I was very lucky as I started the KTP on the same day as another associate at UCLAN and there was already another KTP associate within the same department. However, the residential course for the diploma may be the first opportunity for some people to meet other associates. The first weeks residential course offers an opportunity for everyone to bond and share their initial experiences. During the second and third week it is helpful to see how people are progressing or if there are any issues which could be looked at from a different point of view.

The residential courses also allowed everyone to talk about their personal development and courses that they indent to undertake. This can help inspire others to think about their own development and some associates decide to take up similar courses.

Since I have completed all the residential courses, a group of KTP associates have met up every couple of months to discuss how the projects are progressing. The group is now growing and new associates are joining. This has been useful as it has allowed new associates to discuss things with more experienced associates (such as questions about the diploma, the residential courses, the LMC’s etc.) At a recent meeting, Michelle Lyons, the latest winner of the “Business Leader of Tomorrow” award, talked to us about her application process. The associates found it to be useful to be able to speak to someone who has already gone through the process and learn from her experience.

I would personally like to thank Shulian Zhang for setting up the KTP support group; I have personally found it to be useful to talk to other people in a similar situation, and I also feel that I have been able to help others who have been unsure who to ask about aspects of the KTP process.

• KTP advisor (Impartial member of the group)
• Company and Knowledge-based supervisors
• Knowledge Based Leader
• Partnership Facilitator (Ensures the project has the desired impact)
• Co-ordinator (takes minutes and sends out information prior to the LMC)
• A Chair-person

During the first few days of the job, each associate is provided with a plan of the project. Over time, as the project moves on, changes may be required to be made. This could be due to many reasons but any major changes require all the members of the LMC to agree. Many things are looked at; such as the KTP and academic supervisors ability to carry out the change, benefit to the project, to ensure changes will not interfere with aims of the project and also that any changes will take into account the needs of all stakeholders.

Each KTP project will have a budget and LMC can be used to approve expenditure. The LMC is a good time to bring up any requirements that will be needed (such as courses or equipment) so that it can be authorised quickly, and discussed if necessary.

My LMC follows an agreed agenda, and includes discussion about budget, a report about the company and the progress of the project. At the end of the LMC I have to leave the room as there is a section for reserved business. This is to allow the remaining members of the LMC to discuss any issues concerning my progress or the projects process. I get told about the discussion that has occurred at a later date and so far I have had no complaints 

Alongside the LMC, a 1 hour session occurs either before or after the LMC with the KTP advisor. As the KTP advisor is impartial and not linked to the university or the company the sessions are kept private and concerns or queries can be discussed. The advisor is then able to take the information away and facilitate to produce a resolution to any potential problems.

Before every LMC, each associate also has to provide:

• an Executive Summary (which includes information on what has happened in the previous 4 months, and what is planned to happen in the next 4 months),
• a Partnerships Outcomes Log (a more detailed version of the exec summary),
• a Gantt Chart (to show progress and any areas that may be behind schedule),
• A PowerPoint Presentation.

It all sounds like a lot of work but I am just about to attend LMC 4 and I have found it useful to take time out to produce the reports and look at the project as a whole, and not just as separate tasks.

Along with the day to day things, such as data collection and analysis, I have been able to increase my knowledge and confidence through several different mediums:

Conferences, Lectures & Presentations

I have given lectures at the University of Central Lancashire & the University of Chester to explain about Weight Management and Public Health within the UK. I have undertaken several presentations, including a recent presentation to 400 nursing students to explain about the KTP and my project. I have been able to attend several conferences, which at the moment is difficult for others working within the NHS as not all conferences are seen as a necessity, and therefore funding is not agreed. Next week I am attending the British Dietetic Association conference and I am presenting a poster about the work that is currently being undertaken.

Networking

I have been able to speak to a lot of people in different areas, including people who have used the service, members of staff, people who work for other Primary Care Trusts, and people in other large organisations, such as at the Department of Health and the National Obesity Observatory.

