When I joined AGS in April 2021, I had no idea what to expect, and was extremely nervous to start my first professional job. Looking back now, it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come in this short year. My confidence has skyrocketed, and I’ve learnt to believe in myself and my abilities. I am sure in myself now as a hard-working, diligent, detail-oriented person, up for the challenge and willing to give anything a go. When I joined as an Operations Administrator under the UK Governments Kickstarter programme, I was immediately welcomed into the team and given all the encouragement and the push that I needed, and I flourished under my manager and colleague’s tutelage. Quickly I was given more responsibility and started looking outside of my day-to-day for other things I could get involved in, finding that my eagerness to learn hadn’t disappeared the day I left university.
As part of the UK Government Kickstart scheme and the AGS development initiatives, I was encouraged to explore all the opportunities offered to me, to really find out what interested me, and where I could go from there. My manager focused 2 hours a week on my development, pushing me out of my comfort zone and getting me to find topics I found interesting, and coaching me through those subjects to ensure I had a well-rounded understanding of the business, despite being an Operations Administrator in my first role. She also set up introductions with people throughout the business in areas I found interesting, to make sure I could explore what I really enjoyed. I even took part in a extracurricular project towards the end of my 6-month placement that exposed me to people from all over the business and to aspects of the business that I hadn’t yet discovered.
My dedication was rewarded when at the end of my placement in September 2021, I was awarded an AGS Live It! Award, which I earned for being a great asset to the team, a hard worker, and always making the most of the opportunities that came my way. When I received the award, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would not have achieved it without the encouragement and friendship I found in my manager and colleagues. The culture of nurturing and retaining talent within AGS is one of the company’s most impressive attributes, and one of the best parts of being in this company.
Once my initial Kickstart placement ended, I was offered a permanent position on another programme. This new role has brought with it a plethora of new learning opportunities, and I found myself pushed to my boundaries yet again. I’ve been able to grow again in so many aspects that I didn’t think possible, and I feel lucky that I’ve had such a wide-ranging experience within my first year at a company. I recommend AGS to anyone who’s looking to improve themselves, have an interesting and wide-ranging career, and to learn every day.