Melissa Middleton - Project Assistant, voluntaryskills.com
Melissa Middleton is the Project Assistant for voluntaryskills.com, a website managed by the PNE Group based in Newcastle.
Q. What was your background before working for Project North East?
A. Melissa worked in a diverse range of professions before joining the PNE Group. She started off as a Family Liaison Officer for Hartlepool County Court where she worked while studying her A-levels in Law, English and Media Studies. She then left this work to go to Northumbria University.
“Working in Law was something I had always wanted to try”
Melissa worked for many people while at University including the bike department at Fenwick’s, where she was employed as a bike mechanic, and Northumbria University’s Jobshop, were she worked for 2 years. Melissa has just gained her degree and has enrolled on a masters course which is related to her work on voluntaryskills.com.
“I was so lucky to find a job that I will enjoy but can also be related to my area of study”
Q. Please tell me a little about the PNE Group and your role.
A. Melissa is a Project Assistant on the voluntaryskills.com website. She helps to keep the website up to date with courses and events, as well as promoting the site at fairs, through meetings and regular contact with training providers.
“I enjoy going out of the office and meeting new people”
Q. Why did you choose this career path?
A. Melissa applied for the job on voluntaryskills.com because of the nature of the work and how it would relate to her course.
“I taught myself simple programming and website design”
Melissa is due to start a Masters in Social Research which she would like to directly relate to the work she is doing on voluntaryskills.com. She also gets great satisfaction out of helping people especially by improving their education.
“Training is helping people to expand their knowledge but is also a way of giving them new ideas to help them in life”
Q. Have you attended any training courses that have helped you in and outside of your work?
A. Melissa has attended a Media Training course which gave her insight into the way the BBC’s Community Action Desk works.
“It was a worthwhile course to attend”
The course gave her ideas on new promotional methods for the voluntaryskills.com website as well as some very useful contacts.
Q. What stood out from the course?
A. Melissa mentioned that fact that at the end of the day she had a mock interview from one of the BBC team members.
“It gave me the confidence to know what it would be like to talk on radio”
Q. Do you have any training booked for the future?
A. Melissa is starting a Masters in Social Research in September which she hopes will expand her knowledge of people in the Third Sector.
“It will help me with doing research relevant to the sector”
Q. Do you have any advice for people thinking about training?
A. Melissa believes that training is one of the most important things for a person to do in order to keep themselves ahead of the game.
“I always get a smile on my face when I learn something new”
Melissa believes training is important as it develops the mind as well as the person, which subsequently can be passed on to other people.
