Success Story ~ Samantha Kinson
Agile Nation Project Ascends School Leaver’s Career
Samantha Kinson, who hails from Ferndale, left school at sixteen not wishing to go to university, but rather stay in the Rhondda Valley to seek an alternative route into her career
Fast-forward several years and Samantha has now been promoted into a permanent HR Assistant role for Grow Enterprise Wales following her involvement with Agile Nation’s Ascent Programme
After a year studying Computing at college, Samantha decided that a path in Human Resources appealed and she sought work opportunities within the Rhondda Valley
Shortly afterwards she joined Grow Enterprise Wales on a temporary contact as a HR Assistant
“Although I was delighted to be in the new role, my confidence was really low when I first joined Grow Enterprise Wales and some of the tasks I faced seemed totally daunting”,
Samantha said:
“So, I was really pleased when I found out about Agile Nation because their Ascent programme covered lots of the areas I felt less confident in, such as workplace communications and managing workloads”, she added.
How we helped
We worked closely with Samantha as she underwent the Ascent Level Two programme during the summer of 2010, which was designed to improve her management skills and raise her confidence in the workplace
Elin Davies, senior project officer for Agile Nation’s South Wales team, said:
“Sam was extremely shy and had very little confidence when I first met her. She was new in her role and explained that she felt unsure of her abilities.
“I worked closely with Sam throughout the programme by setting her small challenges in each module. By the end of the five sessions Sam’s confidence had grown and she was comfortable in presenting her findings to the rest of the group.”
The benefits to Samantha and Grow Enterprise Wales
Following completion of the Ascent programme, Samantha has been offered a permanent position with Grow Enterprise Wales. The growth in her confidence and belief of her abilities means she is now confident to hold the responsibility of handling employment matters for of a team of 200 people.
Samantha said:
“Before I started the Ascent programme I was only working part time on a temporary contact. However, once I finished Ascent I felt inspired by the career opportunities available and I believed in my abilities to achieve at work.
“I’ve just been promoted into a full time permanent HR Assistant role, I’ve taken on much more responsibility. I now look after over two hundred members of staff, answering their day-to-day HR queries as well as getting involved in recruitment and disciplinary cases.
“Without the skills I learned on Ascent I don’t think my career would have progressed as much as it has. It has taught me effective ways of prioritising my workload, allowing me the confidence to take on more challenging tasks at work.”
Unlock your potential at work: further information
Samantha Kinson on Wales Online: "How I got my dream job"
