each of the 20 pupils housed on-campus and the 5 housed offsite.
I then found out about the different types of stories and news MacIntyre like to post about. Recently some of the schoolchildren came back from a DofE expedition, and the Monkey Park team, a group of volunteers up in Chesterfield were up for an award, which were going to go on the website.
The website showed what was available after school age. Once you reach 16 MacIntyre still helps you with life by helping with college and job applications, plus if you need care and support as an adult, MacIntyre helps with home visits and with keeping your life running.
Calum and I then went through MacIntyre’s organisational structure, and explained the different levels of responsibility, from directors, and Chief Executive, to Area managers, and front line staff. Calum showed me how to work the website software, and Canva to help him publish a story. We then visited one of the Lifelong Learning teams in Milton Keynes and got to see the different ways MacIntyre supports people as adults.
We also bumped into a local MacIntyre celebrity, Sui-Ling, and she explained that she and a group from lifelong learning were going to play golf, showing that the people being supported really can do anything they want to live their best lives.
Day 2:
I went to the MacIntyre School and Children’s Homes with Calum, where we shadowed one of the teachers, Melissa, and her pupil. When I first walked in and observed he was quite quiet and may have been taking an interest in us, but was too nervous to actually speak. I watched him complete his first activity which was learning about personal space in the classroom. He spent a bit of time figuring out where to place the pictures in whether it was good personal space or too close. When he felt he was struggling, Melissa helped him out, and where he might get it wrong, she wouldn’t place it in the right section for him, but rather take off the wrong one, and motion towards the correct one, giving him the opportunity to do it for himself.
As he was becoming overwhelmed and felt like he had finished doing his work, they moved on and did some sensory things to help improve his concentration. With the student leading the way and doing things on his own terms meant that he was then comfortable enough to come and say hello to me.
He then decided after a while he wanted to go to the library. As we got there, there was already another student there, so he and Melissa picked a book to read – Melissa told us that the young man was getting used to sharing the space with other people, so it was great to be a part of it, and see it for myself. We went back to the classroom to finish off the activity from before, and Calum and Melissa explained how behaviour was a form of communication, and it was up to the team to try and understand what the student was trying to tell us – so, by not wanting to finish the activity he was doing, it was his way of showing that actually he was hungry.
As he was having his snack break, Melissa explained that the young man sometimes had trouble swallowing, so she was making sure he ate safely which I found really fascinating. We then toured the school and I saw that they have lots of sensory rooms and an on-site gym and exercise class, and sensory play/circuits to help keep the children engaged. In the afternoon, we joined a meeting with the Best Practice team to see what people were doing across MacIntyre.
Day 3:
I was helping in the office with the Head of Administration, Nicky, who was extremely open and friendly to talk to, making it just as comfortable to sit down and work and talk with her, as it was with Calum. This again showed how every staff member treats each other with respect and makes everyone feel welcome and part of the team. I was working on the Marjorie Newton Wright Awards, which is an annual awards ceremony MacIntyre put on to celebrate their staff. I was doing this by getting the certificates envelopes in alphabetical order and then put each nominee’s certificate/certificates into their envelopes. I then did this with the team nominations and then I finished some more work on Canva.
Day 4:
I started my day off by editing some of advertisements for the spare rooms in MacIntyre houses. I then went out with Hayley, the Community Coordinator and met up with a potential client for a partnership from Mind at the MacIntyre café in Great Holm, and I got to see in action how people discuss partnerships in a real life work place. During this time I was asked by the person from Mind how my work experience is going and I explained how I feel like it’s a really nice environment for the people who work there and are supported. I then came back to the office once the meeting finished and continued working on Canva. I also helped Calum with more videos to be published getting even more used to Canva software, seeing how smooth and easy it is to use making it possible to get so many stories ready in a matter of an hour or two.
Day 5:
My last day, and I started the day by helping Nicky by completing some notes for the running order that would be on the lecterns at the Marjorie Newton Wright Awards. Throughout the entire week I have felt welcomed and part of the team and I have felt like all the staff on the team will always make sure they try to engage in conversations with you, making you feel involved and I would recommend MacIntyre to anyone who was looking for options in work experience and in a proper job in their adult life to just see what kind of a community MacIntyre promotes and supports.
A Note from the Marketing team:
We’ve loved having Will spend the week with us, and to show him what life is like both working at MacIntyre, but also being supported by people across MacIntyre.
Will was a fantastic addition to the team, approaching every task with a positive attitude, and a willingness to contribute wherever needed. He was articulate, thoughtful, and engaging in conversation, speaking confidently about the subjects and activities he is passionate about.
It was clear from our discussions that Will has a highly creative mind and enjoys exploring new ideas and opportunities.
We wish him every success for the future and would be delighted to welcome Will back to MacIntyre. We have no doubt that he will be successful in whatever path he chooses to pursue!
