Hazel Chipman

After teaching myself to crochet and developing my skills to a high standard, I established my own business to make and sell my handmade creations. This has taught me numerous skills: such as research and development, dealing with finances, profit and loss margins, dealing with customers and their requests, picking and packing orders, maintaining regulations and safety testing products, as well as organising orders and prioritising deadlines.

I volunteered with a local cleaning business through my summer holidays to gain experience of working in a fast-paced environment, learning new skills, and working as part of a team. I learnt how to manage time and complete tasks within time constraints. My duties included, but were not limited to: arriving on time, being responsible for my work equipment, carrying out given tasks in a timely manner, dealing with clients' expectations, and maintaining confidentiality at all times. After positive feedback, I returned the following summer holidays to further develop my skills.

For my Year 12 optional work experience, I chose to work alongside the maths department. This gave me the opportunity to expand my skills working with people as part of a team, and offering personalised support. As well as this, I learnt to be considerate and maintained sensitivity towards students with additional needs. Furthermore, I gained experience in a fast-paced, noisy, and unpredictable environment.