Graduate starts position with Groundwork

Recent Leeds Metropolitan University graduate Zoe Thorpe began a Voluntary Project Assistant programme placement with Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale this week. 

Ms Thorpe spent the summer as an intern with Arras People, who are financially supporting her role at Groundwork.

Arras will sponsor her in a 13-week volunteer programme designed to build her project management capabilities. Groundwork will develop her abilities through project participation and involvement in environmental/regeneration programmes.

“Project management is becoming increasingly popular as a career choice but it’s notoriously difficult to gain your first role without relevant experience, a chicken and egg situation”, said Lindsay Scott, Co-Executive Director at Arras People. “We often advise newcomers to project management to consider the voluntary sector where participants can gain real project management skills such as planning, budgeting and resource management. This year we decided to launch our initiative within our own community, giving a newcomer a chance to learn vital project management skills whilst supporting a local voluntary organisation which has been doing some great things for the Oldham and Rochdale area."

Each week the Arras People website will feature a page during Ms Thorpe’s 13-week assignment. In that time she will provide an updated diary, complete with reviews of her assignments, images of her work and previews of what lies ahead. The diary entries will tackle several elements of project management, from the working atmosphere to teamwork to resources available to planning.

To keep up to date with Ms Thorpe's progress visit:

www.arraspeople.co.uk/community_volunteer_project.html