Simon Grisdale

On work experience at the Princes Trust

From April to August 2009, I took a placement at the charity ‘The Prince’s Trust’ where I worked for three days a week in the Marketing department. I was one of three volunteers in the website section of the department, whose role is to manage the information on the website. I had been apprehensive about exactly how much work I would be required to do, but relief set in when it became clear that we were welcome help to the two guys who were the sole point of call for the whole website. I immediately got to grips with the content management software used to update information on the website, with helpful direction from Ed and Dan.

Immediately I noticed the general positive and motivated atmosphere of the working environment. In one of my chats with Ed, the head of the website section, he mentioned that it was because everyone was working for the common good, not for their own selfish goals of promotion and bonuses that pervade most of corporate culture. In the wide, open-plan office in the midst of frequent conversations about policy and marketing this seemed to ring true and I got a real feeling of the passion that was the driving force of the Prince’s Trust.

My work for the four months at the Trust started with updating the website with news stories and upcoming events. It then centred on a particular programme called Get into. which helps train young participants in a particular field and increases their job prospects. My job was to advertise all the Get into courses on the website, a substantial project designed to promote the programme and save money on printed posters. It will continue to play an important part in how the courses are promoted and it is satisfying to have something concrete to show for my time at the Trust.

When working on this project, I decided that now I had been a part of the marketing side of the Get into courses, it would be very interesting to experience first hand what the course entails in order to get an idea of how The Prince’s Trust helps young people who find themselves at the margins of society. I therefore attended a course in London for one day entitled Get into Digital Media. This is a two-week course with 16 participants between the ages of 17 and 25. I was struck by the level of motivation and creative imagination of the participants and, by talking with them, I could sense how grateful they were to the Trust for giving them the vital skills needed for employment. For many, the Trust was the only organisation that could grant them this help.

Working at The Prince’s Trust has been a very worthwhile experience, providing me with skills and experience in a busy working environment. As an SCI person trying to get back into work, it has been a great first step into the workplace. When I do manage to get a paid job I can only hope it is for an organisation as beneficial to society and as enjoyable to work at as the Prince’s Trust.

Simon Grisdale