Development Budget

Each associate is provided with a budget that can be used towards training relevant to the associates particular job and future career possibilities. In order to undertake further training, the courses have to be agreed between the company, the university and the KTP advisor. I know several associates who have undertaken an MPhil using their project as a base to start from. I have personally used part of my budget to progress further towards becoming a professionally trained counsellor and also towards a course involving Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

In all this allows for a very varied CV, but more importantly, it allows you to increase in confidence and try things that other jobs would not be able to offer. Obviously all KTP’s are different, and so the opportunities also differ (I know an associate who has been able to attend a conference in America!), but I am very lucky to be part of a team who feel that it is important to get the most out of the KTP.

Initially I struggled to get to grips with being in charge of the project; I had never undertaken a project of its size and complexity and I also found it a little difficult when my company based supervisor moved to another job within the first 3 months. However, I have had excellent support from my academic supervisors and also from the other members of the team who quickly organised for a new supervisor to be based within NHS ALW.

I am now 10 months into the 2 year KTP project and I feel in control with a clear vision for the future. I look back at the last 10 months and can’t believe what I have been able to achieve and the opportunities that I have been able to undertake. This isn’t just a normal job – every day is different and it has really allowed me to try things I would never have contemplated, such as lecturing to university students. For me the project is something that I have become very passionate about as I have a real opportunity to be involved in the way weight management is thought of throughout England.

The KTP isn’t just a normal graduate scheme. It allows you to apply what you know whilst learning a greater amount through practice and personalised development. In my next blog I will explain about the type of opportunities available, including the developmental budget.

Straight after my residential module I passed my driving test, which my company had really wanted me to do, to help me be able to get to and from the University with big rolls of media unaided. It’s surprising how much easier it makes things, just being able to drive- meaning I can meet with suppliers when needed. I had put it off for so long mainly due to the cost of lessons. I already had a shared car with my partner, but there was no way I could afford the lessons on my previous salary.

The project has been picking up now, despite it being changed so heavily from the original plan, I have used my Personal Development Plan to help me adjust to the changes in my role. It is all good experience, and I already feel like I’m using a lot of the skills I learned from just one of the residential modules.

I have been working more closely with the Operations Manager and the Factory Manager, which has really improved the productivity of the project in terms of the samples we can trial, meaning we can more rapidly identify what works and what doesn’t work. We are very close to having a finished product already, although that won’t be the end of it. The MD wants a range of products because of all the different ways we have managed to manufacture the product. Each method varies in price, quality and suitability so bringing out a range means we can appeal to all our customers for different requirements. One of Sales team has already sold the product before it has even been completely finished- but I suppose that is what you get for giving samples of ‘nearly’ finished products to Sales people!

It obviously shows the product is required by our existing customer base, which confirms the purpose for the change of objectives for the project. From talking to other Associates at the residential module, it’s not unusual to have a degree of change in the project- and even from the project management unit it addresses the issue of learning to deal with change. I think there is a temptation to sit in the modules and think ‘I’m never going to use this’ but actually, you would be very surprised and how much you do use these skills in your everyday working life.

I’m actually really looking forward to my next residential module in a few weeks time. Although I keep in daily contact with people, it will be great to see everyone again.

Next time I’ll talk a bit about the LMC meetings, I’ve got my LMC2 coming up, and I know a lot of new Associates worry about it- so I’d like to put everyone at ease as they are really not that scary!

Unfortunately on my way up, my plane was delayed by 4.5hrs. I missed the first introductions part on the Sunday evening, and when I finally arrived at about 10pm, all I wanted to do was go to bed. Here is a snapshot of the luxury you can expect on a KTP residential- just look at that view of the Fourth!

Luckily, in the morning it didn’t take long for me to get around and chat to everyone. It was so great to have lots of people who were also going through the KTP thing, and meant we could compare stories, advise each other, and that was what the first morning focused on. Here is Ben and Nick making friends in the Pub- you would never guess they had only met two days before!

It became clear very early on that we have some great characters in our group, I have to give a special mention to Forest who is probably the funniest person I have ever met- without even trying to be, and I think the rest of the group would agree! I’d say fifty percent of the group are British and the other fifty are from various other cultures, and this was so great- it provided great conversation; I think I learned a lot just because of that.

