We hate to see our staff go, but we love to see them achieve their dreams. Find out how our admin star Roan James is trading Portland Training for the hustle and bustle of New York. We can’t say we blame him one bit!
Roan came to us through the Kickstart scheme, a government initiative to get 16-24 year olds into the workforce by providing funding for employers.
When Roan started with Portland Training, he had a master’s degree in mathematics but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next. He applied for an admin position through the Kickstart scheme, and the rest, as they say, is history.
After spending a year at Portland Training, he developed confidence, experience and the courage to try new things. Roan has now won a scholarship to study mathematics in New York and will shortly be setting off on his big adventure.
We asked Roan a couple of questions on his way out the door, to give others an idea of what its like to work here and what it takes to follow their dreams.
What was your role at Portland Training?
Well I was hired through the Kickstart scheme, and I started out as an admin assistant for the first six months. Portland liked what they saw in me, and they hired me full time in February 2022. With that I gained new responsibilities. When our learners finish their construction course with us, they have to do a test at their nearest test centre, and I’m in charge of booking that for them.
What are you going on to do?
I’ve got a scholarship to study mathematics in New York! Well, specifically, I’m doing a PhD covering the relationship between probability theory and geometry.
Did your experience at Portland Training help bolster your PhD application?
Yeah it did actually. Having a year of experience doing office work, solving problems with colleagues, understanding you can learn new skills and master them…that gave me the confidence to apply for the PhD.
Speaking of which, how did you find your coworkers and the culture here?
I really liked all my coworkers. You have a really nice mix of different personalities and skillsets. As I said, I work with the admin team. I can say that at least in my department there’s a really strong group cohesion and it’s lovely. I can’t speak highly enough of all the help that they’ve given me, especially when I first started.
Everyone at Portland wishes Roan the best of luck with his adventure and PhD. He’s been a big part of the team and we will miss him!
