Zara Hardwick

Zara’s thoughts on the Graduate Legacy programme and working as a Personal Tutor

After completing my Level 3 qualification, I aspired to become an assessor. However, at the time, it wasn’t a viable career option due to a lack of training or assessing qualifications. When I stumbled upon Paragon Skills’ advertising their Graduate Personal Tutors programme, I was intrigued. Although initially, I thought I needed more management experience, the opportunity to gain qualifications whilst pursuing a new career was too enticing to pass up.

I wanted to learn a new career and needed a new challenge. Looking for a new challenge and realising there was limited room for further progression in my current role, I was eager to share my wealth of knowledge and experience in care. . It is such an important role working in care, recognising the importance of ensuring everyone possesses the necessary knowledge and understanding to excel in their roles, I embraced the role of a Graduate Personal Tutor wholeheartedly.

Throughout the programme, I was given a reduced caseload of learners and was buddied up with another colleague for support and had an experienced and supported Operations Manager. I learnt how to use the systems, how to complete reviews and learnt what a good job looks like to provide an outstanding experience for our learners. Being on the programme was a really positive experience, I embraced the learning journey fully, relishing in overcoming challenges and finding solutions. The hard work starts when you qualify and get a full caseload of learners.

This was a job role I really wanted to take on, and I enjoyed every aspect of the programme. I loved the learning journey and looking at what I could learn, the qualifications I could achieve and how I could make a difference. Witnessing my first learner achieve distinction through EPA was a moment of immense pride and a real highlight for me. Seeing my learners progress and succeed, particularly in passing their functional skills, reaffirmed the significance of my role.

For anyone seeking a new challenge in a different sector, I highly recommend considering this opportunity. Paragon Skills is an exceptional company that prioritises the development of their employees. Embarking on this career change and learning to teach others is an enriching experience that you won’t regret.

If you want to be part of our 2024 Graduate Personal Tutor Programme, apply today: https://bit.ly/3VVTcqK