The content of the course is great in the sense that there are a lot of practical activities, and the group work means you get to work with lots of different people. I found the instructors great, really friendly and helpful and I’m sure the others would agree. I particularly enjoyed the very difficult and challenging project management task- building a log cabin sounds easy; but when you really look into it you will have a whole new appreciation for construction project managers!

Admittedly we did spend most evenings in the bar/pub, and we all went into Edinburgh for a night out on the Wednesday. This being said, I have evidence that we were being worked very hard in the day- as Forest fell asleep in the Jazz Bar!

It was also great for networking- I know a couple of people got some really good contacts for their projects. Above all I think we all made some great friends, it’s a bit like those first few weeks at Uni when you get to know everyone. I was actually really sad when it came to Friday and it was time to say our goodbyes. A couple of us even managed to fit in a trip to Deep Sea World on the Friday afternoon before our flights home.

But now it is back to reality, and although I feel refreshed, there is still a lot to do. I have moved offices to be closer to the new Operations Manager- as we are working together on this project. And of course we all now have the Assignment 2 to complete within six weeks, and since I’m on holiday for one week of that, I will have to make sure I get a good head start on it! I’m definitely looking forward to the next residential in October, and I hope my project will have gained some serious momentum by then!

I’ll leave you with a picture of the whole gang in Edinburgh…

I have to say – I was surprised to find a KTP aimed at a more creative candidate. I had been aware of graduate schemes but I had always presumed that they were aimed more at science or business graduates – it is refreshing to know this isn’t the case. Being a creative, I see how much it is overlooked by so many businesses, and how rare it is to find really good design in niche markets such as the ones Dycem are involved in. Branding and design is so important, particularly for new products, and this is something I have been tackling during my KTP, developing logos, packaging and branding for the new product that the project is working on. I think it’s a step in the right direction for my company to have requested a KTP who will set up an in-house design capability, as out-sourcing design can be costly – and more often than not, the business will have very little control over the work they are paying for.

My main priority at the moment is getting the new product right, but once we have ironed out all the problems with print media compatibility, I look forward to doing much more design work, and eventually taking over everything that would normally be sent out of house. One thing I have noticed about KTP projects is that they tend to have much more longevity than first meets the eye. There are always ways to expand on the project, and usually there are mini projects within the overall project.

This conveniently brings me on to the Diploma, for which we all must complete a ‘mini project’. I have not narrowed mine down yet – I will need to sit down with my supervisor and discuss the options before I go on my first residential module – in Edinburgh in two weeks’ time. I am looking forward to meeting more Associates and learning from their experiences within their own projects. I think it’s a great way to network, and because KTP is so unique, it will be helpful to have the opportunity to relate with people in a similarly unique situation!

I will let you know how I am getting on with my mini-project preparation in my next post…

I was a recent graduate, I was working at Oxford University Press in Pre-press Design, I learned a lot during my time there- but I was looking for an opportunity to develop and be challenged. I think that sums KTP up in my mind- it’s an opportunity for recent graduates who don’t just want be swallowed up into the day-to-day, 9-5 monotony of the professional world, but who want to love what they do, be developed, be challenged, get excited, and get industry experience whilst being paid and obtaining qualifications.

‘Where’s the catch?’ I’m sure you’re wondering. I can assure you- you won’t find one. I read the job description ten times over, and I couldn’t so much as find an undertone of a downside. So if you find yourself clock-watching throughout your working day, if you want to make a difference and be valued by the company you work for, be engaged and excited by the work you do, then a KTP might just be the job for you…

In my next post I will write a bit more about the trials and tribulations of my first three months as a KTP Associate, and hopefully give a bit of an insight into what you can expect from the scheme.

Over and out!

Alison

Its been a while since I last posted anything up here due to us moving office, and then me being off work ill.

I mentioned in a previous post that the mini project is a great way to meet other people in the organisation and make a bit of a name for yourself. This is not the only opportunity and there are plenty of chances to use your talents ‘outside of the office’.

