My name’s Laura and I’m a center coordinator. Normally on a week one they’re very scared, very nervous, they’re not really too sure what to expect. They’ve never seen the center before, a lot of them have never been in a trade – they’ve always done that office work, so it’s something completely different to them. So we always try and make sure they’re happy and comfortable. I think it helps when they walk into the center they see the people in the office first of all, so they’re not just walking into a bunch of tutors.
They’ve got us to take them to the canteen, show them around the centre, make sure they’ve seen everything before they meet their tutor so they’re more familiar with the surroundings so it’s not such a big shock to them when the tutor just finally comes to get them. Normally when a student finishes, they know everyone in the centre so they’re much more comfortable. Even on a week 2 they’re much more comfortable than they are on a week 1, but by their last week they’ve completely come out of the shell and they’ll come in to the office.
I think the courses we offer are a very good career option, especially for students who have just come out of the army or have just lost their job and they don’t really want to do a nine-to-five as such, they want more of to work for themselves and be their own boss so I think I definitely recommend the course.
I think coming to the center having a look around to talking to us and talking to the tutors really does put people into ease. This way they can realize if this is something they want to do and how beneficial it will be for them.