Michael Melia, Refugee Resettlement Project Officer at St Helens Borough Council, has expanded his knowledge and stepped into a new role using the skills he gained through a Level 4 Business Administration Apprenticeship with St Helens Chamber.
Michael explained: “Before the course I was employed as a Resettlement Support Office with St Helens Borough Council’s Refugee Resettlement Service.
“I had been in that role since 2019 and was initially responsible for maintaining records of clients under the Syrian Refugee Programme and carrying out postcode checks under the Asylum Dispersal Programme only. As I developed my knowledge of the service, I was given extra responsibilities such as maintaining financial records; minuting quarterly multi-agency meetings; and assisting in the administration of the community grant scheme.”
During his time in this role, Michael was offered the chance to start an Apprenticeship with St Helens Chamber through his employer, and after discussing his options with the team at the Chamber – he decided this was a great step for him to continue learning and developing his skills.
During his time training with St Helens Chamber, Michael’s role changed – but he had the relevant skills and knowledge to take this in his stride.
Michael continued: “During the apprenticeship, the service started to work on a new scheme that I was a part of, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and, more recently, the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
“As part of this new role as Refugee Resettlement Project Officer, I am responsible for the management of several innovative projects designed to promote the work of the Refugee Resettlement Service in the borough and to assist in the awareness raising of asylum seekers and refugees living in the borough and also to engage with the local community.”
Michael’s role gives him the opportunity to work on a range of exciting projects, and put the skills gained in his Apprenticeship into practice. One such project is assisting in the development of a new client-based system similar to those used in social care, to keep clients’ data secure and confidential in line with the Council’s GDPR policy.
Michael explained: “To help me work on this project, I have used what I have learned during the Unit on Project Management and I will also be using the Unit on Contributing to the Design and Development of Information Systems to help me plan and implement this new system.
“The Apprenticeship taught me a lot, and I learned and developed new and existing skills that assisted in my own professional development, such as writing reports and policies, creating bespoke documents, analysing data, project management and so much more.”
Michael is now thriving in his new role and using his skills gained on his Apprenticeship to learn and develop further.
Michael added: “I believe that all this would not have been possible without invaluable skills I learned and developed during the course as well as the knowledge and expertise of my Training Advisor and, for that, I thank you.”
To find out more about Apprenticeships for your staff or for yourself, contact us on 01744 742333 or visit https://www.sthelenschamber.com/business-school/apprenticeships/