Remember that you have been given this job because you have skills and knowledge not already present in the company and therefore there are lots of little tasks you can pick up off the beaten track of your specific project.

For example, I have a degree in Analytical Chemistry. The company has never hired one of my kind before (which meant the first few weeks everyone was looking at me like you would a feral Tiger let loose in the office, waiting for me to go bang or savage someone!)

However, once it was evident that I have in fact been tamed people were more than happy to come and ask me questions about little problems they had. Things which to someone with my training were quite simple to answer, but made a difference as it would have taken a non-trained person three times as long to figure out. A good example of this is when I was approached by the service department.

They had taken a few of our products apart and could not understand what the ’slime’ forming on certain circuit boards was. It did not take me long to do a few tests and find out that the ’slime’ was silicone grease. When I did a little digging around I was able to find out that the grease was used on the production line to help a part slide into place more easily. Where people used too much grease it was seen on the circuit boards.

This was a simple task for me and took no more than a day, but the service department with no chemistry training could have spent many days trying to solve this problem and so were saved a lot of time. The more people that you help out, the more word gets around and so more people will be happy to ask for help.

Don’t see this as a bad thing, get out there and help as many people as you can (without it getting in the way of your work) because this is a really good way of finding out how other sections of the company operate and is great for meeting new people.

And remember… one day you might have to go to them for help!!

The first thing to explain is that this is my experience with the interview and that every one’s will be different as the recruitment process may vary depending on the University and Company, but having said that knowing kind of what to expect can’t hurt.

When I went to my first interview (don’t worry, mine was an exception and you should only have one) I had the usual sit in reception nervous till I was called. Then Phil, one of the guys from the office, came to find me and showed me round the factory which was “not part of the interview”. Whenever you are told this, don’t believe it as it WILL BE part of it. They will ask whoever showed you around what they thought of you, how polite you were, what questions you asked. Always treat this as you would an interview, you are told its not so as to get your guard down, don’t make a scene of yourself as it will get back to the people making the decisions!!!

After this I went straight into the interview. This consisted of 2 academics, the company’s MD, the man who would become my manager, the company’s HR person and the university supervisor all sat round a table. Daunting to say the least! Expecting a grilling the interview turned out to be very relaxed and friendly. They started by asking a few questions about myself and what I do in my spare time, this was just building on the application form really. I had to then give a 10 minute presentation on my dissertation project. For this I just dusted off the one I gave at uni as part of the marking. Just make sure you know it inside out and be ready for questions. A trick I got taught was to sit down and think “What questions are they likely to ask me” and work out answers for that.

Once the presentation was out the way it was a few subject specific questions, “how would you solve this problem?”, “What would you do in this situation?”, “How have you demonstrated these skills before?”. Then just a few more general questions and I was out after about an hour. Nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.

After a few days I got a phone call to say that they had narrowed the selection down to me and one other but could not decide which so could I come for a second interview? This was just an informal chat with my manager and the MD, they had given me some questions to plan answers to before hand. That lasted about half an hour and I must have done something right as I was offered the job!!

So important things to remember for passing any interview;

1. Turn up early! (it sounds obvious but makes a huge difference to turning up late!!!)
2. Dress smartly (again sounds very obvious but if you are in jeans or your shirt is not ironed then you will not make a good first impression.)
3. If you have an ‘informal’ tour with someone who is not on the interview panel treat it as part of the interview as they WILL ask that person for their input.
4. If you are giving a presentation then know your stuff!! Think of questions that they are likely to ask you and plan out a set of answers, it will help you so much its untrue.
5. If you get given information on the company then ensure you read it, and do some background research on the company as they are VERY likely to ask you what you know about the company!
6. If you don’t understand a question the ask them to re-phrase it, this is not a bad thing.
7. Just be polite, smart, ask informed questions (not “so is he a good boss to work for?” or “When do I get a pay rise?”) and relax. This is much easier said than done, but if you can calm yourself down and relax then you will think more clearly and perform better.

Other than that, just be yourself and good luck!!