Gateway is a way to get work experience with jobs that interest you. It allows you to learn new things whilst gaining new skills. Starting gateway really helped me as it has found me something I really enjoy and I want to carry on with in the future.

For my work placement this year, I decided to start at Ranger Specialist Coatings. I was given easy tasks like sanding and cutting in with a paint brush. After I got taught the easy stuff and how to properly use a paint brush, I was then taught how to use a big roller. I learnt lots of new skills that I didn’t know before, with helpful people and supervisors by my side. They have been very helpful and patient with me as I had no idea what I was doing at the start. The work placement helped me gain lots of confidence and communication skills that will help me in this career next year.

I have been working on my BCITO Unit Standard assessments during school and also in my spare time. It includes information and questions about communication on the job, the different construction industries, and the different materials and tools that we use on site. To get these unit standards marked, I post a photo of the answers on the mybcito student app that is used for most apprenticeships, then Richard (the BCITO man) can check my work and mark it. Richard also comes in to see me at school every few weeks to check how I am going and to talk about my practical experience. This paperwork that I have now completed will hopefully count towards an apprenticeship in the near future.

Next year, I am hoping to go full time at Ranger Specialist Coatings, either starting off as a labourer, or going straight into an apprenticeship. I look forward to the future projects that I will be working on and the new skills that I will learn.