The Employer's View
Name		Janine Peppiat
Age		20
Current Position		Help Desk Analyst; The Post Office
Course		Advanced GNVQ in Information Technology
College		Farnham College
Janine joined the Post Office’s ‘Springboard’ training scheme in January 2000. As the name suggests, Springboard sought to identify and develop talented people who could subsequently move into different areas of the business. Although primarily aimed at post A level recruitment, the scheme actually attracted a number of graduates to Janine’s intake. Mike Caplin interviewed Janine and is her line manager.
What made you recruit Janine?
‘We used the normal recruitment processes of aptitude tests and interview. We wanted a strong customer focus as well as technical skills so we looked very hard at the applicants’ people skills. Janine was able to get her point across very well at interview although she told us that she was basically quite shy. On her GNVQ course, she developed and successfully ran a help desk for fellow students to deal with hardware and software problems – we found that very impressive.’
How relevant is the GNVQ course to Janine’s current job?
‘It certainly gave her a head start in the training and she emerged with top marks from her group. Janine has also fitted in very well and she is very keen and quick to learn. GNVQ gave her a broad base of skills with a grounding in many of the software packages we use in this organisation and the assignment and project based work seems a good introduction to the realities of the working world. We also look ahead to where these recruits could add value to the business in the future and Janine’s network knowledge will be very useful when she comes to choose a specialist role.’
How does Janine’s knowledge and experience compare with that of other recruits?
‘Some people had come straight from A level and didn’t have any specific IT skills; the GNVQ course obviously put her at an advantage there. Janine came with a wide knowledge base which prepared her for the practicalities of working life and gave her a good idea of the direction in which she would like her career to go.’
What would you say to other employers who don’t have much experience of GNVQ?
‘Janine isn’t the first GNVQ recruit we have had and she certainly won’t be the last. It is early days in her career, but she is doing really well and is setting the standards for her peers to work to.’